The pleasant musical sequel to Frozen, Frozen 2, is not flawless, but has just enough qualities to be endearing to its audience.

Frozen 2 came out in late December with top box office numbers. However, it is more than just that, that makes the film successful.

Let It Go was the power song of the original Frozen movie and Frozen 2 featured many fun and new songs. Some are deep in meaning, such as All Is Found, Some Things Never Change, and Into the Unknown. Others are funny and wise, such as When I Am Older. There are other silly songs more for the children, like Lost in the Woods and Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People; and other great songs more memorable than the ones from the previous film. Child or adult, there was a song for everyone.

Another part of Frozen 2’s success is the great care the production team took to detailing magnificent scenery with the movie’s enchanted forest and the four elemental spirits, such as the unicorn completely made of water, and wind as a character named Gale.

The fire elemental spirit was a bit of a letdown in its comical appearance, but its cuteness and innocence is a great delight to the children in the audience and no doubt made adorable to sell some toys.

Complementing the spectacular scenery is the mature design put into the characters (and many outfits probably also for toy production). The animators grew from the sequin look of Elsa’s dress in Frozen, to detailed, three-dimensional jewels and stitching on Elsa’s dress in Frozen 2. Thanks to technological advancements for Disney’s animators, such as the new software, Beast, they were able to animate more hairs per frame, giving the animation a more realistic effect.

It is now understood why Disney waited six years before coming out with this sequel; conducting research to make certain the movie wouldn’t be a huge let down as is usually expected of sequels, especially in animation.

While maintaining a fresh scent of realism in this sequel with all the new technology the animators possess, Frozen 2 still stays true to a satisfyingly beautiful animated look.

We can also see the details of each character’s growth. Anna’s consistent concern for her sister’s safety, as well as a much more mature hairstyle compared to the braids she previously wore; Elsa’s change from the previous film’s fear to a newfound confidence and certainty is seen in her actions, stances, and dialogue; Kristoff is considering more than being with a reindeer for the rest of his life; and Olaf is more of a likeable character as he asks questions we ourselves often ask about life.

Unexpectedly, the movie takes a dark turn in the central body of the film, catching the audience by surprise, but delightfully so. From this we gain insight into the complexity of Elsa’s powers, the history of Arandelle, and even how the two princess’s parents died. While we know the movie is going to end on a pleasant note, it keeps the audience at the edge of their seat to see how each character will make it to the end.

Now while one could drown Frozen 2 in a plethora of compliments, there are a good number of things that are disappointing.

For starters, while it is nice to see Kristoff getting serious about how he feels about Anna, his character downgrades from the fun reindeer-lover we knew in Frozen, to a complete joke to get some laughs from the crowd. And Anna’s reactions to Kristoff’s attempts to share his feelings are more annoying than humorous.

Secondly, aside from her journey to learn more about herself and the voice calling out to her, Elsa’s character is strikingly dull compared to her sister. Elsa was hardly a character in Frozen, and Frozen 2 attempts to strengthen the importance of her character, but not successfully.

As for Elsa, many questions arise that are never answered once the audience learns of her new powers. We learn that there’s a fifth elemental spirit that is the bridge between the elements and humans which turns out be Elsa, but is she then a god? A human? An element? Or some other type of being? It is never made clear.

What is also unclear is Elsa’s ability to see the past, as well as her ancestors’ secrets and past actions through the ice. These elements of her powers, while intriguing, are vague in how they actually work.

And now that Elsa is off to be some other-worldly goddess in the forest, Anna suddenly becomes Queen of Arandelle. It is a nice touch, but even though Anna has matured, is she really mature enough to be a queen?

Lastly, the build up to the end had great potential to wow us all if it wasn’t rushed. The film is an hour and 43 minutes long, but rushes its ending to make time for foolish non-comedic jokes that are not needed.

Though every film has its faults, there are still enough merits to outweigh them. Frozen 2 is a pensive and pleasurable sequel to Frozen that can be watched with the family again and again.