‘Frozen 3’ Gets Exciting Update From Disney: “It’s Going To Be Amazing”

in Entertainment, Movies & TV

Elsa touches the signs in the sky

Credit: Disney

Elsa the Snow Queen (Idina Menzel) and Anna, Queen of Arendelle (Kristen Bell), are gearing up for another adventure in Frozen III (TBA), which was officially confirmed by Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger earlier this year — along with the surprise announcement of a fourth Frozen film. With many sequels in the pipeline at Disney Animation, the upcoming threequel recently got an exciting update as it inches closer to production, and it sounds like there are some big things in store for fans of the Frozen universe.

Elsa (L) and Anna (R) holding hands in 'Frozen'
Credit: Disney

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When Frozen (2013) first hit theaters over ten years ago, no one could’ve anticipated the full-blown pop culture phenomenon it would go on to become thanks to its all-star cast, captivating tale of love and sisterhood, and, of course, oh-so-catchy original songs like the Oscar-winning “Let It Go.” Captivating audiences with a modern take on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale The Snow Queen, the first movie earned over $1.280 billion in worldwide box office revenue and became the highest-grossing film of 2013, while its 2019 sequel scored even bigger, making a whopping $1.453 billion for Disney.

Given that Frozen (2013) and its sequel, Frozen II (2019), are two of Disney Animation’s most successful movies to date, it’s no wonder that the studio decided to move forward with a Frozen III. The film was announced during a Q1 earnings call in February, and news of a fourth Frozen (TBA) broke last month, to the surprise of many. Although Iger didn’t offer any additional details, he revealed that the studio will have more to share about the productions “soon,” calling the franchise investment an example of how they “are leaning into our unrivaled brands.” Plot specifics remain under wraps, but we can almost certainly expect to see most, if not all, of the original voice cast reprising their roles for the new entries, including Bell, Menzel, Josh Gad (Olaf), and Jonathan Groff (Kristoff).

Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf in 'Frozen II'
Credit: Disney

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With Frozen III and Frozen IV expected to premiere back-to-back, there’s no denying that Disney has some ambitious plans for the franchise moving forward. As it goes further into development, Wish (2023) and Frozen producer Peter Del Vecho recently opened up to The Direct about the threequel’s behind-the-scenes progress and had some high praise for the upcoming feature, calling it “amazing:”

Look, we only do sequels if we believe there’s enough story to tell. They’re working on it up in development, I’m focused on ‘Wish’. But it is exciting what they’re working on. I will say anything that you read about it in the public, we haven’t said anything about it. So it’s all conjecture, but I trust that it’s going to be amazing.

It’s worth noting that Disney has somewhat of a spotty track record when it comes to animated sequels. Still, in the case of Pixar’s Toy Story franchise and, debatably, other direct-to-video classics like An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000), they can sometimes be better than the original movie. Frozen III and Frozen IV certainly have some big shoes to fill if they hope to follow suit, but it seems like Peter Del Vecho is more than confident about their chances. And with director Jennifer Lee admitting that she was “blown away” by the progress on the third Frozen film in October, it sounds like the franchise’s future is in good hands.

Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven in 'Frozen II'
Credit: Disney

Sadly, based on the briefness of this new comment from Peter Del Vecho, Frozen 3 probably isn’t going to hit theaters anytime soon. With Frozen III in the early stages of development and Frozen IV presumably not a priority for the studio at the moment, there’s a good chance we won’t see the new movies arrive onscreen until 2026 or 2027 at the earliest. Still, fans should hold out hope, knowing there are many exciting directions the franchise can explore moving forward, including the elemental spirits and Elsa going off into the Enchanted Forest, as well as Anna’s rule as Queen now that she is responsible for running an entire kingdom.

The two-part tale is bound to keep audiences on their toes, and with Jennifer Lee revealing that the creative team has “a lot of story to tell with that direction that the movie’s headed” and that they are “really excited about where they’re going,” Frozen III and Frozen IV could prove to be some of the best Disney Animation sequels of all time.

Are you looking forward to revisiting the world of Frozen? What are your hopes for the franchise moving forward? Let us know in the comments below!

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