The Snow Queen: MirrorLands (U)

Following the banishment of the Snow Queen to the MirrorLands, King Harald colludes with his Admiral to outlaw sorcery and witchcraft. A diabolical plan is hatched: to woo magical citizens to the castle with the promise of gold and trick them into passing through a one-way portal to the frozen wilderness, which imprisons the exiled Snow Queen. Store owner Vegard, his wife Una and their son Kai fall for the duplicity, leaving behind non-magical daughter Gerda.

LondonNet Film Review
The Snow Queen: MirrorLands (U)

Forgiveness and friendship are stronger than intolerance and fear in the third computer-animated sequel to the award-winning 2012 Russian film The Snow Queen, based on the wintry Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. The latest instalment in the franchise, which arrives four years after The Snow Queen 3: Fire And Ice, makes few concessions to audiences unfamiliar with narrative arcs and dangling plot threads from earlier chapters. The return of one supporting character, presumed dead in a lava-filled cavern, necessitates some clunky expository dialogue to summarise their betrayal of the series’ plucky heroine and lay the uneven foundations of their redemption…

Plotting is linear and obligatory life lessons are distilled as greetings card epithets – “One who cannot forgive has no friends” – in between competently executed action set pieces including an airborne pursuit and a bruising final battle engineered with similar moving parts to Transformers. The quality of the animation matches the sophistication of the storytelling. There is a discernible lack of detail in lighting and shadows accompanied by cutesy character design that negates the need for strands of hair and fur to move independently in a passing breeze. Compared to Frozen II, director Aleksey Tsitsilin’s film is left out in the cold.

Following the banishment of the Snow Queen (voiced by Samia Mounts) to the MirrorLands, King Harald (Marc Thompson) colludes with his Admiral (Jason Griffith) to outlaw sorcery and witchcraft. A diabolical plan is hatched: to woo magical citizens to the castle with the promise of gold and trick them into passing through a one-way portal to the frozen wilderness, which imprisons the exiled Snow Queen. Store owner Vegard (Tom Wayland), his wife Una (Vanessa Gardner) and their son Kai (Griffith) fall for the duplicity, leaving behind non-magical daughter Gerda (Laurie Hymes).

“I have nothing, no talents at all!” laments the girl, unaware that she holds the key to rescuing her family and healing the kingdom’s deep divisions. Meanwhile in the MirrorLands, a Shaman (Thompson again) performs an incantation to temporarily separate the Snow Queen’s spirit from her body as a spectral companion for young Gerda. “Sometimes trusting your former enemy is your only way to salvation,” the Snow Queen counsels the girl as they embark on an epic quest in the company of airship pilot Alfida (Devin Bailey Griffin), troll king Arrog (Scottie Ray) and his emissary Orm (Billy Bob Thompson).

The Snow Queen: MirrorLands should deep-freeze the attention of very young audiences for the majority of the 84 undemanding minutes. Composer Fabrizio Mancinelli’s score twinkles gently in the background and the film’s only feel-good pop song, an ear worm that proclaims “Life is the best adventure you’ll experience/Uncover the precious treasures that are hidden in your heart”, is thankfully reserved for the coda and end credits.

– Sam Cannon