9
Credit: DisneyWith a fourth installment in the Frozen franchise, Disney will officially change the legacy of their princesses forever.
Upon Bob Iger’s return as Chief Executive Officer to The Walt Disney Company in November 2022, the leader quickly revealed that new movies would be coming from both the Toy Story and the Frozen franchises, as well as a sequel to 2016’s Zootopia.
It wasn’t a complete surprise that the CEO would rebound to three billion-dollar successes following the strained year 2022 was for Disney–and Pixar–animation.
Related: Close to 100% of Disney Animated Film Material Damaged and Lost
But while it wasn’t shocking that Frozen 3 (TBD) was in development, it was a surprise to learn that another sequel, Frozen 4 (TBD), was also coming down the pipeline; Iger announced the new Disney movie during the opening of World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland.
And with Frozen 4, the legacy of Disney’s princesses will never be the same. As highlighted by ScreenRant, the fourth franchise film will cement Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) as the princesses with the most Disney movies. Now, by the end of Frozen II (2019), both the fiery main characters may have become queens, but they do start their animated lives as the princesses of Arendelle.
It’s a record that the sisters keep on breaking. The arrival of Frozen II saw the pair be the first princesses to have a canon animated sequel, then the upcoming third movie will push them even further into the lead. But by the fourth entry, Anna and Elsa will prove somewhat impossible to beat. Their joint footprint at Walt Disney Animation Studios will likely go down in history, outperforming the likes of classic princesses like Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, and Belle.
Following the billion-dollar smash-hits Frozen (2013) and Frozen II, the upcoming third and fourth entries into the franchise are expected to continue the tale of Anna and Elsa as they lead their respective communities, Arendelle and the Enchanted Forest.
2019’s sequel expanded the world even more, bringing in new characters and exploring the rich history of Anna and Elsa’s family. While not much else is known, co-director and screenplay writer Jennifer Lee will not be returning to helm the new animated movie. Instead, she will continue to lead the studio as Chief Creative Officer.
As for the fourth movie, Bob Iger told Good Morning America in late 2023 that “Frozen 3 is in the works, and there might be a Frozen 4 in the works too […] I don’t have much to say about those films right now. [Jennifer] Lee, who created the original Frozen and Frozen 2, is hard at work with her team at Disney animation on not one but actually two stories.” Following this announcement, songwriter Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who wrote the Frozen songs–including “Let It Go”– with her husband Robert Lopez, revealed they would be back to scribe the lyrics once again.
Related: Disney Pixar Dragged Through the Dirt After Taking Part in Viral Video Trend
No release date has been confirmed for the next two installments in the franchise, but Disney does have November dates locked in across the next three years. For reference, Frozen was released in November 2013, and Frozen II was released in November 2019. Take from that what you will…
Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, Frozen and Frozen II stars Kristen Bell as Anna, Idina Menzel as Elsa, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, and Josh Gad as Olaf.
Are you happy that Anna and Elsa have the most films for a Disney princess? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!