All those preconceived notions about life and yourself? It’s time to “let it go” and head into the unknown. Ahead of Frozen 2 becoming the biggest thing since …well, the first Frozen movie, Disney released “Into The Unknown,” the new, booming anthem by Idina Menzel. The sequel to the hit Disney animated film finds Arendelle’s Queen questioning her role in the kingdom and plagued by the constant interruption of her daily life by a mystical voice. As the song starts, Elsa is trying to dissuade the voice from luring her away from the home and responsibilities; by the songs end, she clearly can no longer deny her desire to follow wherever the voice leads.
Fans were first given a preview of “In to The Unknown” courtesy of…Panic! At The Disco? Yes, Brendon Urie did his best Idina impression on P!ATD’s version, which is included on the Frozen 2 soundtrack along with the two other cover songs. Along with the eight new originals from Oscar-winning Frozen songwriting duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the soundtrack will include covers by P!ATD, Weezer (“Lost In The Woods”) and Kacey Musgraves (“All is Found”). The covers will play during the film’s end credits.
“The music of the Lopezes and Christophe Beck are part of the DNA of Frozen,” said Chris Buck, one-half of the Frozen/Frozen 2 directing team, per Rolling Stone. “We couldn’t imagine building Frozen 2 without them. They bring such a rich, emotional understanding of the world and characters, and through their incredible music we have been able to really deepen and expand the story.”
“The songs and score of Frozen 2 reflect the growth of the characters and the deepening of their story,” co-director Jennifer Lee also said, per RS. “The music is fun but emotional, personal yet powerful, intimate but also epic. Kristen, Bobby and Christophe have definitely outdone themselves and taken the music to brave new heights.”
Speaking of heights, it’ll be interesting to see if “Into The Unknown” replicates the commercial success of “Let It Go.” The first Frozen hit reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2014. It was listed as No 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 list for 2014. It’s the first song from a Disney animated musical to crack the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 since Vanessa Williams’ “Colors of the Wind,” and that was back in 1995. It sold over 3 million copies that year.
More so than on the charts, “Let It Go” was a massive hit culturally. Numerous groups adopted it as their song. It was an LGBTQ+ anthem, a feminist call for freedom, and as The Guardian put it, “it’s more than a song. …it’s an aperitif for adolescence…a moment of transition and upheaval which conveys the giddy, reckless buzz of expressing yourself without considering the consequences.”