[ad_1]
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire!
Summary
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire solidifies Ghostbusters 2’s canon status with a direct reference to the Statue of Liberty scene.
- The film continues the story of Egon’s family while sparingly including original Ghostbusters characters.
- There are many Easter eggs throughout Frozen Empire that pay homage to the 1984 original, connecting the newer films to the classic franchise.
One small moment in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire officially debunks franchise canon concerns created by its predecessor. When the Ghostbusters franchise relaunched in 2021 with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, audiences were introduced to Egon Spengler’s daughter and grandchildren as the new protagonists. That movie and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire focus on their stories while including the original Ghostbusters characters sparingly. By continuing Winston Zeddemore, Ray Stanz, and Peter Venkman’s stories, the newer films have the opportunity to connect to the original two in a variety of ways.
There are many Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Easter eggs included throughout the film that reference the 1984 original. This was the same with Ghostbusters: Afterlife. However, there was a debate around the 2021 relaunch about which Ghostbusters movies and shows were still canon. The 2016 reboot was definitively moved beyond the main franchise canon, while the animated shows were left in an ambiguous state. The main debate came about if Ghostbusters II was still canon to the series considering how the introduction of Egon’s daughter seemingly created issues with the original sequel and timeline.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Ending Explained
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire sees the Ghostbusters up against a chilling new villain. We discuss the film’s biggest moments & what’s next for the team.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Directly References The Events Of Ghostbusters 2
The Statue Of Liberty Ending Is Shown
After this confusion, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire includes a major reference to Ghostbusters 2. This comes early in the film as various clips about the original Ghostbusters team are shown on TV. This segment includes footage of Ghostbusters 2‘s ending with Egon, Ray, Winston, and Peter with the Statue of Liberty after it came alive using the positively charged goo. The news broadcast directly showing moments from the 1989 sequel immediately becomes the most overt reference that either Ghostbusters: Afterlife or Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire made to the original sequel.
What Happened To Slimer After Ghostbusters 2 Is Finally Confirmed, 35 Years Later
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire features the return of Slimer, and the movie finally confirms what happened to the ghost 35 years after Ghostbusters 2.
Seeing footage of the Statue of Liberty from Ghostbusters 2 play in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is not the first time that these newer movies have directly referenced the earlier ones. Ghostbusters: Afterlife alluded to developments from the 1989 movie by including Ray’s Occult shop, which returns in Frozen Empire. However, the difficulty in explaining why Callie Spengler wasn’t in Ghostbusters 2 and uncertainty about who her mom and Egon’s wife were meant that canon debates continued. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire thankfully leaves no doubt in regard to Ghostbusters II‘s canon status.
Frozen Empire’s Statue Of Liberty Reference Confirms Ghostbusters 2 Is Still Canon
It Was Always Canon When Ghostbusters: Afterlife Released
Now that the Statue of Liberty possession has been referenced by Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, it is officially confirmed that Ghostbusters 2 is canon and was canon back when Afterlife came out. The 2021 franchise revival simply did not include as many overt connections to the 1989 film. Ray’s Occult and other details still signaled that Jason Reitman honored his father’s sequel by keeping it as canon, but Hollywood’s history of retconning sequels out of canon status left confusion. This persisted even after Reitman himself confirmed that Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 remained essential parts of the canon.
Ghostbusters Movies Canon Watch Order |
|
---|---|
Movie |
|
1 |
Ghostbusters (1984) |
2 |
Ghostbusters II (1989) |
3 |
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) |
4 |
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) |
It was always somewhat silly to question whether Ghostbusters: Afterlife removed Ghostbusters 2 from canon just because of Callie’s existence. There are plenty of ways to explain why Egon’s young daughter might not have been present during the film’s events. Furthermore, Ghostbusters: Afterlife did not benefit from making the sequel non-canon, as that decision would only upset those who are fond of the film. Now that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has solidified Ghostbusters 2‘s status, there could be opportunities to include more references to the sequel if the franchise continues.
[ad_2]
Source link