The Frozen Controversy That Resulted In The Sequels Best Song

The Frozen Controversy That Resulted In The Sequel’s Best Song

Frozen made a big mistake by not featuring Jonathan Groff’s voice, but Frozen 2 makes up for it with its best song, “Lost In The Woods.”

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The Frozen Controversy That Resulted In The Sequels Best Song

The best song in Frozen 2 was the result of a minor controversy stirred up by the original movie’s songs — specifically, which characters did, and did not, get big showstopper numbers. Frozen had a cast of vocal powerhouses, including Idina Menzel (Wicked, Rent), Josh Gad (The Book of Mormon), and Santino Fontana (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). While each of these performers had a featured song in Frozen, Groff was left with a short ditty titled “Reindeers Are Better Than People.” After Frozen, and Groff’s Tony-nominated role as King George in Hamilton, fans were hotly anticipating a song of his own in Frozen 2.

Kristoff singing “Reindeers Are Better Than People” in Frozen was a delightfully light moment in the film, but some viewers felt the scene failed to adequately utilize Jonathan Groff’s voice — after all, even the talking snowman Olaf got a full-length song. Reviewers and fans felt that “Reindeers Are Better Than People” was shoehorned into the film as an excuse for him sing, but only caused more frustration by teasing the sky-high potential of a legitimate song for Kristoff. Co-songwriters of Frozen, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, publicly commented that they regretted not giving the Broadway actor a full song in the movie, but that Kristoff’s characterization didn’t allow for it.

No one was more surprised at the immediate backlash to “Reindeers Are Better Than People” than Jonathan Groff himself, saying in an interview with Vanity Fair, “it was so sweet that people were more upset that I didn’t sing than I was.” Kristen Bell, who voices Princess Anna in both films, also called out Groff’s lack of a solo in the first Frozen, telling Entertainment Tonight, “that was my one critique. We didn’t get Jonathan Groff singing.” After the controversy from Frozen, “Lost In The Woods” was under significant pressure to make up for the disappointment of “Reindeers Are Better Than People.”

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Frozen 2 more than made up for that mistake with Jonathan Groff’s excellent solo “Lost In the Woods.” The breakout song of the film proved that Frozen was wrong in under-utilizing the Broadway star and Glee alum, combining Groff’s award-winning voice with Lopez and Anderson-Lopez’s homage to the theatrical power ballads of the ’80s. The combination of the excellent 80s music video aesthetics, and showcasing Jonathan Groff’s voice both as Kristoff and all 18 reindeer in the backing chorus, made the song one of the best parts of Frozen 2.

A major reason that Kristoff didn’t have a solo in Frozen was the challenge of the character. Kristoff’s character arc in Frozen shows his transformation from a surly and guarded man to a more open and loving partner to Anna; for most of the film, Kristoff is simply not the kind of character to break into song. Although “Reindeers Are Better Than People” is short, the stripped-down snippet was the only way to stay true to Kristoff’s arc, whereas a full song would have been out of place. By Frozen 2, Kristoff is more in touch with his emotions, and the theatricality of “Lost In The Woods” lets Kristoff work through his emotions in a comedic, but believable, way. The surprise success of Jonathan Groff’s solo proved that fans were right, and Frozen 2 made up for the controversy with the sequel’s best song.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/frozen-controversy-lost-woods-jonathan-groff/

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