The Next Right Thing (Disney song) facts for kids

The Next Right Thing is a popular song from the 2019 animated Disney movie Frozen II. Kristen Bell, who voices Anna, sings this song. The music and words were created by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. This song shows Anna feeling very sad and lost. It has been praised for its important message and reached number 7 on the Kid Digital Songs chart.

Anna's Journey in the Song

In a very sad part of the movie, Anna feels confused and alone. She thinks she has lost her sister Elsa and her friend Olaf. Anna sings "The Next Right Thing" to show how sad and lost she feels. By the end of the song, she realizes that even when things are tough, you just need to do "The Next Right Thing." This means taking one small step forward, even if you don't know what the big picture holds.

Creating the Song

Kristen Bell, the voice of Anna, wanted Anna to face her feelings of needing others too much. She asked the movie's director, Jennifer Lee, for a song about what to do when you feel completely lost. The songwriters, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, were inspired by real-life sadness. Two people who worked on Frozen and Frozen II had lost a child. The songwriters saw how these people kept going, even through their pain. Anderson-Lopez said she wrote the song thinking about them.

Kristen Bell also shared that her own experiences with feeling anxious and sad helped her understand Anna's feelings. She explained that her personal motto is "you just do the next right thing." This means taking small steps, like getting out of bed or brushing your teeth, when you feel overwhelmed. She wanted Anna to show kids how to find their own inner strength.

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.

Different Languages Around the World

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

Just like with the movie Moana, Frozen II was dubbed into many languages. A special version was made in the Sami language. This was done because the movie was inspired by Sami culture. Alisha Thomas sang Anna's part in both Tamil and Telugu.

Song Popularity

The song "The Next Right Thing" was quite popular. It appeared on music charts in 2019.