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Santino Fontana voiced Prince Hans of the Southern Isles for Disney’s Frozen. This character performed one of the most popular songs in this film. To some fans, it makes sense the voice actor auditioned with a song from West Side Story.

Here’s what we know about the cast of Disney’s Frozen.

The music of Disney's 'Frozen' was celebrated with live performances from Kristen Bell (voice of Anna), Idina Menzel (voice of Elsa), Josh Gad (voice of Olaf), and Santino Fontana (voice of Hans)
The music of Disney’s ‘Frozen’ was celebrated with live performances from Kristen Bell (voice of Anna), Idina Menzel (voice of Elsa), Josh Gad (voice of Olaf), and Santino Fontana (voice of Hans) | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Love is an open door, especially for Anna, who has been stuck in her castle since, well, forever. Fans first met this character with the Disney original animated movie, Frozen, released in 2013.

The cast of Disney’s Frozen includes Tony Award-winning and nominated actors. That includes Jonathan Groff, the voice of Kristoff, who was a member of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. Idina Menzel, the voice of Elsa, was a member of the original Broadway cast of Wicked.

Another actor in Frozen is Fontana. He portrayed the charming yet sneaky Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Anna falls head over heels for this character (literally) before discovering his true intentions for Arendelle and Queen Elsa.

Santino Fontana auditioned for ‘Frozen’ with a song from ‘West Side Story’

Prince Hans and Princess Anna performed the beloved original song “Love Is an Open Door,” which has over 210 million plays on Spotify. To audition for the Prince of the Southern Isles, Fontana chose a song from another popular musical production. 

According to Oh My Disney, “When Santino Fontana auditioned for the role of Hans, he sang ‘I Feel Pretty’ from West Side Story.” This song is performed by the character María in both the stage production and the movie musical (with Steven Spielberg’s remake debuting in theaters in December 2021.) 

Disney’s Frozen eventually became its own Broadway musical following the movie’s debut. It joined other Disney Broadway productions, including Aladdin and The Lion King. Fontana himself appeared in the 2019 Broadway revival of Tootsie and 2013’s production of Cinderella. 

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Prince Hans did not return for ‘Frozen 2’ or the spinoff now available on Disney+, ‘Frozen Fever’

Of course, Hans didn’t appear in future Frozen-related projects. After Anna dumped him, she began dating Kristoff. Sure he was a bit of a fixer-upper, but he loved Anna and was welcomed into the Kingdom of Arandelle with open arms.  

Viewers traveled back to Arandelle for Frozen’s 2019 sequel, Frozen 2. In it, these characters made it clear that they’re done going on life-threatening adventures together. Elsa now resides in the Enchanted Forest, where she can be herself alongside the other spirits. 

Fortunately, there are still other ways to catch up with these characters, especially with the Disney+ exclusive short series starring Olaf, titled Olaf Presents. In honor of “Disney+ Day,” the streaming platform added Frozen Fever to its library. 

To binge-watch movies like Frozen and Frozen 2, head to Disney’s subscription service. 

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