Frozenstar Kristen Bell revisits scenes from the 2013 Disney animated film and confirms a dirty joke slipped into the musical’s opening song. In a winter wonderland kingdom,Bell voicedtheFrozencharacterAnna, the princess of Arendelle, who sets out on a journey to find her estranged sister, Elsa (Idina Menzel), after she traps the land in an eternal winter. At the film’s beginning, the castle prepares to host its first event in years, and Anna, ecstatic to meet new faces and even a potential male suitor, sings the opening to “For the First Time in Forever," where Bell reveals they slipped the dirty joke.
While reflecting on her past roles in a segment withVanity Fair,Bell watched the clip of Anna singing the song, where she says the line “Why have a ballroom with no balls?“The actoris astonished that the joke made it to the final cut, saying, “We slid it in under the radar.“She also suggested thatthere was some pushback on the linebefore the film was released. Read her full quote below:
“How did we get that joke in there? Come on. We slid it in under the radar. It almost didn’t make it in, but then we were like ‘What are you talking about? That’s not what it means. Don’t be a perv.’ ”
What Frozen’s Dirty Joke Means for Disney
The Renowned Child Animation Studio Has A Dirty History
AlthoughDisney animated filmsare generally aimed at younger audiences, various films since the studio’s inception contain a few jokes intended for adult viewers—some of which can be surprisingly dirty. While Walt Disney Pictures has produced films across genres with ratings other than G/PG (Joy Luck Club, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Proposal, etc.),the studio is most renowned for its animated children’s movies. These films ensured Disney’s long-lived supremacy in animation, but its filmography has not entirely been aimed at kids.
10 Rude Jokes Hidden In Disney Animated Movies
Despite being aimed at young viewers and having a family-friendly tone, many Disney animated movies included jokes for mature audiences.
In fact, many Disney animated films explore dark or sensitive themes, making them less sanitized and geared towards younger minds than expected. Many viewers have been caught off guard by subtle yet mature jokes scattered throughout their major works.Frozen’s joke about ballrooms and balls is not the first time the animated studio has been caught slipping in a piece of crude dialogue that its adult viewers could catch with other hidden jokes popping up in films likeAladdin,Mulan, andZootopia.
Our Take on Frozen’s Dirty Joke
Sometimes Parents Need a Laugh Too
Despite Disney’s reputation with younger audiences, the studio appears to understand that children are not the only ones viewing their films en masse. Their audience also includes the parents and legal guardians of each child, who are also the ones to drive their kids to the theaters, pay for their tickets, and purchase streaming services and merchandise. When so much of their time is spent thinking of their children, they deserve a laugh, too—sometimes when it’s least expected. That even extends to the studio’s most profitable franchise,Frozen.
Frozen
Cast
Frozen, released in 2013, follows young princess Anna of Arendelle on a perilous quest to halt an eternal winter cast by her sister, Elsa. Joined by Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf, Anna navigates themes of friendship, courage, family, and love in her journey.
