Why ‘Let It Go’ Changed The Future of Disney Princess Movies.

The Rolling Stones Magazine listed the Most Important Music Moments of the Decade and #10 was "Disney's unshakable, Oscar-winning song about snow" also known as “Let It Go”.

I’d argue that Frozen and Let It Go was a kind of rebirth of the Disney princess movie. When I was in the princess-demographic Disney didn't seem to know where they wanted to go with their princess stories. All the late 80s and 90s princesses; Ariel ('89), Belle ('91), Jasmine ('92), Pocahontas ('95), Mulan ('98) had adventures and rebelled against their family. But it was all in the search of love and with the end goal to find a prince, arguably not Mulan's original intention but she still ends up with a prince-like-figure. 

Then there was a halt to the Princess movies, Disney probably didn't know what to do with these little girls growing up in the midst of third-wave feminism. So after 10 years of recalibration in 2009 they returned with The Princess and The Frog, it made $267-$271 million in the box office, with a budget of $105 million it was a success - but nothing compared to Frozen. 

Frozen made 1.290 billion in the worldwide box office, ranking as the 16th highest-grossing film of all time. Now surpassed by Frozen II with 1.450 billion, and a top 10 ranking which makes it the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. Much of that is due to the INCREDIBLE song Let It Go. It's brilliantly written and composed by the couple Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and sung by Broadway icon Idina Menzel. But it has been dubbed to 41 languages, which was illustrated by this year's Academy Awards when a few of the world's Elsa's joined Idina on stage to sing "the new" Let It Go from Frozen II - Into the Unknown. 

"Let it go" symbolizes so many things, the lyric can be applied to any situation, it's empowering, endearing, loving, and - dare I say it - feminist. 

Frozen reinvigorated Disney's beloved soundtracks, even millennials, who had been holding on to the old movies and songs that loves the Frozen songs. My boss and I at the cafe I worked at as a 20-year-old played the soundtrack all day every day for months and I still haven't grown tired of the songs. 

The Frozen soundtrack is the soundtrack to several generations, and parents all around the world can recite every word of every song or line in their sleep. It was so significant from a musical standpoint because "Let it go" is nothing like the other songs that topped the charts at that time. The pop version with Demi Lovato didn't do well at all, it was when Disney released the Idina Menzel version from the movie that the song took off on Youtube. 

Elsa and Anna have agency and their story didn't focus on the search for love, both elements that Disney princess' had lacked since their invention in the 1930s. "Let it go" symbolizes so many things, the lyric can be applied to any situation, it's empowering, endearing, loving, and - dare I say it - feminist.