How different was it for you to record the songs for Frozen, as compared to Beowulf?
Idina Menzel: It was totally different. I didn’t have the same connection to Beowulf, as I wasn’t part of the creative process. It was just me and Glen Ballard, who was my producer at the time, and was also a mentor to me.
Frozen was different, because it was the character’s journey. She was speaking for so many young people. Anytime you have a song that’s meaningful and resonates with the younger generation, while also speaking to the older generation, and it immediately strikes a cord when you hear it, is an intangible thing to describe. I felt like I also had that with Defying Gravity in Wicked.
Was it scary being video recorded in the studio, as you were singing your songs for Frozen?
Idina Menzel: Well, they film you at all times, because the animators take it so seriously. They want to see all your gestures. But you forget the camera’s even there after a while. It’s a part of the art.
They even brought me in one day. They had a special meeting for all of the animators, and about 60 or 70 animators came in. It was kind of like The Actors Studio. They wanted to understand how I breathe and develop a character. They also wanted to know how and why I thought Elsa moves.
They wanted to understand my craft, so I spoke to them about my technique and vocals and what I do with my voice teacher, and I never talk about that, as it’s my private world. I told them that when I do a big note, I actually take a smaller breath, so the air’s not plummeting out. I spoke to them about things that I would never think about, so I wanted to inform them on how I move and breathe.
When I got to visit their offices, I saw that they don’t put the dresses on the Disney characters right away. So I’m seeing all these dailies, and Kristen and my characters’ are running around like Sarah Jessica Parker; they were wearing see-through mini-skirts. (laughs)
I was like, “This isn’t very Disney.” They said, “We get the movement of the body and legs right first.” Even if they’re wearing a ball gown in the scene, the animators want to perfect the movements first. I thought that attention to detail was fascinating.
Did you have a Disney princess that you enjoyed the most growing up?
Idina Menzel: I was more of a tomboy. But right now, everything’s about The Lion King, because of my son. So I’m really appreciating what a great movie that is. I have to act out the scenes on Pride Rock with him, and he’s Scar, and I’m Mufasa. (laughs)
I was more interested in Lady and the Tramp and Tiger Lily from Peter Pan. I was more interested in the tougher chicks.
Since Frozen is set in winter, are you a fan of the snow and cold weather? Do you have a favorite winter memory?
Idina Menzel: Yeah, I love winter. I grew up on Long Island, so I’m a fan of seasons.
My favorite winter memory was from several years ago, when we were rehearsing for Rent, down in the East Village. It was one of those crazy blizzards, from 1996, and people were cross-country skiing up and down Madison Avenue. When the snow falls on a Friday night after work, where it silences the whole city, and it doesn’t get picked up and dirty for a while, it’s so pretty. Everyone’s having fun, and going to movies and pubs. Something about the city being silenced by the snow is one of my favorite things.
That concludes our interview, but we’d like to thank Idina Menzel for taking the time to speak with us. Make sure to catch Frozen when it hits theaters on November 27.