My second outing with the Frozen sisters and I was pleasantly surprised how much I still enjoyed the film. Plus, with a little bit of distance from release and full Frozen-mania, you can really appreciate just how well crafted the music and songs are. Honestly, the whole movie is just a joy end-to-end. The characters are well rounded, interesting, and enjoyable to follow along with; the humour is up there with the best that Pixar, Dreamworks, and co. have to offer; and the plot is a genuinely clever modernisation of a classic fairytale.

I'd forgotten how much the story is really about Anna, rather than Elsa (who very much steals the spotlight in terms of cultural impact), and had even forgotten the nature of how the "true love" moment happens. I remembered that it was more than the typical "true love's kiss" and more centred around the women as strong, independent characters, but it was fun rewatching and seeing all the various small branching points the writers have to toy with you. Will it be Anna kissing the man she actually loves (and that actually loves her)? Will Olaf sacrifice himself to keep her warm? Will Elsa suddenly realise her love is more powerful than her fear? Nope, it's Anna risking her own life to save her sister; she performs the act of true love herself. Still neat, still clever, still a real gut punch moment of joy and sadness 😭

The various side characters, such as the wonderful mountaineer store owner, had also fallen out of my memory, but the film is packed with so many fun side characters and subtle little jokes it's great. On the other hand, on rewatch the commonly voiced irritation about Elsa's parents "not listening to the trolls" feels a little over-engineered, to be honest. They pretty much do listen to the trolls, it's just that (for some reason) the troll chieftain speaks in a kind of pseudo-riddle, only for the very bit of information that is most important. The parents' reaction almost feels understandable, though perhaps their inability to teach Elsa to love herself and overcome her fear that way is worthy of judgement.

Still, I had a great time revisiting Frozen and am certain that it will be a children's classic for years to come. The soundtrack alone is well worth the time, but in general it's just a really tight, extremely well-made movie that tells a solid story about family, sisterhood, and self-belief which will appeal to just about anyone.