'Frozen' Hit Song 'Let It Go' Center of Lawsuit; Disney, Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato Sued
The hit song "Let It Go" from the blockbuster movie "Frozen" is at the center of a lawsuit. Musician Jaime Ciero sues Disney, Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato for allegedly ripping off his song "Volar."
Ciero claimed he worked on "Volar" in 2008, or five years before "Frozen" ran in theaters and became a global hit. He also claimed his song became a chart-buster and a "huge international success," as per TMZ.
In filing the lawsuit, Ciero stated that "Frozen" and "Volar" have similar hooks, structure, lyrics and melodies. He's seeking compensation not just for the "Let It Go," but also for the movie's profits from its theater run and merchandise marketing.
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Ciero named Disney as the defendant since it's the owner and producer of "Frozen." He cited Menzel because she sang "Let It Go" for the film as Elsa. Lovato, on the other hand, recorded the radio single.
The lawsuit, however, doesn't seem clear about the inclusion of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez as defendants. The husband-wife team wrote "Let It Go" but Ciero's lawsuit should prove that the couple knew and heard of "Volar" before they came up with their song.
Disney, Menzel and Lovato have not yet responded to the Ciero's allegations.
This isn't the first lawsuit the studio received for "Frozen," though. Isabella Tanikumi, an author from Peru, claimed in 2014 that the highest-grossing animated movie of all time lifted its story from her book, "Yearnings of the Heart."
Judges, however, found no cause to the $250 million claim against Disney. In February 2015, the courts junked Tanikumi's lawsuit.
Meanwhile, "Frozen 2" is in the midst of production. Star Kristen Bell (Anna) said that writer and director Jennifer Lee did extensive research for the new story.
Lee and her team actually went to Norway to get a better understanding of the culture and lifestyle. Lee apparently wrote about their Norway trip in a journal for months in order to come up with a cohesive sequel.
