NARRATIVE RECONFIGURATION IN FRANCHISE SEQUELS: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT WITH FROZEN AND FROZEN II

Authors

  • Umm-e-Rooman Yaqoob Lecturer,DepartmentofEnglish,Fazaia Bilquis,College of Education for Women, PAF Nur Khan base, Rawalpindi Author
  • Fatima Iftikhar PhD Scholar ,Designationof SET (Language instructor),Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66857/2586-f3b3

Keywords:

Franchise Sequels, Audience Engagement, Discourse Analysis, Frozen, Narrative Reconfiguration, Appraisal Theory

Abstract


This qualitative research discusses the interest of the audience in narrative reconfiguration in Frozen (2013) andFrozen II (2019) by Disney by analyzing 50 online reviews of Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019) using discourseanalysis and comparing them with each other. The study, based on the engagement theory (Smith, 1995) and theuse of Appraisal Theory (Martin and White, 2005), examines the linguistic construction of engagement by theaudience, interpretation of narrative continuity and change by viewers and appraisal of sequel narratives. Resultsshow that there are three prevailing trends, namely, (1) nostalgic attachment of the original forming evaluativestructures, (2) ambivalent reactions to narrative expansion between appreciation and critique, and (3) discrepantemotional commitment to character development. Viewers create a form of involvement by making comparativejudgments, emotional revelation and thematic unity judgment. The analysis shows that the key to successful sequelreception is to strike the balance between familiarity and relevant innovation with respect to the prior emotionalinvestment. 

Published

2026-08-22

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 3 (2025): (JALT)

Section

Articles