Which actress voiced Elsa in the 2013 Disney film Frozen?

Actress and singer Idina Menzel voiced Elsa in Disney’s 2013 animated film Frozen. Elsa is the elder sister of Anna and the queen of Arendelle, whose magical ability to create and control ice drives the film’s central conflict.

Menzel provided the adult Elsa’s speaking and singing voice, including the signature song “Let It Go.” Her powerful but emotionally vulnerable vocal style helped define Elsa as a character who is frightened by her abilities yet ultimately learns to accept them. Kristen Bell voiced Elsa’s younger sister Anna, which is why the two actresses are sometimes confused in questions about the film’s voice cast.

Frozen was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and was loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 fairy tale The Snow Queen. Menzel had previously auditioned for Tangled, but a recording of that audition helped Disney reconsider her for Elsa. Younger versions of Elsa were voiced by Eva Bella and Spencer Lacey Ganus, but Idina Menzel is the canonical answer for the adult Elsa in the 2013 film.