Kristen Bell‘s surprise Savannah Bananas performance looked like the kind of celebrity cameo a team might spend weeks arranging. As it turns out, the idea didn’t come from the Bananas at all.
Bell surprised fans at the baseball team’s Denver game on August 15, performing a musical medley with Broadway star Derek Klena that included a familiar song from “Frozen” and an ambitious nod to “Dirty Dancing.”
Now, more than a month after Kristen Bell’s Savannah Bananas moment, the actress has revealed how it actually came together.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Bell said she was the person who approached the team with the idea.
“That was an incoming call for them,” she revealed. “I just said, ‘I have this idea. Can I come perform with you?’” According to Bell, their response was simple: “Sure.”
Kristen Bell Came Up With the Savannah Bananas Idea Herself
Bell’s appearance happened as the Savannah Bananas faced the Indianapolis Clowns in Denver.
Wearing a custom Bananas jersey and leopard-print cargo pants, Bell made her way from the stands toward the field before launching into “For the First Time in Forever,” which her character Anna sings with Elsa in the original “Frozen.”
Klena then joined Bell for “Dancing Through Life” from “Wicked” before the pair transitioned into “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life” from “Dirty Dancing.”
The Savannah Bananas later shared footage of the performance on Instagram, calling it “The mashup we never knew we needed.” Bell apparently felt just as strongly about finally getting to do it.
“The whole thing was a freaking dream come true,” she told PEOPLE. But one of the most memorable parts of the performance almost came with a bigger challenge than viewers might have realized.
Kristen Bell Had Just 30 Minutes to Prepare for One Big Moment
Bell and Klena ended their performance by recreating the famous lift from “Dirty Dancing,” with Klena raising Bell above his head. According to Bell, however, there wasn’t much time to make sure they could actually pull it off.
The actress told PEOPLE that they had only 30 minutes of rehearsal before the performance. Bell had imagined herself doing the lift, but estimated that she had jumped into Klena’s arms only about seven times before the attempt audiences eventually saw.
She called successfully pulling off the move “the most surprising thing” about the entire performance. The moment also earned some enthusiastic reactions when the Bananas posted it online.
Reese Witherspoon celebrated Bell for making the team “even more magical,” while “This Is Us” star Chrissy Metz declared, “This is my kind of baseball!” Klena had praise for his performance partner as well, calling Bell “the kindest, most talented human.”
Kristen Bell’s ‘Frozen’ Moment Came at a Fitting Time
Kristen Bell’s “Frozen” performance also arrived during an especially busy period for the franchise.
Just days before the Savannah Bananas game, Bell shared behind-the-scenes photos from Disney Animation Studios as work continued on “Frozen 3.” She then reunited with Idina Menzel and Josh Gad at Disney’s D23 event on August 14 to offer fans an early look at what’s ahead for Anna, Elsa and Olaf.
Among the details teased at the event was a major development for Bell’s character: Anna and Kristoff are set to get married in the third movie.
“Frozen 3” is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 24, 2027.
More than a decade after Bell first introduced audiences to Anna, the character clearly remains part of her life beyond the recording booth.
And her Savannah Bananas appearance wasn’t simply another promotional stop arranged for her. Bell had an idea, called the team herself and turned it into the viral musical moment she had imagined.
