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Kristen Bell Says People Who Deem Themselves Too Old For 'Frozen 2' Will Be "Pleasantly Surprised"

Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney

From Woman's Day

Nearly six years after they first melted cold hearts around the world in Frozen, Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and the gang are returning to the big screen in Frozen 2. And it’s fair to say expectations for the sequel, which hits theaters November 22, are high. After all, Frozen was a global phenomenon, breaking box office records and setting a new standard for quality family films. But if you think the sequel is going to be the same song and animated dance as the original movie, star Kristen Bell says you couldn’t be more wrong.

Bell, who voices Anna, tells Woman’s Day that even though the film is made for kids — Disney’s main demographic, “one could argue that [Frozen 2] is for an older audience.

“I think the people who started out with Frozen and might think Frozen 2 wouldn’t apply to them because they’ve grown up a little bit are going to find themselves pleasantly surprised,” Bell says. “The characters have developed in a way that’s a bit more adult and so the movie followed.”

The characters’ growth, however, wasn’t just a result of the time between films. Bell says it was an intentional decision made by the team behind the movie.

Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney

“No one on our team or at Disney, wanted to just write episode two of Frozen,” she says. “They waited to sort of figure out what story needed to be told. What was the next important move in their lives? What really developed them? What was necessary to see these characters go through?”

Part of creating this new narrative was getting into the heads of the characters — literally.

“Jennifer Lee, who writes and co-directs, journaled as the characters for months before she found the story,” Bells says, adding that the team has also turned to her and other actors to make sure the character development makes sense.

“They’ve gotten to the point where they will lean on me and say, ‘do you think Anna would do this,’ or ‘what do you think Anna will do here?’”

As for specific storylines, Bell and the rest of the team behind Frozen 2 have remained pretty secretive. At the D23 expo in August, director Chris Buck said Frozen 2 will be "an epic mystery." He also added that the movie revolves around "a past that wasn’t what it seems, a past that could threaten the future of Arendelle, a past that leads our gang to an enchanted forest. Powers that were once too strong for the world are not enough."

A little vague? Perhaps. But it’s that air of mystery that will get people in the theater. And, if we’re to believe Bell, it’s the storyline that will have them back for another viewing.

“I think they found something really beautiful, Bell says. “And I’m very proud of it.”

Frozen 2 arrives in theaters on November 22, 2019.

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