12
Credit: DisneyA Frozen sequel is coming sooner than anyone expected, but it will not feature Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, or any of the original cast of the beloved first two movies in the series.
Frozen (2013) was an animated film sensation, the likes of which are rarely seen, eventually grossing over a billion dollars at the box office and becoming one of the highest-performing movies of any kind ever. It became the first Walt Disney Animation movie to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and, of course, unleashed the unstoppable musical behemoth that is “Let It Go.”
It also spawned an entire multimedia franchise of video games, books, merchandise, a Broadway stage musical, an ice show, and basically anything else that Disney can slap the word Frozen on.
Related: Disney Pulls ‘Frozen’ From Theaters, Sends Fans Final Warning
Arguably, one of the most important elements to the success of Frozen was the chemistry between its lead voice actors, who have now all become indelibly connected to the characters of Princess Anna, Queen Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf the Snowman.
However, this new Frozen sequel is hoping that audiences won’t mind if the original cast is entirely replaced.
‘Frozen’ the Podcast
Disney recently announced that it will be releasing a canonical sequel to Frozen II (2019) in the form of a 12-episode podcast targeted at children ages six to 12 titled Frozen: Forces of Nature.
The synopsis for the new podcasts reads, “Queen Anna has a lot on her plate – there are visitors in her Kingdom, a friend in need, and even the Duke of Weselton’s nephew skulking around – so when the Spirits of Nature start acting up, she knows she has to solve the problem – and fast – before things get more out of control. But when Anna and Elsa travel to the Enchanted Forest, they find mysterious copper machines that are disrupting the natural order of things. Who made these machines and what are they doing in the forest? And more importantly, how do Anna and Elsa stop them?”
It seems that none of the original cast will be reprising their roles, which raises the question of whether they were not invited to do so or if Disney simply wanted to make this podcast quickly and cheaply and did not want to pay for them.
Credit: Disney
After all, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad have all reprised their characters for multiple video games, short films, and a feature-length sequel, so why not Frozen: Forces of Nature?
Related: Disney Now Has the Perfect Opportunity to Confirm Elsa’s Gay Identity
Disney Cost-Cutting
It feels very likely that Frozen: Forces of Nature is intended as a stop-gap for Disney as it struggles with a series of embarrassing box office flops.
The “Let It Go” franchise is a sure thing for the company, particularly as it seems to be doing everything it can to find new sources of revenue, including gambling, so it makes sense that Disney would try to use the name recognition without the costs of the leads.
It is likely that Bob Iger will be willing to foot the bill when it comes to the long-gestating Frozen 3, but it seems, for now, the cast is considered replaceable.
Is Disney making a mistake by replacing the cast of Frozen? Let it go in the comments below!