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Credit: DisneyIn a surprising announcement, Disney has revealed that they are making changes to an iconic Frozen (2013) song in order to make it more accessible.
When it comes to the last decade, Frozen is easily the most iconic Disney film. Directed by Chris Buck and current Walt Disney Animation President Jennifer Lee, with songs written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the film has become beloved by Disney fans everywhere.
A significant reason for this is the unbelievably talented cast, which includes Tony Award winner Idina Menzel as Elsa, Kristen Bell as Anna, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, Josh Gad as Olaf, Santino Fontana as Hanz, and Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weaselton. The other major reason for the movie’s success is the aforementioned music. Almost every song from Frozen has become an instant Disney classic, including “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?” and “Love is an Open Door.”
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However, nothing tops the powerhouse that is “Let It Go.” The song takes advantage of Menzel’s strong voice, making for a power ballad that kids still can’t stop singing in the car. It earned the songwriters a well-deserved Academy Award and has become one of Disney’s most beloved songs.
As anyone who was a fan of Splash Mountain or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) will tell you, you should never EVER mess with a classic, which is why it’s so surprising to hear that Disney has changed the words to the iconic song.
Disney Changed the Lyrics To ‘Let It Go’ From Frozen
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In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Jennifer Lee revealed that Disney had changed the lyrics to “Let It Go” for the new Frozen Ever After ride at Hong Kong Disneyland to make it “more accessible.”
“It’s not like there’s an approval process where we’ve got all these rules we can’t break,” said Lee. “We just sat down with the songwriters and talked about it. You’re just being so experimental with the music and lyrics, and Rob and Kristen just want to tell the story.”
So what’s the big alteration? Instead of belting, “It’s time to see what I can do,” the words have been changed to “It’s time to share what I can do.” A minor change, but a change that still completely alters the sentence’s meaning. Lee also noted that this “twist” occurred when the team was preparing music for the 2018 Broadway musical.
The primary reason for this change and other musical changes in the attraction was to get the audience more into the experience. “I feel like it’s about making you feel like you’re part of the story now,” explained Lee. “That’s the point of all the lyric changes in this. Kristoff [also sings] ‘For the First Time in Forever’ [in the ride], and it’s like, they’re a family, too.”
This Completely Changes Elsa’s Journey
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“We never want anything with Frozen to be like, don’t touch it, because it’s not what Disney is about,” Lee continued. “People want to take those characters into their lives, and everyone has their own relationship with those characters. You want to push it, celebrate it, and make it more and more accessible.”
“Let It Go” is one of Disney’s best songs about self-empowerment. It’s a song about accepting who you are and your strengths, even if others don’t see it themselves. Changing “see” to “share” may seem minor, but it takes away Elsa’s journey of accepting herself and instead shifts it to other people, making them more important. It seems that in order to make the audience feel more involved, Disney has taken away Elsa’s personal power.
What do you think of this change? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!