'Frozen Changed Our Lives'

This week marks 10 years since Frozen first hit screens, before then becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Over the last decade the movie has raked in almost $1.3 billion and is, rather predictably, only beaten by Frozen II. Now, Frozen III is in the works for 2025.

Yet nobody could have seen its spellbinding success coming. Released in 2013, the new Disney Animation Studios film was expected to do the same sort of numbers as earlier offerings like Bolt, Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph. But it knocked those films into a distant realm (an Ahtohallan, if you will) thanks to a combination of its iconic and empowering song "Let it Go" and two strong leading female characters, royal sisters Elsa and Anna, who both depart the tropes of the traditional Disney Princess, without the help of a man!

While Frozen was primarily aimed at children, its core themes of bravery and familial bonds but also independence were universally appealing and saw a generation of girls and young women move into adulthood still inspired by the film. Some fans credit the film with personally changing the course of their lives.

Here, Newsweek meets three young women who say they wouldn't be where they are today if it hadn't been for Frozen.

'I Used to Make $36K a Year as a Teacher—Now I Make $75K as an Ice Princess'

Growing up, Becky Walls always wanted to be a professional princess, but her dream was crushed when she entered the real world and was told that she needed to focus on getting a "real job."

"'Ariel' came to my seventh birthday party and as soon as I realized she was an actor, I wanted to be one," the now 28-year-old told Newsweek. "Throughout my time at school, I always said I wanted to be a Disney princess but as I got older people said that isn't a real job, so I applied for college to study English so I could become a teacher as I loved the subject and wanted to work with kids."

Walls was 18 when Frozen first came out, but that didn't stop her from watching it. It is still one of her all-time favorites today.

"I just felt represented as a little sister," Walls, from Atlanta, Georgia, said. "I had never seen a little sister as a main character in a film before. I remember instantly connecting with Anna; she was always looking for other people's approval and I resonated with that."

After finishing her college degree, she managed to get a job at Disney World as a princess despite having zero acting experience.

"I felt very special and excited that I got the opportunity," said Walls, who started her teaching career at the end of the six-month contract. But she wasn't willing to let go of the fairytale magic so she launched her own princess party business during her first year of teaching in 2017.

For two years, she taught English and social studies to grades 7, 8, and 10, but on the weekends, she worked on building her business and entertaining children at parties.

She told Newsweek: "Life as a teacher was exhausting; it's an important and incredible job but it is also undervalued. The job isn't for the faint-hearted. I think there are teachers out there who don't realize that they can make their salaries doing something they love.

"Every pay check as a teacher was used to spend on costumes, wigs, and makeup. I was so thankful to my grandparents for letting me live with them at the time and paying minimal rent," she said. "After two years, I quit my job as a teacher to be a full-time princess."

Walls recalls a shocked reaction from friends and family but she has managed to prove that it was the right decision.

"When I first started, someone said to me, 'that's what you want to do with your life?!' and I replied, "Yes, I want to be happy while also making money."

While leaving her secure job was difficult, Walls is overjoyed that the risk paid off. Southern Belle Princess Parties' proud owner has earned between "$418,750 to $668,750 revenue" from the Frozen-inspired characters alone. She has rebranded them as the "Ice Queen" for Elsa and the "Snow Sister" for Anna due to copyright issues, but this hasn't stopped parents from booking them.

"My salary doubled as a princess and that speaks volumes; it is a legitimate business, and it is a real job," she told Newsweek. "I used to earn $36,000 per year as a teacher—and now I make $75,000.

"Frozen has helped me monetarily but also as a person. I resonated with Anna as she was so determined in every aspect of her life," Walls said. "She was certain Hanz would marry her, but she was mistaken. She was fine after she realized she was wrong about him. She was determined to be there with her sister, and I admired that.

"Whenever I have needed a boost to achieve my business goals; I just think of her."

'Frozen Gave My Sick Daughter Daughter Strength When She Was Battling Cancer'

In May 2021, Mariah Kinney received news that no parent is ever prepared to hear.

"Doctors knew straight away that it was cancer," Kinney told Newsweek.

Just days before, her daughter Paisley Bennett, then 3 years old, had been complaining of stomachache before her abdomen ballooned and her parents rushed her to the emergency room. Medics took one look at her swollen and hard stomach and suspected it was neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that starts in early nerve cells called neuroblasts.

After a devastating diagnosis, Bennett was hospitalized for 18 months at Children's Medical Center in Dallas and Kinney remained by her side. The single-mom, 25, credits Frozen with getting her now 6-year-old daughter through the worst of times.

But it wasn't just seeing the movie that lifted Bennett's spirits; it was also speaking with Molly Gibson, a charity worker who volunteers as a princess impersonator.

"It was a really hard journey," Kinney told Newsweek, "Paisley started chemotherapy straight away and underwent seven rounds of it along with surgery to remove a tumor in her stomach.

"Frozen has been one of my favorite films since it came out when I was 15, so naturally Paisley has become a fan too," she said. "We first watched it when she was an itty bitty baby and continued to watch it while she was in hospital.

"I would say we have watched the first and second version hundreds of times; it was the only way to brighten her day."

Kinney explained that her daughter had been stripped of her childhood after her cancer diagnosis yet the film would always bring out her bubbly side.

"Paisley had to be independent from a young age, which is why I believe she clung onto Elsa so much. Disney characters like Cinderella have a Prince Charming where Elsa doesn't," she said. "Olaf, the snowman, would always manage to make her laugh. Paisley would try and sit up in bed and even try to sing along despite having sores down her throat from a stem-cell transplant."

On Paisley's 4th birthday, she was treated to a video call from Molly Gibson, 26, who volunteers at The Princess Program Foundation, an international nonprofit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Speaking about their first encounter, Kinney said: "Paisley had spent 36 days in hospital and wasn't able to see any of her friends or family so seeing someone dressed up as her idol meant everything to her.

"From that day on, Paisley's persona changed. She was no longer a sick kid; she was joyful and full of sass. She began walking around the hospital telling everyone that Elsa was her best friend. Before the call, she wasn't happy, as she was very sick. Molly's performance gave her a zest for life again."

The pair continued to communicate weekly and even spent a weekend in Wisconsin when Gibson stayed in full character for the whole time. Kinney saw firsthand how much the communication between her daughter and Gibson helped Bennett's mental health.

She told Newsweek: "One day, Paisley told Molly that she has to have a 'pokie' which means an IV drip. Usually, she would scream and cry, but she didn't after that call. She looked at the nurse and said, 'I'm going to be brave for Elsa' and didn't move a muscle."

Befriending her favorite princess gave Bennett the strength and determination she needed to fight the terrible disease that affects 700 to 800 new people in the United States each year. Bennett beat cancer on August 3, 2022. The charity has recently shared a TikTok video (@princessprogramofficial) showing the exciting moment Bennett told two princesses that she is "still cancer-free."

"Paisley's journey was a surreal experience; I never imagined my child would be diagnosed with cancer," Kinney said. "Watching Paisley's face light up when she spoke to Molly helped me as well; it made me feel like she was having a childhood while in the hospital.

"Paisley no longer felt like a sick child, and she was able to do everything she wanted with the Ice Queen. Molly took her out of the sickness and she was in a whole new world."

'Channeling Elsa's Courage Means I Can Give Other Sick Children Hope'

Gibson, from Toronto, Canada, was in the 11th grade when Frozen was released, and she loved it. Like many 16-year-olds, she had no idea what she wanted to do in the future.

"I didn't know a character performer was a job that existed until the pandemic," she told Newsweek.

Gibson, who had been involved in theater, found her calling after watching a TikTok video of the Princess Program and realized she could have the best of both worlds by performing and helping others.

Now she is the director of performance for the charity alongside her job as a performer. Gibson told Newsweek that volunteering is her way of giving back.

"These kids need the magic the most," she said. "I am there to bring a source of joy and distraction from all of their medical procedures and the difficulties they are going through.

"Speaking to the children gives me a sense of purpose. I feel honored that I can bring happiness to those that need it the most."

During a video call or face-to-face meeting, Gibson will sing songs, play games, and have a general chit-chat with the children. In her experience, she has seen a notable emotional benefit.

"I spent around five hours with a sick child and after I learned that she was previously asking for morphine every 30 minutes," she told Newsweek. "But she didn't ask once during my visit."

Gibson compares children's eyes to soccer balls when they see her dressed up. She says that seeing their joy and excitement is more rewarding than any paycheck.

The most requested character is the "Ice Queen," and Gibson believes she knows the reason why,

"Elsa is fighting against her magic and doesn't know how to control it; there's a bunch of difficulties with that. Kids with cancer and other illnesses feel the same way," she told Newsweek. "She gives them hope that they can beat it. They are battling something powerful that they can't really see so when they believe in the magic that Elsa has then they believe that anything is possible."

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