On a day in late January, 2-year-old Madelyn went through her near-daily ritual of singing and dancing along to the hit Disney song "Let It Go," dressed in a full Elsa costume. In a West Texas town where there hasn't been snow in half a decade, indoor singalongs tend to be the only way she can act out the movie.
According to Madelyn's mother, Kristi Michele, the pair listen to the soundtrack in the car, watch the movie frequently, and watch YouTube videos of the songs. Any time the song comes up, the toddler insists that the movie or soundtrack be paused so that she can dress up in her Elsa costume.
"Frozen is what we do, all the time," Michele told TODAY Parents. "She loves it. When we watch the movie, she will say every line."
A rare, severe snowstorm hit the area on Feb. 5, dropping 10 inches of snow in the family's backyard and giving Madelyn the opportunity she's been dreaming of: A chance to do Elsa's iconic scene with real snow.
Michele told TODAY Parents that Madelyn was watching the snow all morning and pleading to "do her song." Michele finally let Madelyn go outside "for a little bit," while wearing snowboots and several layers of tights.
"She refused to put on her jacket, because she said it would mess up her dress," said Michele, who joked that she was worried about getting hate online.
What followed was a minute-long video where Madelyn ran around the backyard, perfectly mirroring Elsa's choreography as she sang along to the song and smiling widely throughout. Michele posted it on Facebook, writing that "Madelyn finally got some snow to do her scene." The post quickly went viral, racking up millions of views and more than 650,000 shares. Even Elsa herself, Idina Menzel, chimed in, sharing the video and cheering Madelyn on.
Michele told TODAY that she was blown away by the viral response. She had initially only made the post public so that friends and family could share it, but social media users from around the world quickly filled the comments with compliments and kind words.
"It's a little overwhelming," Michele said. "I'm still in shock, to be honest."
"They said it's been five years since we had a real snow in the area," Michele told TODAY Parents. "Madelyn was so adamant that this was Elsa's doing... I think that's really the first time she's even seen snow in her life."
Unfortunately for Madelyn, almost all of the snow has melted away, but we're sure she'll still continue to regale us with her dancing skills!