Credit: Sony PicturesGhostbusters: Frozen Empire has introduced an all-new team of female Ghostbusters!
When the incredibly divisive 2016 Ghostbusters reboot hit theaters, many male fans were labeled “misogynists” for not liking the fact it was a female-led film (although, let it be said, there were plenty of genuine trolls out there). However, Answer the Call‘s titular characters were hardly the first female paranormal investigators and eliminators in the franchise.
That honor goes to the Ghostbusters’ secretary Janine Melnitz (Laura Summer/Kath Soucie/Pat Musick) in the animated series The Real Ghostbusters (1986 — 1991) and the follow-up series Extreme Ghostbusters (1997), which also gave us Kylie Griffin (Tara Strong), who has been a fan-favorite character for the best part of 30 years.
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The long-running IDW Publishing Ghostbusters comic book series continued to bring in new female Ghostbusters such as special agent Melanie Ortiz, while utilizing existing ones, including Abby Yates, Patty Tolan, Erin Gilbert, and Jillian Holtzmann from the reboot.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) introduced us to Phoebe Spengler (McKenna Grace) and Lucky Domingo (Celeste O’Connor), who are returning for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), which also sees Afterlife‘s Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon) pick up the proton pack.
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Now, a brand-new female team has joined the franchise. Japanese girl band Atarashii Gakko!, made up of Mizyu, Rin, Suzuka, and Kanon, has released the song “Ghostbusters: Frozen Summer” (the film’s Japanese title) along with the official music video. The high-energy track samples Ray Parker Jr.’s iconic “Ghostbusters,” which has been used for every film in the franchise since its release in 1984, including the reboot.
Check out the new music video by Atarashii Gakko! below, per the Ghostbusters community YouTube channel Report All Ghosts!:
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A far cry from anything we’ve heard before (including the punk rock version of the original song as featured in the intro for the 1997 animated series Extreme Ghostbusters), “Ghostbusters: Frozen Summer” injects new life into the franchise. Continuing with Frozen Empire‘s icy theme, the video is also huge fun as the band members don a range of Ghostbusters-themed attire, from the iconic flight suits to the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man sailor outfits, as they tackle spooky threats.
Whether or not the song will be used in the film remains to be seen, though it is likely to feature on the official soundtrack.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Check out the domestic trailer for Frozen Empire below, per Sony Pictures:
Related: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Trailer Breakdown
Per the official website, here’s the synopsis for the film:
In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.
Frozen Empire stars Carrie Coon (Callie Spengler), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), McKenna Grace (Phoebe Spengler), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor Spengler), Celeste O’Connor (Lucky Domingo), Logan Kim (Podcast), Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), William Atherton (Walter Peck), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), James Acaster (Lars Pinfield), Patton Oswalt (Dr. Hubert Wartzki), Kumail Nanjiani (Nadeem Razmaadi), and Emily Alyn Lind in an undisclosed role.
It will be released in theaters on March 22, 2024.
What do you think of the new song “Ghostbusters: Frozen Summer”? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!