James Corden got competitive with Idina Menzel in The Late Late Show‘s latest edition of “Crosswalk the Musical.”
Frozen 2 stars Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad and Jonathan Groff joined Corden in performing hits from the first film and its sequel, which hit theaters tomorrow.
In an individual interview, Gad reflected on his past times participating in the segment. “This is actually my third time joining James on the crosswalk,” he said. “You know what they say: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on you again.”
Gad was cast as Olaf, while Groff played Kristoff and Bell played Anna. “The role of Elsa, the Frozen queen with a voice that echoes throughout the heavens will be played by, I mean come on, who else but James Corden,” announced the host.
In a separate interview, Corden said he was aware Menzel voiced the role in the films. “I’m sure she was fine, but this is a live performance,” he said. “Something Idina Menzel knows very little about.” He later announced that Menzel would take on the role of the reindeer, Sven.
“I’m sure James is gonna be really great. I mean, before I sing Elsa’s songs, I have to warm up for at least an hour, and I drink tea, and I have to get my sleep. I got the humidifier in my room,” said Menzel. “That’s on top of the years of training I’ve done leading up to this. But you know, James just bought a blond wig, so it’s basically the same.”
While training the performers, Corden told them to “let it go” even if they were hit by cars. He then threw snowballs at the performers as they continued to sing.
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Bell said that the experience was “a dream come true,” while Groff joked that Corden was “one of the most annoying people I’ve ever met.”
Dressed as their characters from the films, the performers kicked off the musical numbers with “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” Bell and Corden stood on opposite sides of a door as Bell’s Anna sang about wanting to play with Elsa. When the crosswalk time began to run out, the performers frantically ran to the sidewalk.
Following the group’s first number, Bell told Corden that she thought Menzel should play Elsa. Everyone except Corden agreed with Bell, which gave the host the idea for the two to have a sing off. Menzel kicked off the competition and belted out “Into the Unknown.”
Corden conceded and said in a private interview that he had to sacrifice the role “for the greater good.” He returned to the group dressed as a giant snowflake, while Menzel wore Elsa’s dress.
The group next performed “For the First Time in Forever,” which was watched by unamused drivers.
Before the third performance, Groff told Corden that he could sit the number out because the Frozen 2 song takes place in autumn. “I’m being punished because of my talent, aren’t I?” asked the host. “No snowflakes? We’ll see.”
Gad and Groff were accompanied by dancers covered in autumn leaves as they sang “Some Things Never Change.” Corden soon crashed the performance by sitting in the back of a sleigh and throwing leaves from a basket.
“This is the show-stopper. Idina is gonna go out there and she is gonna sing her heart out,” Corden said before the final performance. “Not as much as I would have, but that’s fine. Like I said, I got over it ages ago.”
Menzel took to the center of the crosswalk to sing “Let It Go” as fake snow flew through the air. Her castmates and Corden joined her in singing the chorus, while an enthusiastic driver also sang along. Menzel then climbed onto the hood of one car and continued to sing.
The cast celebrated the final performance by cheering and hugging, while Corden told Menzel that he had let go of his hopes of playing Elsa.
After the performers took their final bows, Corden tried to make plans with the cast. But the cast then left him behind as he sang, “The cold never bothered me anyway.”
Watch the full segment below.
