"The Next Right Thing"
Song by Kristen Bell
from the album Frozen II
PublishedWonderland Music Company
ReleasedNovember 18, 2019 (2019-11-18)
Length3:36
LabelWalt Disney Records
Songwriter(s)
Lyric video
"The Next Right Thing" on YouTube

"The Next Right Thing" is a song from the 2019 animated Disney film Frozen II. It is performed by American actress and singer Kristen Bell in her vocal role as Princess Anna, and the music and lyrics are written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The song portrays Anna's journey through depression. The song has received praise from critics for its message and meaning and peaked on the Kid Digital Songs chart at number 7.[1]

Synopsis

At the darkest moment of the film, Anna is faced with uncertainty about what to do next after apparently losing both her beloved sister Elsa as well as Olaf, a snowman created by Elsa's magic. In her song "The Next Right Thing," she expresses her feelings of depression. As the song progresses, she reaches the realization that when faced with uncertainty, one must simply focus on doing "The Next Right Thing."[2][3]

Production

Bell told director Jennifer Lee she wanted to see Anna "face her codependency head-on" and "a song about what she's going to do when she doesn't know what to do".[4] Anderson-Lopez and Lopez drew inspiration from personal tragedy in the lives of two people that worked on Frozen and Frozen II; co-director Chris Buck lost a son, and Andrew Page, a central figure in the music production of both films, lost a daughter. Buck's son died around the time when Buck needed to begin the interviews and press tours to promote Frozen; the Lopezes witnessed how Buck insisted on going through that highly public process and the subsequent awards season even though he was dealing with such a terrible personal tragedy at the same time. Anderson-Lopez stated when writing the lyrics, she "really just thought about them, and wrote it for them."[5] Bell said she drew inspiration from her own mental health.[6]

A lot of people feel that feeling: What do I do when I don't know what to do? My personal mantra is you just do the next right thing. It also stems from when I am experiencing anxiety and depression. What do I do when I don't want to get out of bed in the morning? You just do the next right thing, and that's stepping out of bed. The next right thing is brushing your teeth. The next right thing is eating your breakfast. The next right thing is looking at your calendar and going to work. This idea of having an intrinsic motivation versus extrinsic motivation is something that as a parent I know is incredibly important to show kids and to help them cope. I really wanted Anna to be representative of that.[7]

International versions

In the English version, Kristen Bell sings "The Next Right Thing"

As it happened in Moana with a Tahitian,[8] Māori[9] and Hawaiian version,[10] the Sami version was an exceptional dubbing made specifically for the movie, given the inspiration it took from Sami culture.[11][12]

Reception

Multiple critics have praised "The Next Right Thing" for its meaning and message. MEAWW argues the song provides "one of the movie's most inspiring messages about dealing with pressure".[44] The Los Angeles Times deemed it the best song of Frozen II.[45] Hypable stated that the song was the "most valuable thing Frozen 2 has to offer".[46] Jonathan Groff, who voices Kristoff in the film, said hearing the song "brought [him] to tears".[47]

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Kid Digital Songs (Billboard)[48] 7

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[49] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "'The Next Right Thing' is Frozen 2's most valuable legacy". Hypable. December 30, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Snetiker, Marc (November 24, 2019). "Kristen Bell on Anna's devastating moment in Frozen 2". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  3. ^ "Why This Song From 'Frozen 2' Is an Anthem for Dealing With Depression". The Mighty. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  4. ^ Garcia-Navarro, Lulu (December 8, 2019). "For 'Frozen II,' Kristen Bell Found Inspiration In Personal Pain". NPR. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  5. ^ Cohn, Gabe (November 29, 2019). "How to Follow Up 'Frozen'? With Melancholy and a Power Ballad". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  6. ^ Rowney, Jo-Anne (July 2, 2020). "Kristen Bell on how Frozen 2 song was inspired by her real life battle with depression". Radio Times. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Truitt, Brian (November 19, 2019). "'Frozen 2': Why Kristen Bell's daughters are totally on a Kristoff and Sven kick". USA Today. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  8. ^ "'Moana' to be First Disney Film Translated Into Tahitian Language". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  9. ^ "Moana in Māori hits the big screen". RNZ. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "Disney's Moana to make World Premiere in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at Ko Olina's World Oceans Day, June 10". Ko Olina. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  11. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 19, 2019). "'Frozen 2' Will Get Sámi Language Version". Animation Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  12. ^ Verstad, Anders Boine (July 19, 2019). "Frost 2 kommer på samisk". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  13. ^ Kanić, Petra (September 26, 2019). "Vraća se animirani film koji je zaradio više od 6 milijardi kuna". 24sata (in Croatian). Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  14. ^ Barvíř, Jan (November 27, 2019). "Ledové království II: Jak vznikal český dabing a zpěv". NaFilmu (in Czech). Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  15. ^ Carlsen, Per Juul (December 25, 2019). "'Det er sgu ret godt gået, Disney': Her er dommen over 'Frost 2'". DR (in Danish). Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  16. ^ Noortje Herlaar - Doe wat het beste is (Van "Frozen 2"/Audio Only). YouTube (in Dutch). disneymusicnlVEVO. November 15, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Milner, Sarah Bea (August 31, 2020). "Frozen 2: What The Cast Looks Like In Real Life". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  18. ^ Saara Aalto - Kuin oikein on ("Frozen 2"/Audio Only). YouTube (in Finnish). disneymusicfiVEVO. November 21, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Allemaal, Dag (November 28, 2019). "Terwijl Disney miljoenen schept, krijgen Vlaamse 'Frozen 2'-stemmen een habbekrats: "Zelfs de dvd's moeten we uit eigen zak betalen"". HLN (in Belarusian). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  20. ^ Mendelssohn, Thomas (November 20, 2019). "Interview de Charlotte Hervieux et Emmylou Homs, Elsa et Anna dans La Reine des Neiges 2". Linternaute (in French). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  21. ^ Wieseler, Max (October 27, 2020). "Große Überraschung für Disney-Fans: Netflix-Film bezaubert mit bekannten Stimmen". Movie Pilot (in German). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  22. ^ Rajput, Vinod (December 9, 2019). "24-year-old Noida singer Sharvi Yadav does Hindi playback in Disney's Frozen 2". Hindustan Times. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  23. ^ Panico, Valentina (December 13, 2020). "Serena Rossi: è lei la voce di Frozen?". Giornal (in Italian). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  24. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (August 8, 2019). "Sayaka Kanda Duets Vocaloid Song "ROKI" with Evangelion Shinji VA Megumi Ogata". Crunchyroll. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  25. ^ Nazerke Serikbolkyzy - Berin zhenemin (iz "Kholodnoe serdce 2"/Audio Only). YouTube (in Kazakh). DisneyMusicRussiaVEVO. November 15, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  26. ^ Ji-Yoon Park - The Next Right Thing (From "Frozen 2"/Lyric Video). YouTube (in Korean). DisneyMusicAsiaVEVO. December 5, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  27. ^ Xiao Xiao Li - The Next Right Thing (From "Frozen 2"/Audio Only). YouTube (in Chinese). DisneyMusicAsiaVEVO. November 24, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  28. ^ Nøttveit, Andrea Rygg (November 6, 2019). "Frost 2 har samisk premiere parallelt med noregspremieren: – Tøft av Disney". Framtida (in Norwegian). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  29. ^ ""Kraina lodu 2" na Blu-ray i DVD już 1 kwietnia". Filmweb (in Polish). March 27, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  30. ^ "Dubladora de 'Frozen' se apresenta no 'The Voice Brasil' e surpreende internautas". Gshow (in Brazilian Portuguese). November 4, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  31. ^ Cátia Moreira - O Que Está Certo (De "Frozen 2: O Reino do Gelo"/Audio Only). YouTube (in Portuguese). disneymusicptVEVO. November 21, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  32. ^ Наталия Быстрова - Делай, что должна ("Холодное сердце 2"). YouTube (in Russian). DisneyMusicRussiaVEVO. November 18, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  33. ^ Larsen, Dan Robert (December 14, 2019). "Elin Kristina opplever kjempesuksess som artist". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  34. ^ Pokorný, Jakob (December 21, 2013). "Ľadové kráľovstvo / ★★★★☆". CinemaView (in Slovak). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  35. ^ Carmen López - Hacer las cosas bien (De "Frozen 2"/Lyric Video). YouTube (in Spanish). disneymusicesVEVO. November 28, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  36. ^ Linares, Uriel (November 22, 2019). "'Frozen 2': ¿Quiénes hacen el doblaje en español latino?". SensaCine México (in Spanish). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  37. ^ Peterson, Jens (December 26, 2019). "Känslostark uppföljare med sjungande Frost-systrarna". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  38. ^ "About - Alisha Thomas". Alisha Thomas Music. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  39. ^ Alisha Thomas - Seiven Sariyaanadhai (From "Frozen 2"/Official Lyric Video). YouTube (in Tamil). DisneyMusicIndiaVEVO. March 12, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  40. ^ Alisha Thomas - Sari chesthaa (From "Frozen 2"/Official Lyric Video). YouTube (in Telugu). DisneyMusicIndiaVEVO. March 12, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  41. ^ Nuengthida Sophon - The Next Right Thing (From "Frozen 2"/Audio Only). YouTube (in Thai). DisneyMusicAsiaVEVO. November 15, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  42. ^ "Deniz Sujana - Doğru Şey Uğruna ("Karlar Ülkesi 2")". YouTube.
  43. ^ "Tiêu Châu Như Quỳnh, Võ Hạ Trâm thân như chị em". Ngoisao (in Vietnamese). November 11, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  44. ^ "'Frozen 2' and its message on dealing with overwhelming pressure by doing 'The Next Right Thing' needs to be recognized". Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  45. ^ "Forget Elsa's 'Into the Unknown.' Anna sings the best 'Frozen 2' song". Los Angeles Times. November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  46. ^ Kranz, Kristen (December 30, 2019). "'The Next Right Thing' is Frozen 2's most valuable legacy". Hypable. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  47. ^ Seddon, Dan (October 11, 2019). "Frozen 2 star admits one of the film's new songs left him in "a total puddle" of tears". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  48. ^ "Kristen Bell Chart History (Kid Digital Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  49. ^ "American single certifications – Kristen Bell – Next Right Thing". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
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