Disney‘s animated film Frozen was released in US theatres in November 2013 and spent 34 weeks (238 days) in US theatres. The film was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Snow Queen.
It stars sisters Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, and Elsa, voiced by Idina Menzel. Elsa accidentally uses her power to make her kingdom experience constant winter. Anna teams up with mountaineer Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and Olaf (Josh Gad) to break the snowy spell.
The film won two Oscars and a Golden Globe and was one of Disney’s highest-grossing films of all time, raking in $1.2 billion worldwide. It spawned a sequel (Frozen II), a Broadway musical and a hit song in ‘Let It Go’, not to mention countless birthday parties and Halloween costumes around the world, tapping into the movie’s theme.
No doubt the film made its mark on culture and, a decade later, continues to, with Frozen III set to come out in 2026. The reason behind its generation-defining popularity is due to a few factors.
“It’s been praised by both critics and movie-goers alike for its finely-tuned characterisation, broad comedic appeal to both young and old, and a perfectly positioned narrative arc that ends with — surprise surprise — sisterly devotion, not archetypal romance,” writes Singaporean publication CNA Lifestyle.
ScreenRant also points out that the sisterly bond is unique to Disney movies. While most Disney films focus on families and friendship has always been central to the brand’s plots, no other has centred on a sisterly bond.
“Frozen is not only the first to do so, but the only franchise that consistently puts two sisters at the centre, with Anna and Elsa’s growth as characters inextricably linked to their bond’s development, making it central to both Frozen and Frozen II’s stories,” ScreenRant writes.
Also, Elsa isn’t your typical Disney character — she’s flawed. And that makes her relatable. The film, it writes, also keeps the audience engaged because it goes against expected tropes and stereotypes.
“It’s the furthest thing from a typical princess movie,” The New Yorker quotes psychologist Erika Wells at Union College in the US saying. “The handsome prince is evil. The person with the magical powers is good. It spins Disney on its head.”
Another factor for Frozen’s popularity may have been that since its release a decade ago, Disney hasn’t introduced many other Disney princesses. There’s been Moana from the self-titled flick, Raya from Raya and the Last Dragon and Mirabel from Encanto.
Finally, Frozen’s music played a major role in its popularity. Many who haven’t seen the film might at least know its title song ‘Let It Go’ with music and lyrics by husband-and-wife songwriting team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
“The lyrics couldn’t be simpler,’ Dr Vasco Hexel, who teaches composition for the screen at the Royal College of Music told Frozen The Musical UK. “’Let it go! Let it go! – it’s so concise and easy to remember. And it has this three-note motif that the three syllables sit on that, again, is so simple. It’s so small and yet so perfect and is repeated often.”
An effective pop song, Hexel says, has to feel familiar the first time you hear it. ‘Let It Go’ certainly does that.
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