The Montana Meth Project has taken a creative approach to intellectual property in a billboard campaign urging the princess – raddled and handcuffed – to let it go

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A sequel to Frozen, Disney’s biggest ever hit, is scheduled for release in 2019 – but a sneak, if unothordox, peek at what its characters have been up to in the interim has recently been released by the Montana Meth Project.

The MMP, which urges citizens in the US state to quit drugs, has channelled its citizens’ love for the Disney movie in a new billboard campaign apparently starring Princess Elsa.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Not officially a meth-head … Elsa in Frozen. Photograph: Allstar/Disney

In the ads, a less-glamorous looking Elsa is seen sporting a drug-raddled complexion, uncertain expression and a pair of handcuffs as she stands in front of a police mugshot backdrop, just topping the six foot mark, beehive included.

“Meth, just let it go!” urges the slogan, co-opting the title of Frozen’s best-known tune, in which Elsa reconciles herself to her ice-queen powers.

The artwork is credited on the ads as “created by a Montana teen”; part of the demographic the project is targeting in its campaign.

Weezy S (@Sierruuuh) Damn Elsa, put down the meth /////: pic.twitter.com/Pz4ebBy5uR

Says the MMP’s website: “The goal of the Montana Meth Project is to arm teens and young adults across the state with the facts about methamphetamine so that they can make well-informed decisions when presented with the opportunity to try it.”

The ads were not conceived in tandem with Disney, and, despite not explicitly naming their inspiration, may be flirting with intellectual property laws. The Guardian has approached the studio for comment.