Frozen 2 – 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD Review: Heading ‘Into the Unknown’

You can go ahead and purchase the Frozen 2 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD home releases right now. Of course, these versions contain a lot of bonus content for fans to enjoy.

I was provided a free Frozen 2 4K UHD Combo Pack for review. The opinions shared in this article are my own.  

When Disney released Frozen back in 2013, it took the world by storm. The animated feature quickly made Elsa and Anna into merchandise juggernauts. Everyone wanted a sequel, and after six years, Disney gave us Frozen 2 in 2019.

The sequel opened with a flashback to share a story Elsa and Anna’s father told them about the Enchanted Forest. Turns out, their grandfather, King Runeard, signed a treaty with the people of the Enchanted Forest. The King even made a dam in the forest as a gift. However, a fight between the two communities occurred and the spirits (earth, water, fire, and air) got angry. The spirits trapped everyone inside the forest, but Elsa and Anna’s father was able to escape.

The movie then jumped three years after the events of Frozen and we got to see a very uneasy Elsa trying to make sense of a voice calling out to her. The rest of the plot dealt with Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven journeying to the Enchanted Forest to figure out what happened wrong all those years ago.

While there isn’t really much of a plot in Frozen 2, I enjoyed it focusing more on character development and opening doors for another installment. All of the main characters had certain stuff to address. Along with Elsa and Anna learning the truth behind Elsa’s powers, Elsa realized her purpose in life. Anna had to make a tough decision about setting the past right by making a huge sacrifice in the present. Kristoff didn’t necessarily have much to do, but I still liked seeing a fictional man demonstrating that it’s okay to be vulnerable. Olaf had to accept the fact the world’s changing (and growing older) around him.

There have been talks about the film having a message about climate change and how everyone should learn how to adapt to nature. Yes, I could see where such opinions came from. It also touched on how a person’s sense of entitlement, while being fearful of something they don’t understand, can cause a lot of harm.

As for the possible queer representation concerning Elsa, that’s a whole other topic.

Coming to the Frozen 2 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD release, the visuals are stunning! You will be able to see every freckle on Anna’s face and every intricate pattern on Elsa’s clothes. The animation team really outdid themselves here. It’s incredible work!

I didn’t encounter any issues with the audio presentation. The dialogues were clear and the songs, especially ‘Into the Unknown’ and ‘Show Yourself’, were powerful. I could feel my sound system vibrate with each note.

One of the things I was looking forward to was the ton of extra content in this home release. And there really is a whole lot for fans to go through!

• Sing-Along Version of the Movie: This is a great way to make your house into a karaoke bar and have a fun time with friends or family.
• Song Selection: You can easily jump to your favorite songs.
• Outtakes: An enjoyable look at Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad having fun during their recording sessions.
• Deleted Scenes: We get an intro from directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck and learn about the filmmaking process. The deleted scenes are:
  • Prologue – A battle rages between Arendelle and the Northuldra while a mysterious figure challenges King Agnarr. Apparantly, the team had thousands of prologue variations.
  • Secret Room – A secret room reveals even more of Anna and Elsa’s past, including a shocking revelation about their mother.
  • Elsa’s Dream – Anna’s playful glimpse into Elsa’s dream takes a dark turn.
  • Hard Nokks – Kristoff reveals his true feelings about life in Arendelle when the Nokk won’t take no for an answer.
  • A Place of Our Own – Elsa uses her magic to relieve Anna’s lingering doubts about their parents’ faith in her.
• Deleted Songs: We get an intro from the directors. The two deleted songs (featuring moving storyboards) are:
  • “Home” – Anna savors every moment as she wanders through this kingdom she calls home.
  • “I Wanna Get This Right” – Kristoff wants everything to be perfect before he proposes, leaving Anna to wonder, “Will it ever be just right?”:
• The Spirits of “Frozen 2”: We get interviews from the directors and voice actors. This bonus feature delivers information about the Scandinavian and Nordic mythology inspiring the spirits seen in Frozen 2.
• Did You Know???: You get fun facts, Easter eggs, and tidbits about the movie.
• Scoring a Sequel: A glimpse into composer Christophe Beck’s process of combining a 91-piece orchestra with 30 choral voices to create the film’s compelling score.
• Gale Tests: With an introduction by the directors, we learn about the challenges around the creation of the wind spirit named Gale. The team had to give a personality to something that’s invisible.
• Multi-Language Reel: You can listen to Elsa sing ‘Into the Unknown’ in 29 different languages.
• Music Videos: We have Panic! at the Disco singing ‘Into the Unknown,’ while Weezer does ‘Lost in the Woods’ (in a hilarious manner).
• Digital Exclusive – Meet the Lopezes: We have the husband-and-wife songwriting duo, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, talk about their songwriting process. An interesting thing I learned was Robert Lopez serving as Olaf’s temporary voice.
• Digital Exclusive – Deleted Song – “Unmeltable Me”: We get to hear Olaf singing about his permafrost body in Frozen 2.

I would have liked a director’s commentary track, but I guess it might be released for the Disney+ streaming service (if said commentary exists)? Let’s see.

Also, according to the Press Release I got:

• The Frozen 2 soundtrack was certified Gold by the R.I.A.A. and is the only soundtrack from an Oscar-nominated film that went to #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart (not the soundtrack chart alone) in 2019.
• “Into the Unknown” performed by Idina Menzel featuring AURORA was certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
• The soundtrack has over 1.5M global album adjusted units, with additional Gold and Platinum certifications in Japan, Korea, Philippines, China, Germany, UK, and Canada.
• The Frozen 2 soundtrack has over 1.7B global streams (audio and video combined).

Frozen 2 has an approximate running time of 103 minutes. It has been rated PG in the US. The film has gone on to gross more than $1.4 billion at the global box office. With how things ended in the sequel, I wouldn’t mind getting another installment. Here’s to hoping we don’t have to wait another six years to get one, though.

All in all, the Frozen 2 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD home releases offer a lot to fans. It’s a great way to rewatch the film due to the impressive visual and audio presentation. The list of extra bonus content justifies the price tag.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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