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Frozen, A Musical SpectacularOpening Date: Nov 10, 2016
Closing Date: currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic Air date: Nov 6, 2020 Medium: online Where to watch: Disney Parks YouTube |
Stage Production Notes
Set in the fictional Scandinavian land of Arendelle, Frozen tells the story of royal sisters Elsa and Anna, who are torn apart by Elsa’s icy powers. When Elsa sets Arendelle into eternal winter, Anna seeks to save her sister and finds the meaning of true love.
On November 27, 2013, Disney released it’s 53rd animated feature ad 24th 3-D animated film, Frozen. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, it was the first Disney animated feature with a female director at the helm, and the first to feature two female protagonists.
The film featured the voice talents of Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa) Jonathan Groff (Kristof), Josh Gad (Olaf), Chris Williams (Oaken), Alan Tudyk (Duke of Weselton), and Santino Fontana (Hans).
Frozen’s score was written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and included songs “For the First Time in Forever,” “Love is an Open Door,” “In Summer,” “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman,” “Fixer Upper,” and “Let It Go.”
The animation was an enormous success, grossing $1.3billion worldwide, and was the highest grossing animated film in history until it was outranked by Frozen II in 2020 which earned $1.325 billion. At the time of writing, the films retain their top 2 positions as the highest grossing animated films.
Frozen was nominated for, and won, a slew of awards including Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song, a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film, a BAFTA for Best Animated Film, and a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
In November 2019, Disney released a feature length sequel, Frozen 2: Into the Unknown.
Frozen III is slated to be released in 2027.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along
A stage show featuring the songs and clips from the film, and appearances from Anna, Elsa, and Kristof, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration began performances at the Disney Hollywood Studios in July 2014. The show was also briefly performed at Disney California Adventure.
A new version featuring Olaf premiered in Hong Kong Disneyland in June 2015 under the title Frozen Festival Show. The opened at Disneyland Paris in September 2015, and Shaghai Disneyland in 2016 under the original For the First Time in Forever title.
Stage Versions
In mid-2016, it was announced that three full-stage versions were in the works — Disney California Adventure, Disney Cruise Line, and a Broadway production.
Set in the fictional Scandinavian land of Arendelle, Frozen tells the story of royal sisters Elsa and Anna, who are torn apart by Elsa’s icy powers. When Elsa sets Arendelle into eternal winter, Anna seeks to save her sister and finds the meaning of true love.
On November 27, 2013, Disney released it’s 53rd animated feature ad 24th 3-D animated film, Frozen. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, it was the first Disney animated feature with a female director at the helm, and the first to feature two female protagonists.
The film featured the voice talents of Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa) Jonathan Groff (Kristof), Josh Gad (Olaf), Chris Williams (Oaken), Alan Tudyk (Duke of Weselton), and Santino Fontana (Hans).
Frozen’s score was written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and included songs “For the First Time in Forever,” “Love is an Open Door,” “In Summer,” “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman,” “Fixer Upper,” and “Let It Go.”
The animation was an enormous success, grossing $1.3billion worldwide, and was the highest grossing animated film in history until it was outranked by Frozen II in 2020 which earned $1.325 billion. At the time of writing, the films retain their top 2 positions as the highest grossing animated films.
Frozen was nominated for, and won, a slew of awards including Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song, a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film, a BAFTA for Best Animated Film, and a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
In November 2019, Disney released a feature length sequel, Frozen 2: Into the Unknown.
Frozen III is slated to be released in 2027.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along
A stage show featuring the songs and clips from the film, and appearances from Anna, Elsa, and Kristof, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration began performances at the Disney Hollywood Studios in July 2014. The show was also briefly performed at Disney California Adventure.
A new version featuring Olaf premiered in Hong Kong Disneyland in June 2015 under the title Frozen Festival Show. The opened at Disneyland Paris in September 2015, and Shaghai Disneyland in 2016 under the original For the First Time in Forever title.
Stage Versions
In mid-2016, it was announced that three full-stage versions were in the works — Disney California Adventure, Disney Cruise Line, and a Broadway production.
Frozen Live at the Hyperion
Frozen - Live at the Hyperion, opened in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure on May 27, 2016. The stage show was directed by Liesl Tommy, with choreography by Christopher Windom, scenic design by Robert Brill, costume design by Clint Ramos, music supervision and arrangements by Jason Michael Webb, and puppet design by Michael Curry.
The show was performed up to 5 times a day and featured a rotating cast of 106 actors, with 24 actors in each show. In line with Disney policy to maintain the illusion of the characters being real, the names of the actors were not publicized.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Frozen - Live at the Hyperion closed on March 12, 2020. It was announced in October 2020 that the show would permanently remain closed.
Disney Cruise Line: Frozen, A Musical Spectacular
Frozen - Live at the Hyperion was further adapted into an hour-long condensed version for performance aboard Disney Cruise Line. Frozen, A Musical Spectacular premiered aboard the newly refurbished ship Disney Wonder in the 977-seat Walt Disney Theatre during a 4-night Western Caribbean Cruise departing Galveston, Texas on November 10, 2016.
The cruise ship musical was directed by Sheryl Kaller, and the book was written by Sara Wordsworth.
In addition to the show, cruise guests were able to enjoy Frozen experiences in other areas of the ship. At the kid’s only Disney’s Oceaneer Club, Olaf led games and sing-a-longs, and Anna and Elsa also made appearances.
Reviewers wrote warmly of the new musical, praising the costume design, puppetry, and special effects. JeniLynn Knopp stated that “Disney has found a way to re-invent [the movie]… making it a new experience for even the most icy veterans.” Betsi Hill exclaimed “Disney has hit it out of the park with this fantastic musical!”
In October 2019, Frozen was added to the Disney Fantasy entertainment line-up, replacing the show Disney Wishes.
The Broadway Musical
Under the direction of Alex Timbers, developmental labs were held in New York City in May 2016 featuring Betsy Wolfe (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Okieriete Onaodowan (Kristof), and Greg HIldreth (Olaf).
In the summer of 2017, Alex Timbers was replaced as director by Michael Grandage. In September 2017, a pre-Broadway try-out was staged in Denver featuring Caissie Levy (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Jelani Alladin (Kristoff), Robert Creighton (Weselton), John Riddle (Hans), Kevin Del Aguila (Oaken), Timothy Hughes (Pabbie), and Andrew Pirozzi (Sven). The musical featured songs from the movie, and new songs by the original writing team including “Hygge,” “Monster,” and “True Love.”
After 26 previews, Frozen opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on March 22, 2018, with the Denver cast reprising their roles.
Frozen ran until March 11, 2020 when it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In May 2020, it was announced that Frozen would not re-open.
West End Production
Frozen transferred to the West End in 2021, commencing previews at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on August 27 and officially opening on September 8. The production featured Samantha Barks (Elsa), Stephanie McKeon (Anna), Obioma Ugoala (Kristoff), Craig Gallivan (Olaf), Oliver Ormson (Hans), Richard Frame (Weselton), Mikayla Jade (Sven), Ashley Birchall (Sven), with Jeremy Batt, Cameron Burt, Lauren Chia, Laura Emmitt, Emily-Mae, Hannah Fairclough, Danielle Fiamanya, Chris Fung, Matt Gillett, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Emily Lane, Justin-Lee Jones, Jason Leigh Winter, Jacob Maynard, Leisha Mollyneaux, Gabriel Mokake, Sarah O’Connor, Jemma Revell, Joshua St. Clair, Jacqui Sanchez, Jak Skelly, Jake Small, Kerry Spark, Isabel Snaas, Monica Swayne, and Anna Woodside. The role of Young Elsa was shared by Minaii.K, Sasha Watson-Lobo, Freya Scott, and the role of Young Anna was shared by Kanon Narumi, Asanda Masike, Ellie Shenker, and Summer Betson.
The West End production received glowing reviews, and was nominated for four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, Best Costume Design (Christopher Oram), Best Lighting Design (Neil Austin), and Best Actress in a Musical (Stephanie McKeon).
In January 2024, Disney announced The United Kingdom of Frozen: Love is an Open Door, a competition giving secondary schools across the UK a chance to win the licensing rights to be the first to perform the full-length version of Frozen the Musical. Applications closed in July 2024, and winners have yet to be announced. Frozen JR. and Frozen KIDS (60 and 30 minute versions of the show) are currently available for licensing in North America via Disney Theatrical Licensing.
The West End production closed on September 8, 2024, by which time it had reportedly been seen by over 2.8 million people.
In August 2024, Disney announced that the West End production of Frozen had been filmed live and will be released on Disney Plus in 2025.
Frozen - Live at the Hyperion, opened in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure on May 27, 2016. The stage show was directed by Liesl Tommy, with choreography by Christopher Windom, scenic design by Robert Brill, costume design by Clint Ramos, music supervision and arrangements by Jason Michael Webb, and puppet design by Michael Curry.
The show was performed up to 5 times a day and featured a rotating cast of 106 actors, with 24 actors in each show. In line with Disney policy to maintain the illusion of the characters being real, the names of the actors were not publicized.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Frozen - Live at the Hyperion closed on March 12, 2020. It was announced in October 2020 that the show would permanently remain closed.
Disney Cruise Line: Frozen, A Musical Spectacular
Frozen - Live at the Hyperion was further adapted into an hour-long condensed version for performance aboard Disney Cruise Line. Frozen, A Musical Spectacular premiered aboard the newly refurbished ship Disney Wonder in the 977-seat Walt Disney Theatre during a 4-night Western Caribbean Cruise departing Galveston, Texas on November 10, 2016.
The cruise ship musical was directed by Sheryl Kaller, and the book was written by Sara Wordsworth.
In addition to the show, cruise guests were able to enjoy Frozen experiences in other areas of the ship. At the kid’s only Disney’s Oceaneer Club, Olaf led games and sing-a-longs, and Anna and Elsa also made appearances.
Reviewers wrote warmly of the new musical, praising the costume design, puppetry, and special effects. JeniLynn Knopp stated that “Disney has found a way to re-invent [the movie]… making it a new experience for even the most icy veterans.” Betsi Hill exclaimed “Disney has hit it out of the park with this fantastic musical!”
In October 2019, Frozen was added to the Disney Fantasy entertainment line-up, replacing the show Disney Wishes.
The Broadway Musical
Under the direction of Alex Timbers, developmental labs were held in New York City in May 2016 featuring Betsy Wolfe (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Okieriete Onaodowan (Kristof), and Greg HIldreth (Olaf).
In the summer of 2017, Alex Timbers was replaced as director by Michael Grandage. In September 2017, a pre-Broadway try-out was staged in Denver featuring Caissie Levy (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Jelani Alladin (Kristoff), Robert Creighton (Weselton), John Riddle (Hans), Kevin Del Aguila (Oaken), Timothy Hughes (Pabbie), and Andrew Pirozzi (Sven). The musical featured songs from the movie, and new songs by the original writing team including “Hygge,” “Monster,” and “True Love.”
After 26 previews, Frozen opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on March 22, 2018, with the Denver cast reprising their roles.
Frozen ran until March 11, 2020 when it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In May 2020, it was announced that Frozen would not re-open.
West End Production
Frozen transferred to the West End in 2021, commencing previews at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on August 27 and officially opening on September 8. The production featured Samantha Barks (Elsa), Stephanie McKeon (Anna), Obioma Ugoala (Kristoff), Craig Gallivan (Olaf), Oliver Ormson (Hans), Richard Frame (Weselton), Mikayla Jade (Sven), Ashley Birchall (Sven), with Jeremy Batt, Cameron Burt, Lauren Chia, Laura Emmitt, Emily-Mae, Hannah Fairclough, Danielle Fiamanya, Chris Fung, Matt Gillett, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Emily Lane, Justin-Lee Jones, Jason Leigh Winter, Jacob Maynard, Leisha Mollyneaux, Gabriel Mokake, Sarah O’Connor, Jemma Revell, Joshua St. Clair, Jacqui Sanchez, Jak Skelly, Jake Small, Kerry Spark, Isabel Snaas, Monica Swayne, and Anna Woodside. The role of Young Elsa was shared by Minaii.K, Sasha Watson-Lobo, Freya Scott, and the role of Young Anna was shared by Kanon Narumi, Asanda Masike, Ellie Shenker, and Summer Betson.
The West End production received glowing reviews, and was nominated for four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, Best Costume Design (Christopher Oram), Best Lighting Design (Neil Austin), and Best Actress in a Musical (Stephanie McKeon).
In January 2024, Disney announced The United Kingdom of Frozen: Love is an Open Door, a competition giving secondary schools across the UK a chance to win the licensing rights to be the first to perform the full-length version of Frozen the Musical. Applications closed in July 2024, and winners have yet to be announced. Frozen JR. and Frozen KIDS (60 and 30 minute versions of the show) are currently available for licensing in North America via Disney Theatrical Licensing.
The West End production closed on September 8, 2024, by which time it had reportedly been seen by over 2.8 million people.
In August 2024, Disney announced that the West End production of Frozen had been filmed live and will be released on Disney Plus in 2025.
Filmed Production Notes
On November 6, 2020 Disney Parks released a full-length video of Frozen, A Musical Spectacular YouTube. Disney Parks had previously released a full-length video Tangled, and a 20 minute short featuring clips from Beauty and the Beast.
Billed as “Disney Cruise Line’s Broadway-style entertainment”, the video was recorded with the original cast from the show’s opening.
As of April 2021, the video has received over 3.9 million views.
In March 2021, a petition calling for the release of a filmed live version of the Broadway was shared on change.org. The petition stated that the new leads McKenzie Kurtz (Anna), Ciara Renée (Elsa) and Ryan McCartan (Hans) had only stepped into their roles a few weeks before the Broadway shutdown on March 12, 2020, and that fans wanted to see the show on screen as they had been able to do for Newsies or Hamilton. At the time of writing, the petition has received close to 3000 signatures.
In August 2024, Disney announced that the West End production of Frozen had been filmed live and will be released on Disney Plus in 2025.
Frozen, A Musical Spectacular is currently available to stream on demand for free via the Disney Parks YouTube channel.
On November 6, 2020 Disney Parks released a full-length video of Frozen, A Musical Spectacular YouTube. Disney Parks had previously released a full-length video Tangled, and a 20 minute short featuring clips from Beauty and the Beast.
Billed as “Disney Cruise Line’s Broadway-style entertainment”, the video was recorded with the original cast from the show’s opening.
As of April 2021, the video has received over 3.9 million views.
In March 2021, a petition calling for the release of a filmed live version of the Broadway was shared on change.org. The petition stated that the new leads McKenzie Kurtz (Anna), Ciara Renée (Elsa) and Ryan McCartan (Hans) had only stepped into their roles a few weeks before the Broadway shutdown on March 12, 2020, and that fans wanted to see the show on screen as they had been able to do for Newsies or Hamilton. At the time of writing, the petition has received close to 3000 signatures.
In August 2024, Disney announced that the West End production of Frozen had been filmed live and will be released on Disney Plus in 2025.
Frozen, A Musical Spectacular is currently available to stream on demand for free via the Disney Parks YouTube channel.
Frozen, A Musical Spectacular PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Walt Disney Theatre, Disney Wonder Cruise Ship
Producer: Disney Cruise Lines
Book: Sara Wordsworth; Original Screenplay: Chad Beguilin
Music and Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Director: Sheryl Kaller
Musical Director: Marco Paguia
Choreography: Josh Prince
Scenic Design: Jason Sherwood
Costume Design: Paloma Young
Lighting Design: Rui Rita
Projection Design: Aaron Rhyne
Puppetry Design: Michael Curry
Cast:
Intentionally unlisted by Disney
Theatre: Walt Disney Theatre, Disney Wonder Cruise Ship
Producer: Disney Cruise Lines
Book: Sara Wordsworth; Original Screenplay: Chad Beguilin
Music and Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Director: Sheryl Kaller
Musical Director: Marco Paguia
Choreography: Josh Prince
Scenic Design: Jason Sherwood
Costume Design: Paloma Young
Lighting Design: Rui Rita
Projection Design: Aaron Rhyne
Puppetry Design: Michael Curry
Cast:
Intentionally unlisted by Disney
Sources
Articles
Websites
- Bailee Abell, “Two Popular Disneyland Shows Officially Close,” Inside the Magic (Oct 10, 2020)
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- Ricky Brigante, “Frozen Summer Fun event debuts at Walt Disney World as Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf appear in delightful new shows,” Inside the Magic (July 5, 2014)
- Brittany Chrusciel, “'Frozen, The Musical' on Disney Cruise Line,” Cruise Critic (Sept 21, 2017)
- Brittany Chrusciel, “Disney Wonder,” Cruise Critic (undated)
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- Stephen Holden, “From the Heat of Royal Passion, Poof! It’s Permafrost,” New York Times (Nov 26, 2013)
- JeniLynn Knopp, “REVIEW: “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular” can melt “Frozen” hearts,” Inside the Magic (Feb 3, 2017)
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- Mary McNamara, “Review: Anna and Elsa are unstoppable in Disney’s ‘Frozen Live’ at California Adventure,” LA Times (May 27, 2016)
- Michael Paulson and Brooks Barnes, “Let It Go Go Go! Three Stage Versions of ‘Frozen’ Are on the Way,” New York Times (June 6, 2016)
- Rebecca Rubin, “‘Frozen 2’ Is Now the Highest-Grossing Animated Movie Ever,” Variety (Jan 5, 2020)
- Scott Sanders, “Disney Cruise Line Shares Full Video of Frozen, A Musical Spectacular,” Disney Cruise Line Blog (Nov 6, 2020)
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Websites
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- Change.org, “Release a filmed stage production of Frozen with the most recent Broadway cast,” Accessed via: https://www.change.org/p/the-walt-disney-company-have-frozen-on-broadway-professionally-filmed-with-the-most-recent-broadway-cast
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Written by Luisa Lyons (April, 2021)