For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration is a musical stage show at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, performed in the Hyperion Theater in Echo Lake. Two Royal Historians of Arendelle retell the story of Disney's 2013 animated film Frozen, with film clips and lyrics projected on a large screen so the audience can sing along, and with live appearances by Anna, Elsa and Kristoff. The show runs about 30 minutes and opened on July 5, 2014.
History
Frozen was released in November 2013 and became a phenomenon faster than Disney's parks could normally respond to. For the summer of 2014 Hollywood Studios staged Frozen Summer Fun, a seasonal event built around the film, and the sing-along was its centrepiece. It premiered on July 5, 2014, in the Premiere Theater in the Streets of America area of the park — a temporary home for what was then a temporary show.
The event was extended, the show stayed, and it soon needed a permanent theatre. The American Idol Experience, which occupied the large theatre in Echo Lake, closed in August 2014. On June 17, 2015, the sing-along moved into that building, renamed the Hyperion Theater, where it has played ever since. The Streets of America, including its original theatre, was later demolished to make way for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Like the park's other indoor shows, it closed in March 2020 when Walt Disney World shut for the COVID-19 pandemic. The park reopened that summer but the sing-along did not return until October 5, 2020, making it one of the first live stage shows back at the Studios. Versions of the sing-along have also played at other Disney resorts around the world, though the Hollywood Studios production is the longest-lived of them.
Show
The premise is a history lesson that keeps going wrong. Princess Anna welcomes the audience and introduces two newly appointed Royal Historians of Arendelle, a comic double act whose retelling of the sisters' story is enthusiastic, quarrelsome and not always accurate. Their narration links full film sequences shown on the theatre's screen, with the song lyrics displayed so that nobody has an excuse not to join in.
The songs follow the film's order. "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" covers Anna and Elsa's separated childhood; the title song, "For the First Time in Forever", marks Elsa's coronation day; "Love Is an Open Door" introduces Prince Hans, to the historians' divided opinions about him; and "Let It Go" arrives at the story's turning point, as Elsa flees Arendelle and embraces her powers. Kristoff appears in person partway through to correct the record of how he met Anna, and Olaf's "In Summer" provides the comic high point of the second half.
The historians' version of the ending — in which just about everyone except Anna is credited with saving her — is tidied up before Elsa herself appears for the finale. She leads a final, full-house performance of "Let It Go", accompanied by falling snow inside the theatre, and declares the audience honorary citizens of Arendelle. During the holiday season the show has added a seasonal finale built around Olaf and the song "When We're Together", from the short Olaf's Frozen Adventure.
The Hyperion Theater stands in Echo Lake between Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, and the show is performed several times a day.
See also
- Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!