It is the biggest box office success for a Disney animated film. And yet, it is only a sequel, which is regularly strongly criticized by Mickey fans.
It’s difficult to determine which is the best animated film from Disney Studios. Whether out of nostalgia or with a more objective critical view, the classification of cartoons produced by Walt Disney’s company is the subject of numerous heated debates and everyone has their own preference. But the box office numbers speak for themselves, and the Disney animated film that has attracted audiences the most in theaters is… a sequel.
Released in 2019, Frozen 2 undoubtedly benefited from the stratospheric success of the first opus released six years earlier. In this sequel, spectators were able to find sisters Elsa and Anna in the Northern Kingdom, while Arendelle is attacked by elemental spirits. Accompanied by Kristoff, Sven and Olaf, they search for the Enchanted Forest, a mysterious place where the origin of the threat is believed to be, but also of Elsa’s powers.
The first episode of Snow Queen was already a huge hit: remember those years of hearing young and old singing the songs about “Liberated, Delivered” to the point of overdose. No wonder since the cartoon ranked 16th among the biggest global box office hits of all time. More surprisingly, its sequel achieved the feat of doing better, collecting more than 1.45 billion dollars worldwide.
However, the first episode is probably remembered more than its sequel, even if its box office success is slightly less spectacular. Snow Queen will obtain numerous awards unlike its sequel, including the Oscar for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song in 2014. The critical reception will also be very positive, with 90% warm reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and the success at the meeting.
Conversely, Snow Queen 2 received less unanimous reviews, with 77% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Darker and deeper in its themes, it remains as visually ambitious as ever, but is perhaps less accessible to a young audience. In the same spirit, the songs from the feature film, and in particular “In another world”, fit less into popular culture than “Liberated, delivered”. Despite everything, the second film probably benefited from the success of the first and even managed to surpass it at the box office. Enough to ensure the release of a third part planned for 2025.