Review: "LEGO Disney Frozen: Operation Puffins" Offers Cute Adventure in Arendelle, Sure To Please LEGO and "Frozen" Fans

Disney+ and LEGO are bringing us back to the world of Arendelle - In LEGO form - in the new short film LEGO Disney Frozen: Operation Puffins. Now available on Disney+, the new short takes place after the events of the Walt Disney Animation Studios classic (it’s 12 years old at this point, come on), Frozen. 

Anna and Elsa want to start fresh in Arendelle and make the castle feel a bit more comfortable. While they struggle to break free of traditions that have been upheld for no other reason than that they are traditions, the Duke of Weselton has other plans for their beloved home as he is ushered out of the kingdom. 

That’s when his clunky boots catch the attention of a flock of puffins that he can control and command just by moving his feet. Let’s go with it. 

Fortunately, Alan Tudyk has returned to reprise his role as the (spoiler) secondary antagonist/red herring from the first film, the Duke of Weselton. Now, he’s a full villain as he sends his Puffin flock to disassemble the castle. It is also reminiscent of the Yokai in Big Hero 6, but with birds. As for the easy destruction of the kingdom, hey, they’re LEGO, remember?!

Other characters you’d expect to see - Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff - return but their original voice actors did not, so expect a bit of noticeable difference. Nor did we really expect them to, save for maybe Josh Gad. 

The short, clocking in at just over 15 minutes is easily digestible for fans of LEGO adaptations or anything Frozen related. It features fun LEGO gags - disassembling (and later rebuilding) the castle, heads switching, characters bending at extreme angles. All the usual fun of a LEGO animated adventure. 

That said, the look of these characters is more akin to the LEGO Friends sets, as opposed to traditional minifigures, which might be more appealing to the eyes of younger Frozen fans, but still keeping the LEGO world for those fans as well. 

Those Frozen fans who also expect music in each entry of the franchise, LEGO or otherwise, will be disappointed. There are no songs here, just a simple score that surrounds the events of the film. An area that the production did stand out though, was with its animation. While LEGO can be animated intentionally clunky and it would still be acceptable, moments with Elsa’s magic and a crashing train truly stand out and are far superior to other lower-profile projects at a similar scale. Truly impressive for what this short is. 

The story itself is easy to grasp for all ages, if not a bit overbearing for an adult audience watching with a younger set with a heavy emphasis on traditions and change. 

All in all the short is good fun for LEGO fans and Frozen fans, as long as they don’t consider the story to be canon because - oh boy. At the easy 15ish minutes length, this will likely be on repeat in homes with younger Frozen fans, and keeping that target demographic in mind, I give this 3.5 out of 5 lost Weselton wigs. LEGO Disney Frozen: Operation Puffins is now available on Disney+.