Movie Review: Disney+'s "Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical" is an Act of True Love for Theatre Lovers and "Frozen" Fans Alike

Starting June 20th, Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical will be available for the first time ever on Disney+. Here’s everything you need to know about the professionally shot stage adaptation of Disney’s hit 2013 film.

Back in 2013, Disney invited moviegoers on an unforgettable journey about sisterhood and the power of familial love with Frozen. The film became a wickedly popular worldwide sensation with fans unable to “Let it Go." The film would go on to become the highest grossing animated film of all time at nearly $1.3 billion at the box office, a record it held until the 2019 release of Frozen II. The musical adventure’s soundtrack would also hold the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 13 non-consecutive weeks throughout 2014, the longest running number 1 album of the year. Anna and Elsa, alongside their pals Olaf, Sven, and Kristoff, become household names with kids and adults alike falling in love with the characters.

Realizing fans wanted more ways to be a part of Arendelle, Disney announced that a stage adaptation of the hit film was in development just months after the Disney Animation Studios project’s release. Disney On Broadway would bring back many of the big creatives behind the beloved story, including Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez to add new music and Jennifer Lee to write the book.

Three and half years later in August of 2017, Frozen: The Broadway Musical began its Broadway tryout at the Buell Theatre in Denver, Colorado before moving to the Great White Way in March of 2018. The Disney On Broadway production was initially met with mixed reviews. However, the production would still go on to earn three Tony Award nominations and run for several years. Disney also continued to be committed to the production, making script and score alterations during the run to tighten up and improve the show. While the show turned a decent profit on Broadway, the COVID-19 shutdowns ended Frozen’s run prematurely, as Disney chose to salvage the more successful The Lion King and Aladdin Broadway productions.

While many Disney fans were disappointed by the closure, a new production of Frozen: The Broadway Musical would officially open in London’s West End in September of 2021. Arriving with the new script changes and headlined by Les Miserables’ Samantha Barks as Elsa, it racked in and entertained audiences up until its closure in September of 2024.

Now, this is where the fun begins! Announced during last year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney shared that a professional shot performance of the West End’s Frozen: The Broadway Musical would be headed to Disney+. As a musical theatre nerd, it is always incredible to see major productions become accessible to audiences worldwide, especially with a story as powerful as Frozen. Having the chance to check out the new film early, let’s talk about Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical.

Firstly, I wanna just talk about the production. Having had a chance to check out a performance of Frozen’s North American tour, I was able to see the original iteration of the show. Admittedly, I left the theatre disappointed by the musical’s inconsistency, often jumping between a childish immaturity and darker action. While Frozen was able to capture a really perfect balance of the two, the musical had moments where it didn’t quite know its own audience. A perfect example of this are the hidden folk, which replaced the film’s trolls. While I understand they wanted to avoid using corny, perhaps perceivably low-brow puppetry, it actually added a layer of mythic mystery to the production. That is until you get to “Fixer Upper," which completely destroys any air of sophistication surrounding these characters. While the trolls were always silly and fun, seeing a bunch of moss-covered adults singing lyrics like “the pear-shaped, square-shaped weirdness of his feet" doesn’t quite pack the same punch.

The musical also attempted to highlight larger themes around sexism. While I think the film captured that message beautifully, the musical tries to add moments that push that message farther. In one instance, the Duke of Weselton questions Anna’s decision making based on her gender. While I think the goal to showcase the discrimination women face daily was admirable and could have been successful, many of these moments felt very stitched in and are never really addressed.

The pacing also struggled through much of the original production as they reorganized the story to allow “Let it Go" to close out the first act. However, many of the fan-favorite moments from the movie still rang through the theatre with as much power as Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell created in the original film. The set design and costume design are also incredible, and was a visual feast both in person and in the new special.

Disney+’s Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical was my first time experiencing the restructured show, which, admittedly, fixed many of the problems I had with the tour. The pacing was far better, the replacement for “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)," titled “I Can’t Lose You," was a beautiful addition to the show, and the undeniable talent of Samantha Barks and the rest of the cast really sold the story. While running nearly two hours, about 15 minutes longer than the 2013 film, Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical is a perfect way to experience the magic of Anna and Elsa’s epic journey in a new way. While I still maintain that the musical could have taken larger risks, like really leaning into Scandinavian folklore and art the way that The Lion King did so successfully, Frozen: The Broadway Musical is still a highly enjoyable and entertaining piece of art. The musical still struggles to find the perfect comedic, yet serious tone and I don’t anticipate anyone walking away from the musical preferring it to the film, but there is so much to love. Highlights of the production include “Hyge," the Act 1 tap opener headlined by Wandering Oaken, and Elsa’s meltdown anthem “Monster." As we head into the hot summer months, Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical will be a great way for families to escape into the AC and enjoy some Disney magic.

Frozen: The Broadway Musical debuted on June 20th, exclusively on Disney+.

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