# Frozen (soundtrack)
**Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack** is the album for [Walt Disney Animation Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-animation-studios)' 2013 animated musical *Frozen*, featuring eight original songs by the husband-and-wife team of [Kristen Anderson-Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristen-anderson-lopez) and [Robert Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-lopez) plus an instrumental score by composer Christophe Beck.[1](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/walt-disney-animation-studios-frozen-lets-go-with-dynamic-soundtrack-228743161.html) Released on Walt Disney Records in late 2013, it reached number one on the Billboard 200, ended 2014 as the best-selling album of the year, and produced the Oscar-winning hit "Let It Go".[2](https://www.bmi.com/news/bmi_composers_top_billboard_200_with_soundtrack_to_disneys_frozen) • [3](https://thejamreport.com/2020/05/29/the-house-of-mouse-project-frozen/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Songwriters | Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez wrote eight original songs; Christophe Beck composed the score[1](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/walt-disney-animation-studios-frozen-lets-go-with-dynamic-soundtrack-228743161.html) |
| Chart peak | No. 1 on the Billboard 200, only the fourth soundtrack for an animated feature to reach the top[2](https://www.bmi.com/news/bmi_composers_top_billboard_200_with_soundtrack_to_disneys_frozen) |
| Sales | Over 4 million copies in the U.S. and 6 million internationally; the best-selling album of 2014[3](https://thejamreport.com/2020/05/29/the-house-of-mouse-project-frozen/) |
| Certifications | "Let It Go" certified Diamond by the RIAA for 10 million sales, a first for Walt Disney Records; the album itself later reached Diamond[4](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/frozen-smash-let-it-go-reaches-riaa-diamond-status-with-10-million-sales/) • [5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/FROZEN-Movie-Soundtrack-Reaches-RIAA-Diamond-Status-20260608) |
| Awards | "Let It Go" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song; the film won Best Animated Feature[6](https://geekdad.com/2014/03/frozen-directors-interview/) |
| Billboard run | 33 weeks in the top 5 of the Billboard 200[7](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/into_the_unknown_disney_production_notes_final_a8c39e97.pdf) |
| Songs-only edition | *Frozen: The Songs*, released September 30, 2014, runs 26:46 and drops the instrumental score[8](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frozen-the-songs-mw0002716178) |
## Creation and songwriting
Disney approached the music as an "integrated" movie in the tradition of *Beauty and the Beast* and *The Little Mermaid*, in which, as Walt Disney Music president Chris Montan put it, "the songs push the emotional aspect of the story, but more importantly, they raise the emotional stakes for the characters".[9](https://d23.com/frozen-fandemonium-a-fantasy-come-true/) Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee worked the songs into the story process itself, bringing pages to the songwriters and asking what kind of song could go in each place.[10](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/chris-buck-and-jennifer-lee-interview-on-making-frozen/) The songwriters also participated in shaping the story, and Robert Lopez identified a song written early in the process, "Let It Go", as the defining moment for the film's music.[1](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/walt-disney-animation-studios-frozen-lets-go-with-dynamic-soundtrack-228743161.html)
Not every song survived. The first song written for the film, "You're You", was cut because it hinted too early that Prince Hans was "a wolf in sheep's clothing".[9](https://d23.com/frozen-fandemonium-a-fantasy-come-true/) The album opens with "Frozen Heart" and includes "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?", "For the First Time in Forever", and "Love Is an Open Door", all credited to the Lopez team.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frozen-the-songs-mw0002716178) For "Vuelie", the music production team traveled to [Trondheim](https://www.edgepedia.org/trondheim), Norway, to record the all-female choir Cantus in a piece inspired by traditional Sámi music.[3](https://thejamreport.com/2020/05/29/the-house-of-mouse-project-frozen/)
The songs are performed by the film's voice cast, including [Kristen Bell](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristen-bell) as Anna and [Idina Menzel](https://www.edgepedia.org/idina-menzel) as Elsa, with [Jonathan Groff](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-groff) and Josh Gad; Gad's "Summer" was singled out as a show-stopper in early coverage.[11](https://www.awardsdaily.com/2013/11/27/frozen-composers-robert-lopez-and-kristen-anderson-lopez/) The Lopez daughters, Katie and Annie, performed two small voice acting roles in the film.[2](https://www.bmi.com/news/bmi_composers_top_billboard_200_with_soundtrack_to_disneys_frozen)
## Chart and sales performance
The soundtrack reached number one on the Billboard 200 in January 2014, which BMI noted was only the fourth time an animated-feature soundtrack had done so.[2](https://www.bmi.com/news/bmi_composers_top_billboard_200_with_soundtrack_to_disneys_frozen) It was the first soundtrack to reach number one on the Billboard 200 since the *Les Misérables* soundtrack in January 2013, and it spent 33 weeks in the chart's top 5.[6](https://geekdad.com/2014/03/frozen-directors-interview/) • [7](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/into_the_unknown_disney_production_notes_final_a8c39e97.pdf) • [15](https://playbill.com/article/disneys-frozen-soundtrack-with-songs-by-robert-lopez-and-kristen-anderson-lopez-tops-billboard-200-com-201955) By the end of 2014 it had sold over 4 million copies in the United States and 6 million internationally, making it the year's best-selling album; in December 2014, [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift)'s *1989* was still closing the gap, with almost 3.4 million U.S. copies sold for *Frozen* since January against 2.7 million for *1989* in six weeks.[3](https://thejamreport.com/2020/05/29/the-house-of-mouse-project-frozen/) • [12](https://time.com/3629652/taylor-swift-frozen-sales/) In Canada, Music Canada certified the album 4x Platinum for 320,000 units in February 2020.[13](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/42961)
## Certifications
In the spring of 2024, "Let It Go" was certified Diamond by the [Recording Industry Association of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/recording-industry-association-of-america), signifying 10 million in sales, a historic first for [Walt Disney Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-records); Disney Music Group president Ken Bunt presented Diamond plaques to the two songwriters at D23 in Anaheim.[4](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/frozen-smash-let-it-go-reaches-riaa-diamond-status-with-10-million-sales/) The album itself later received RIAA Diamond certification as well.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/FROZEN-Movie-Soundtrack-Reaches-RIAA-Diamond-Status-20260608)
## "Let It Go" and cultural reach
"Let It Go", Elsa's power ballad performed by Menzel, won the [Academy Award for Best Original Song](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-original-song), one of two Oscars the film took alongside Best Animated Feature.[6](https://geekdad.com/2014/03/frozen-directors-interview/) A Disney impact report describes the song as having been co-opted by numerous groups and marginalized communities for its message of resilience and self-acceptance, and records that it had been translated into 41 languages, with 3.2 billion plays on Spotify and over 8 billion YouTube views at the time of writing; the same report credits the soundtrack with effectively inventing the sing-along video streams that spread across video platforms.[14](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/001_23_dis_frozen_imapct_report_v8_2_5c3c1c6b.pdf) The award also made Robert Lopez the youngest person to complete the EGOT sweep of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.[14](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/001_23_dis_frozen_imapct_report_v8_2_5c3c1c6b.pdf) A pop version of "Let It Go" recorded by [Demi Lovato](https://www.edgepedia.org/demi-lovato) was included on the songs edition of the album.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frozen-the-songs-mw0002716178)
## Editions
The standard album pairs the songs with Beck's instrumental score. A truncated edition, *Frozen: The Songs*, released September 30, 2014, pares away the score and offers only the featured songs in 26 minutes and 46 seconds; AllMusic's review calls it a highlight reel worth owning for the casual fan, citing the performances of Bell and Menzel and Lovato's single version of "Let It Go".[8](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frozen-the-songs-mw0002716178) The Lopezes later returned to write the songs for *Frozen II* (2019) and adapted *Frozen* for the Broadway stage.[7](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/into_the_unknown_disney_production_notes_final_a8c39e97.pdf)
## References
1. [Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Frozen" Lets Go With Dynamic Soundtrack, PR Newswire (2013)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/walt-disney-animation-studios-frozen-lets-go-with-dynamic-soundtrack-228743161.html)
2. [BMI Composers Top Billboard 200, Earn Oscar Nom for Song in 'Frozen', BMI (2014)](https://www.bmi.com/news/bmi_composers_top_billboard_200_with_soundtrack_to_disneys_frozen)
3. [The Jam Report: The House of Mouse Project – 'Frozen' (2020)](https://thejamreport.com/2020/05/29/the-house-of-mouse-project-frozen/)
4. ['Frozen' Smash "Let It Go" Reaches RIAA Diamond Status with 10 Million Sales, The Walt Disney Company](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/frozen-smash-let-it-go-reaches-riaa-diamond-status-with-10-million-sales/)
5. [FROZEN Movie Soundtrack Reaches RIAA Diamond Status, BroadwayWorld (2026)](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/FROZEN-Movie-Soundtrack-Reaches-RIAA-Diamond-Status-20260608)
6. [Frozen Directors on How "Let It Go" Changed the Film and More, GeekDad (2014)](https://geekdad.com/2014/03/frozen-directors-interview/)
7. [Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 production notes, Disney](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/into_the_unknown_disney_production_notes_final_a8c39e97.pdf)
8. [Frozen: The Songs – Original Soundtrack, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frozen-the-songs-mw0002716178)
9. [Frozen FANdemonium: A FANtasy Come True!, D23](https://d23.com/frozen-fandemonium-a-fantasy-come-true/)
10. [Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee interview: on making Frozen, Den of Geek (2013)](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/chris-buck-and-jennifer-lee-interview-on-making-frozen/)
11. [Frozen composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Awards Daily (2013)](https://www.awardsdaily.com/2013/11/27/frozen-composers-robert-lopez-and-kristen-anderson-lopez/)
12. [Taylor Swift Threatens To Outsell Frozen, Time (2014)](https://time.com/3629652/taylor-swift-frozen-sales/)
13. [FROZEN (soundtrack) – Sales & Charts, bestsellingalbums.org](https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/42961)
14. [Lessons From Arendelle: The Cultural Phenomenon of Disney's Frozen, Disney impact report](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/001_23_dis_frozen_imapct_report_v8_2_5c3c1c6b.pdf)
15. [Disney's "Frozen" Soundtrack, With Songs by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Tops Billboard 200](https://playbill.com/article/disneys-frozen-soundtrack-with-songs-by-robert-lopez-and-kristen-anderson-lopez-tops-billboard-200-com-201955)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Soundtrack albums (film, TV, games, and screen media) › Live-action film soundtracks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license