Why ‘Love Is an Open Door’ From ‘Frozen’ Was a Storytelling Milestone for Disney

Although it sadly wasn’t performed by Anna and Kristoff, “Love Is an Open Door” proved to be a fan-favorite song from Disney’s Frozen. This song also became a critical storytelling milestone for Walt Disney Studios, marking the first time a villain sang with a Disney Princess. 

Here’s what we know about this song from Disney’s 2013 release. 

Disney’s ‘Frozen’ included an original soundtrack created primarily by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Disney’s Frozen told the story of two sisters torn apart after the death of their parents. Their love for each other brought them together, and their adventure led them to meet several characters, including a snowman named Olaf, who loves warm hugs, and Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez created most of the musical numbers for this animated film. The composers are also the masterminds behind “Love Is an Open Door,” performed by Princess Anna and her handsome prince companion.

‘Love Is an Open Door’ from ‘Frozen’ is a historic song for Disney for 1 reason

One of the most popular songs from Frozen is “Love Is an Open Door,” sung by Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana as Princess Anna and Prince Hans, respectively. Since its release, this track has earned over 215 million plays on the streaming platform Spotify. 

Disney also included “Love Is an Open Door” in the Broadway production of Frozen. This song is also a milestone for Disney and its storytelling.

As noted by Buzzfeed, “’Love Is an Open Door’ from Frozen marks the first time a princess sang a duet with the villain.” At that point, viewers didn’t actually know that Hans was the “bad guy,” as Olaf says. 

He appeared to want the best for Anna and Arandelle. However, when she needed an act of true love to thaw her frozen heart, Hans left her to die. He became the villain of this film, never physically making a reappearance in Frozen 2. 

As a result, “Love Is an Open Door” is the only song performed by Prince Hans in the animated film. Of course, Disney history included plenty of iconic villain songs. “Gaston” performed his song with a tavern full of men, while “Be Prepared” featured Scar’s hyena friends. 

‘Frozen’ and ‘Frozen 2’ featured several well-known songs performed by Josh Gad, Idina Menzel, and Kristen Bell 

Several songs from this production became fan-favorite Disney tracks. Frozen’s “Let It Go,” performed by Idina Menzel earned the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, while the entire album earned the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.

“Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2 earned the Academy Award nomination for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song). “Show Yourself,” also performed by Menzel as Elsa, earned over 150 million Spotify plays.

The original Frozen and its sequel, Frozen 2, are available for streaming on Disney+.