Bell tells PEOPLE the performance was “a freaking dream come true”
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty; Savannah Bananas/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Kristen Bell tells PEOPLE that she planned her Frozen sing-along with the Savannah Bananas herself
- “That was an incoming call for them,” she says
- The actress sang “For the First Time in Forever” as part of a medley at the baseball team’s game in Denver on Aug. 15
Kristen Bell was the one pitching when it came to her team-up with the Savannah Bananas baseball team.
The actress, 46, made a surprise appearance at the Bananas’ Aug. 15 game in Denver to perform a musical medley with Broadway star Derek Klena that included a Frozen favorite. While chatting exclusively with PEOPLE as part of her partnership with Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, Bell revealed that the stadium sing-along was her idea and that she pitched the performance to the team.
“That was an incoming call for them,” she says. “I just said, ‘I have this idea. Can I come perform with you?’ And they were like, ‘Sure.’ That was the extent of the conversation.”
As the Bananas faced off against the Indianapolis Clowns in Denver, Bell emerged from the stands and made her way down to the field dressed in a custom Bananas jersey and leopard-print cargo pants. The crowd cheered, and Bell broke out into song, starting with Frozen’s “For the First Time in Forever.”
“I can’t wait to meet everyone — what if I meet the one?” the star — who famously voices the character of Anna in the Frozen films — quipped as the music played.
Bell was then joined by Klena, 34, as he sang “Dancing Through Life” from Wicked. The two danced together before going into “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing — completing the number by performing the iconic lift from the 1987 film.
Bell tells PEOPLE that pulling off the lift was “the most surprising thing” about the performance.
“I had in my head this awesome vision of being in the Dirty Dancing lift, but we only had 30 minutes of rehearsal, and I maybe jumped into Derek Klena’s arms seven times prior to that one you saw on the Internet,” she reveals.
“But the whole thing was a freaking dream come true,” she adds.
Credit: Savannah Bananas/Instagram
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The Bananas shared a video of Bell and Klena’s performance on Instagram at the time, writing, “The mashup we never knew we needed🤩.”
Klena commented on the post, “The kindest, most talented human! @kristenanniebell you are truly the GOAT!! 🔥🔥🔥👏👏👏.”
Other celebrities also shared their praise for Bell’s performance, including Reese Witherspoon, who wrote, “AHHHHH!!!! Making the Bananas even more magical !! 🍌 ✨.”
This Is Us star Chrissy Metz commented, “This is my kind of baseball!”
Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty
Days before her appearance at the Bananas game, Bell shared photos on her Instagram Stories on Aug. 12 showing herself arriving at the Disney Animation Studios building in Burbank, Calif., as production began on Frozen 3, which is set for a 2027 theatrical release.
In one photo, Bell and her dog, Frank, can be seen walking into the building. In another, Frank posed for a photo in front of Frozen animation drawings of characters Anna and Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel).
“Accompanied by my temporary admin assistant,” Bell captioned the post.
On Aug. 14, Bell, Menzel, 55, and Josh Gad (voice of Olaf) reunited at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event to preview Frozen 3. In an early look at the third installment of the hit animated franchise, the trio explained that Frozen 3 will show Anna and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) getting married, as well as Olaf falling in love.
Frozen 3 will be released in theaters on Nov. 24, 2027.
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