Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel’s Frozen Fortunes: What Disney Has Paid Them So Far

Disney is backing up the armored truck for Arendelle. If you suspected the voices behind Elsa and Anna are worth serious money, you were right. Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell are about to set animation pay records, and the numbers are big enough to make even a talking snowman blush.

The money machine, in context

Across just two movies, Frozen has hauled in roughly $2.7 billion worldwide. The first film hit in 2013 and made about $1.28 billion; the 2019 sequel topped it with around $1.45 billion. And honestly, you can’t really picture these movies without Menzel and Bell. Their voices are the brand.

What they made last time

The original Frozen paydays were never made public, but the sequel is where the cash floodgates opened. Per The Wrap, Menzel, Bell, and Josh Gad (Olaf) each earned about $15 million on Frozen 2. That was a mix of upfront money plus back-end bonuses tied to the movie’s monster performance at the box office.

'It would be nice to make a dollar off every Elsa, and I know Kristen Bell would say the same thing, every dress during Halloween. I would just take Halloween day.'

- Idina Menzel, joking on SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live

Translation: no, they are not getting a cut of every costume or doll you trip over at Target. But their value to the franchise is not up for debate.

Frozen 3 and 4: the record-breaking deals

Disney didn’t just greenlight Frozen 3. They also greenlit Frozen 4 at the same time, because when you’ve got a license to print money, you don’t wait around. To lock in the core trio, the studio wrote massive checks.

The Wrap reports that Menzel, Bell, and Gad have each signed packages worth over $60 million for the two upcoming sequels combined. That is, by any measure, one of the biggest paydays in animation history.

The structure matters here. According to The Wrap, the compensation covers both movies and includes significant upfront fees (described by an exec close to the deal as close to $20 million per actor, per film) plus back-end participation linked to the box office of both sequels. In other words: big checks now, potentially bigger checks later. It’s a steep jump from their Frozen 2 take.

The pay picture at a glance

• Frozen (2013): Exact salaries undisclosed, presumed lower than Frozen 2.
• Frozen 2 (2019): Around $15 million each for Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, and Josh Gad, including upfront pay and back-end bonuses.
• Frozen 3 and Frozen 4: Over $60 million each (for both films combined), with major upfront fees and additional back-end tied to box office; among the highest animation actor deals ever.

Bottom line

Disney knows the magic here isn’t just the songs; it’s who is singing them. Shelling out north of $60 million to keep this cast together for two more movies is a giant bet, but given the track record, it feels like the safest bet on the board.

If you want a refresher while we wait on the sequels: Frozen and Frozen 2 are streaming on Disney+.