Frozen 2 Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs
4. The Total Lack Of Stakes
One of the most surprising - perhaps even subversive - aspects of Frozen 2 is that it doesn't really have a villain in the traditional Disney antagonist sense.
And while that's an intriguingly bold idea on paper, Lee's script forgets to include anything approaching real, palpable conflict or stakes in its stead.
Yes, this is a family-friendly animation, where everyone's probably going to be safe and sound by the end, but even so, it makes such little effort to convince the audience of any real sense of danger or turmoil.
There are several drawn-out sequences where major characters are placed in apparently mortal peril, but because we know nothing will likely come of it, it just comes across as hollow and insincere.
There are clearly a few characters who could've been left imperiled for the inevitable Frozen 3, but instead, everything's sewn up pretty neatly by film's end, lending it an oddly episodic, inconsequential feel.
This is admittedly a problem across many Disney properties - namely the MCU and Star Wars, also - but at least those franchises have the good sense to give the heroes a palpable force to face off against.