If you thought Frozen's Oscar-nominated song "Let It Go" sounded good in English, wait until you hear it sung in 24 other languages. Disney released this excellent video, which has Elsa belting out her song in 25 different languages, starting with English and seamlessly transitioning from one language to the next, all the way to Flemish. Yes, Flemish!
Here's the list of languages represented in the above video.
1. English
2. French
3. German
4. Dutch
5. Mandarin
6. Swedish
7. Japanese
8. Latin American Spanish
9. Polish
10. Hungarian
11. Castilian Spanish
12. Catalan
13. Italian
14. Korean
15. Serbian
16. Cantonese
17. Portuguese
18. Bahas Malaysia
19. Russian
20. Danish
21. Bulgarian
22. Norwegian
23. Thai
24. Canadian French
25. Flemish
For those curious, Flemish is actually also known as Belgian-Dutch and is spoken in the northern part of Belgium (thank you Wikipedia). Dutch is also among the languages included in this new "Let it Go" video. As is Catalan, which is the official language of Andorra, a microstate in Southwestern Europe located near Spain and France. It's also worth noting that there are two different kinds of Spanish sung in the video, Latin American Spanish and Castilian Spanish, which is what they speak in Spain. Also separated are French (the language of France) and Canadian French, which can be heard in Quebec and other parts of Canada.
Just a few fun facts about language inspired by the new Frozen video. Considering the Disney film has surpassed three quarters of a billion dollars at the global box office, it's evident that the world loves the film and and not all of its fans speak English. What I love most about the video, beyond its celebration of the film's global popularity, is that it's proof that the song is still just as moving in other languages as it is in English. Beyond that, it's impressive how seamlessly each line jumps from one language to the next so that the song feels like one song, sung 25 different ways and not a patched-together tune. There's a fluidity to it that really works and allows us to appreciate the audible beauty of other languages with a familiar song.
While this video appears to be Disney-official, as it sprung up on the Disney Animation Youtube Channel, we've seen some great fan-made Frozen content since the film's release back in November. That includes a funny "Unnecessary Censorship" video that you can watch here.
And watch the original Idina Menzel-sung "Let It Go" sequence in its entirety below:
Anyone else hoping Menzel sings "Let it Go" at the Oscars? We are too and she says she'd do it if she's invited!
