When it comes to the Frozen franchise, there’s no way Disney is letting it go.
It’s been almost a decade since the original Frozen hit cinemas in 2013, and it’s never dipped in popularity. The reception to the long-awaited Frozen II in 2019 proved, beyond all shadow of a doubt, that this is one of Disney’s biggest and most beloved franchises. So a number three was always inevitable, right? Yep! Disney announced in February of this year that a threequel is on its way. Let’s take a look at what we know so far.
Who is returning for Frozen III?
Anna actress Kristen Bell jokingly made an “official announcement” about Frozen III while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon back in 2022. Disney hadn’t confirmed the sequel at that point, but Bell said, “I would like to officially announce, with zero authority, Frozen III. I know Idina [Menzel, who plays Elsa] recently said she would do it. And I feel like if we’re all in, what are we waiting for?”
Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf, is also snow-tally ready to return. After Disney confirmed the movie was in development, Gad took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Excited to head back … into the Unknown.”
Then there’s Jonathan Groff, who voices Kristoff. He told Variety at the D23 Expo in September 2022, “Please, tell me when [Disney confirms it]. Sign me up.” So that’s all four principal cast members raring to go.
Songwriting duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez will also most likely be back! Anderson-Lopez informed Collider in March of this year, “[Disney] told us … a little bit about what they’re thinking. It got us very excited. Now, we have to let the wheels of Hollywood do what they do, but we were very excited with their ideas.”
Who isn’t coming back for the threequel?
One thing we know for sure is that director Jennifer Lee unfortunately won’t be back. At the Annecy Animation Festival in June 2023, she told The Wrap:
Where we’re going with ‘Frozen’ did not come from me. It came from an incredible person. That’s a new piece, I’ve told no one. And I’ve been blown away by it and I’m just having a blast with that team.
Lee will be still be part of the moviemaking process, but a new director will be taking the reins. Who? Well, we’ll just have to wait to find out. Lee is very pleased with the way things are going, though. She told Deadline in October, “All I’ll say is that last week, they carved out time for me to work with the creative team on it. And I’m blown away.”
What might the story be for Frozen III?
It seems that if you really want to get a taste of what might happen in Frozen III, you need to listen to the podcast Frozen: Forces of Nature, which came out this fall. It doesn’t feature the original cast, but it’s meant to bridge the events of Frozen II and whatever comes next.
The official summary reads as follows:
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’s entirely possible that we might see some of the characters and concepts from Forces of Nature in Frozen III.
When will Frozen III be released?
There’s no confirmed release date for Frozen III just yet. And bear in mind, of course, that actors are very much still on strike and will be until they get a fair deal from the studios.
Consider, though, that Frozen and Frozen II both released in November, an appropriately cold and, well, frozen time of year. Perhaps Frozen III will drop in November 2025 or 2026? That would be ice. Sorry, nice.
This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the work being covered here wouldn’t exist.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Animation)
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