Frozen star Kristen Bell shares her top choice for a potential live-action Anna. Released in 2013, Frozen follows Bell’s Anna as she partners with Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and a talking snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad) to find her magical missing sister, Elsa (Idina Menzel), after Elsa accidentally uses her powers to trap the kingdom of Arendelle in a permanent winter. The animated film was a massive success, and a sequel was released in 2019, with Frozen 3 confirmed to be on the way.
In a recent interview with Elle, Bell is asked who she thinks should play Anna if a live-action Frozen remake were to happen. After considering the question for a moment, Bell chooses actor Joey King. Bell doesn’t explain why she chooses King, but the younger actor is best known for movies like Bullet Train (2022), The Kissing Booth (2018), and most recently appeared in Uglies (2024).
What A Live-Action Frozen Would Mean For The Franchise
Why A Live-Action Take On The Story Is Likely
Frozen has thus far remained firmly in the realm of animation, and has been wildly successful in this space. Frozen and Frozen 2 currently rank as the fifth and third highest-grossing animated movies of all time, and the upcoming third film is sure to be similarly successful. It wouldn’t be surprising, however, if the franchise eventually made the jump to live-action considering Disney’s recent history.
Over the past decade, Disney has been remaking many of its animated classics in live-action at an accelerated pace. Some of these films, such as The Lion King (2019), have been big hits, and it’s likely that a live-action Frozen would also be very popular. Though Disney has mostly been remaking its older animated hits, there is a precedent if the company were to do the same for Frozen now that a live-action Moana movie is on the way. The animated original Moana released only eight years ago.
Disney’s first live-action remake was
Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book
(1994), followed by
101 Dalmations
(1996).
Our Take On Joey King’s Casting In A Potential Live-Action Frozen
Bell Has Been Crucial To Bringing Anna To Life
Anna is a key figure in the Frozen universe, and Bell’s performance is a major reason why the character has been so popular. Losing Bell’s voice and the personality she gives Anna could make King’s version of the character hard to accept, especially if the live-action film were to come at a time when animated sequels were still coming out. What’s more, most of King’s recent projects haven’t actually been all that well-received critically.
That being said, Bell would arguably not be the right actor to play a live-action Anna given the character is only 18 in the first film. Plus, as the actor responsible for bringing Anna to life, Bell’s endorsement certainly counts for a lot. It remains to be seen whether a live-action Frozen will actually happen, but Bell clearly has a strong idea of who should take her place.
Source: Elle
