Kristen Bell showed off her vocal skills in the Disney film Frozen and its sequel, but for her role in Burlesque, she tried something different.
Kristen Bell starred as Nikki in Burlesque, and with a college musical theater background and her role as Anna in Frozen, it would be easy to assume she did the singing in the movie. However, her actual role was more complex. Christina Aguilera, who's known for her powerhouse vocals, further proved her abilities as the film's main character, Alice "Ali" Marilyn Rose. Bell had a less significant role as the best friend of Tess Scali (Cher), the burlesque lounge's owner. Nikki performs at the start of the film, lip-syncing to Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" and later appears to do a solo performance of "Long John Blues".
Bell, who did the Gossip Girl voiceover, has a few Broadway and Off-Broadway credits and performed in musicals when she was a student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. However, her voice is best known for voicing Anna in Frozen and Frozen II alongside Broadway icon Idina Menzel, who voices the main character, Elsa. Bell also made an appearance on stage at the 2005 Emmys performing Irene Cara's "Fame" and has sung on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, proving she's more than capable of carrying a tune. However, this doesn't mean she had the opportunity to show off her skills in Burlesque.
No, Kristen Bell Didn't Sing In Burlesque
Despite her background and obvious singing capabilities, Bell did not sing in the 2010 musical. Instead, Aguilera and Cher carried the film with their vocal performances, and Bell had the opportunity to rest her voice and lip sync to another singer's vocals. Actress and singer Megan Mullally, known for her role as Karen Walker in Will & Grace, was the voice behind Bell's performance. She is also credited on the Burlesque soundtrack for her performance of Long John Blues.
While Bell certainly knows how to sing and has proven her talent several times, Mullally was arguably a better fit for the Burlesque performance. It's probably better that Mullally did the vocals, as hearing Bell's voice coming out of a burlesque performer's mouth now that she's best known as Anna from Frozen may be a little unsettling in hindsight. Ultimately, the choice not to have Bell sing during Nikki's performance was what was best for Burlesque.
Why Kristen Bell Didn't Sing As Nikki In Burlesque
There's no known reason why Kristen Bell didn't actually sing in Burlesque, though the most logical guess seems to be that Bell's voice just didn't fit the character. Bell's sweet vocals are fit for a princess, which is why she nailed her performance as Anna in both Frozen films. However, the same innocence is not present in Burlesque. With performers like Aguilera and Cher, Bell may well have sounded out of place, despite her vocal talents. By contrast, Mullally has a much deeper, raspier voice that fits better with the film and the role of Nikki.
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