Love Is an Open Door
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"Love Is an Open Door" is a song written by
Kristen Anderson-Lopez Kristen Anderson-Lopez (born March 21, 1972) is an American songwriter and lyricist known for co-writing the songs for the 2013 computer-animated musical film '' Frozen'' and its 2019 sequel '' Frozen II'' with her husband Robert Lopez. The coup ...
and
Robert Lopez Robert Lopez (born February 23, 1975) is an American songwriter for musicals, best known for co-creating ''The Book of Mormon'' and ''Avenue Q'', and for co-writing the songs featured in the Disney computer-animated films '' Frozen'', its seque ...
for
Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...
's 53rd animated feature film and 6th 3D computer-animated feature film which is Walt Disney Animation Studios's 2nd 3D computer-animated musical film (after Tangled) called '' Frozen'' (2013). Performed by
Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
and
Santino Fontana Santino Fontana (born March 21, 1982) is an American actor and singer. He has received a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lortel Award, Obie Award, and Clarence Derwent Award in a mix of straight plays and musica ...
as
Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...
and Prince Hans respectively, "Love Is an Open Door" is a romantic duet which takes place during the first act of the film, when Anna meets Hans during the reception of her sister Elsa's
coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...
. The song was intended by Lopez and Anderson-Lopez to "feel like the perfect first date", inspired by the date depicted in the film ''
The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...
'' (1984).


Production

The notion of a song that doubled up as a romantic duet and the villain song came to fruition after the writers decided to turn Elsa into a tragic hero rather than a villain, leaving the door open for Hans to become the villain of the film. The first song written for the film, "You're You", was cut from the film, due to Hans interrupting Anna in the song, an act which would have lessened Hans's reveal as a villain later in the film. "Love Is an Open Door" was eventually also recorded by
Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
, but never released. The song is inspired by the date depicted in the film ''
The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...
'' (1984), and it is "intended to feel like the perfect first date", according to the songwriters. The line about finishing "each other's sandwiches" originally had nothing to do with the television show ''
Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...
''. Anderson-Lopez explained she was eating a sandwich at the time she wrote the line, but had not seen the show, and it was not until Lopez's brother pointed out the connection that they realized audience members might hear it as an ''Arrested Development'' reference. They tried pitching a couple of alternate versions to Disney, but the line about sandwiches stayed in.


Synopsis

The song is written as an apparent love duet sung by Princess Anna of Arendelle with Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Anna opens the song by explaining to Hans her loneliness by being shut out from Elsa for years, with Hans promising to never shut her out. As the night goes on, the two gradually find themselves sharing a lot in common, and towards the end of the night, Hans proposes to Anna, and she accepts.


Musical version

In the Broadway musical version of ''Frozen'', "Love is an Open Door" is extended, adding a dance sequence right where the original would end with Hans and Anna interacting with each other. A slightly extended reprise of the second chorus then occurs after Hans proposes to Anna.


International versions

Several other language versions of the song have also been successful. The Japanese-language version called was sung by
Sayaka Kanda was a Japanese actress and singer. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and pop singer Seiko Matsuda. Early life Kanda was born in Chiyoda, Tokyo. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and Seiko Matsuda. Her paternal grandmother ...
and Eisuke Tsuda. It appeared on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...
in May 2014, peaking at number 36. After five months, the song was certified gold for 100,000 downloads by the
RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...
. The Korean language version, sung by Park Ji-yoon and Yun Seong-guk, reached 131 on the
Gaon Singles Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
, being downloaded 14,000 times. The
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
version, along with the whole Italian adaptation of the movie, was awarded best foreign dubbing worldwide. Since 2013, some local TV stations have been dubbing the movie in their local languages, creating some unofficial versions. Namely: Abkhaz, Albanian,
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
, Kabardian,
Karachay-Balkar Karachay-Balkar (, ), or Mountain Turkic (, ), is a Turkic language spoken by the Karachays and Balkars in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay–Cherkessia, European Russia, as well as by an immigrant population in Afyonkarahisar Province, Turkey. ...
,
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and Tagalog.


Critical reception

''
TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, ...
'' said the song "sounds as if it came out of the ''
High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, ...
'' unused-song drawer". ''
Neon Tommy ''Neon Tommy'' was the online news publication sponsored by the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California. It was active from 2009 to 2015. Publication Neon Tommy was a web-only student publicati ...
'' wrote, "One of my favorite things about 'Frozen' is how ably it toes the line between earnestly telling the story and being cognizant of its heritage. 'Love is an Open Door' is a perfect example of that, putting a quirky spin on a typical lovers' duet. Anna is a delightfully odd character (and who wouldn't be, in her circumstances?), and this song paints a very effective picture of who Anna is". Geek Magazine said it was "a hilarious exploration of the insanity of love at first sight and really catchy". The ''
National Catholic Register The ''National Catholic Register'' is a Catholic newspaper in the United States. It was founded on November 8, 1927, by Matthew J. Smith as the national edition of the '' Denver Catholic Register''. The ''Registers current owner is the Ete ...
'' said it was "one of many forgettable numbers, and, like '
Let It Go "Let It Go" is a song from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'', whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert L ...
' is emotionally out of step with the larger drama". Rotoscopers described it as "a quirky, even a little bit cheesy tune that works perfectly in the movie". CraveOnline wrote, "'
Do You Want to Build a Snowman? "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" is a song from the 2013 Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney 3D computer-animated musical feature film ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'', with music and lyrics composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. , ...
' and 'Love is an Open Door', are fun to listen to and boast thoughtful, clever lyrics that – unlike most musicals these days (or ever) – often feel like they were genuinely made up on the spot by people who just couldn’t help but sing their feelings. ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'''s article ''How Parents Can Turn Frozen's Big Twist Into a Teachable Moment'' argues that parents can use the juxtaposition between this song and the big reveal toward the end of the movie to teach their kids about things being too good to be true and being cautious of charmers with ulterior motives.


Charts


Certifications

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References

{{Authority control 2013 songs 2010s ballads Songs from Frozen (franchise) Love themes Male–female vocal duets Songs written by Robert Lopez Songs written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez Kristen Bell songs