‘Frozen’: Why the Voice of Preteen Elsa, Spencer Lacey Ganus, Only Made $926.20

Fans of Disney‘s princess movies can now watch all of them any time, from the comfort of their own home. Thanks to Disney+, Disney’s new streaming service, fans of flicks like Frozen can watch Elsa and Anna sing about their feelings over and over again, even though the movie came out before Disney+ was invented.

Although Disney probably thought Frozen would be a big success, they may not have predicted exactly how popular it would be.

The movie made over a billion dollars, and the princesses of Arendelle have become as famous as their Disney predecessors, like Snow White or Cinderella. 

Three different actresses have voiced Elsa in ‘Frozen’ 

Despite the fact that Idina Menzel is known as the voice of Elsa, there were actually three different actresses who have the privilege of saying they played the famous princess. For the majority of both Frozen and Frozen 2, Elsa and Anna were played by Menzel and Kristen Bell respectively.

But Menzel and Bell technically only voice the adult versions of Elsa and Anna. When there are scenes that contain younger versions of the princesses, other actresses voice them. 

In Elsa’s case, young Elsa was played by Eva Bella, and teenage Elsa was played by Spencer Lacey Ganus. Ganus was a teen herself when she took the role of 12-year-old Elsa, who only appears in one scene of Frozen. But Ganus was no stranger to voice acting. She already had an impressive resume by the time she signed on to Frozen, including voice acting parts in Ice Age: Meltdown and Happy Feet. 

Spencer Lacey Ganus made $926.20 for her role in ‘Frozen’ 

Even though she technically voiced a leading role in the movie, Ganus only made $926.20 for voicing 12-year-old Elsa. Ganus’ part was so small it likely only took a day to record. A lot of people would love to make almost $1,000 for a day’s work. However, Ganus’ salary pales in comparison to the amount of money Frozen made, so some people naturally thought she got ripped off when they saw her Frozen salary. 

But Ganus’ earnings from Frozen weren’t all from her salary. She also signed on to receive residuals from the film. That means she earns a percentage of the revenue Frozen makes, and it could end up providing her with steady money for the rest of her life.

For example, the cast of Friends is still raking in the dough all these years later, thanks to residuals. So far, Ganus has earned at least $10,000 from residuals alone, or 10 times her original salary.

According to her representation, the money is going to a college fund.

How does Spencer Lacey Ganus’ salary compare with the rest of the ‘Frozen’ cast?

Some Disney critics weren’t surprised when they learned about Ganus’ tiny Frozen salary. Disney has been accused of underpaying its voice actors before. Specifically, Robin Williams, who voiced the Genie in Aladdin. 

He only made $75,000, and was later critical of the Disney corporation for using his voice on other projects without giving him anything additional. But what about the rest of the cast of Frozen? 

Ganus’ salary is public because she’s a minor, but it’s not clear exactly how much her costars made for their roles in the movie. Menzel, who had a long career on Broadway before voicing adult Elsa, has a net worth of $16 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.

It’s unclear how much of that is from Frozen, and how much is from her other endeavors. But it’s safe to say that Menzel made significantly more than Ganus’ $926.20, and probably more than Williams’ $75,000.