We've seen a lot of fun and creative things put out into the world while so many of us are stuck at home. One of the more entertaining has been a series of shorts produced by Walt Disney Animation Animation Studios that have starred Frozen's Olaf. The animation has been done from home by Disney artists and Josh Gad has provided his voice from his home. It's all been combined together to create brief, cute, clips that have almost certainly brought a smile to a few faces. However, the newest addition of Olaf at Home is something else entirely.
"I Am With You" is a brand new song written by the Oscar-winning Frozen songwriting duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and Josh Gad sings the song as Olaf. It's a song about being distant from the ones we love, but still being together emotionally. It's a lovely piece of music, beautifully performed, and it's likely to bring more than one viewer to tears. Get the tissues, and check it out.
The animated short sees Olaf clearly missing somebody, and choosing to write them a letter, using one of his coal buttons as his pencil, which is a nice touch. The song is lovely and the sentiment, as so many of us are stuck away from those we love, would be enough to get to you, but then the short includes a montage of all our favorite Disney movies, characters being together, or longing to be together. There's a lot of different emotional scenes here. If Olaf singing about missing somebody isn't enough to get to you, there's probably another moment here that is.
At the end of the short, Olaf gives his letter to Gale, the wind spirit from Frozen II, to deliver it for him, and there we have yet another powerful moment. The implication is that Olaf misses Elsa, who left the castle to live in the enchanted forest at the end of Frozen II. This isn't simply a song that says what so many of us are feeling right now, it's a chapter in the larger story of Frozen.
Josh Gad is a great singer and as Olaf he's never shown a lack of emotion, Olaf innocence is one of the best parts of the films, and yet, Olaf's songs in the Frozen movies have always been some of the funnier moments in the films. Seeing Olaf in this melancholy mood and singing about it may be the most heartbreaking part. How sad do things have to be to get to Olaf like this?
And yet, the song is also hopeful. He knows, like we all do, that we'll get through this. He knows he'll see his friends soon.
