Did China copy "Let it Go" for the Winter Olympics?
After the announcement of Beijing as the host of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the decision has been met with controversy.
From human rights violations in China to the fact it hardly ever snows in Beijing, critics have a lot to be angry about.
Now critics are saying one of the official songs for the games sounds suspiciously like "Let it Go" from the popular Disney movie "Frozen." Listen for yourself:
The song, titled "The Snow and Ice Dance," is one of ten songs presented on the Olympic organizing committee's website. A Chinese magazine pointed out various similarities between the two songs, notably the instrumentation, eight bar intro and time signature, which were all nearly identical.
Granted, it makes sense "Let it Go" is so easily recognizable in the song - "Let it Go" is an internet sensation, generating hundreds of different versions and billions of video views on Youtube.
On the Youtube video of "The Snow and Ice Dance," commenters lamented the lack of originality and the similarity between the Disney hit.
So did the composer for the organizing committee rip off the song?
When asked for comment from the New York Times, a spokesperson said she didn't have the authority to respond and asked for the question to be sent by fax.
Disney hasn't yet commented.
A New Zealand publication pointed out China's "long and embedded" culture of "Shanzhai," which is literally translated as "mountain banditry." Formal and informal economies interact with one another to generate a culture where a passable copy of an original is often considered a good innovation.
Perhaps Beijing was just trying to capture some of Elsa's wintry magic.