It looks like the future of Disney’s Frozen is heading into the unknown!

D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event took place in August this year, and among the many exciting teasers and announcements was a look at the upcoming Frozen 3. We’re officially one year away from the next movie in the beloved series, as Frozen 3 is set to release in theaters on November 24th, 2027. The adventure isn’t ending there, as Disney has been vocal about wanting the series to end with Frozen 4. However, it looks like it may be a long time until we see Frozen 4!

 

Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa), Josh Gad (Olaf), and Jonathan Groff (Kristoff) are all coming back to Arendelle for Frozen 3, and we can’t wait! Disney hasn’t shared any exact details about the story, other than the short teaser at D23, which featured that Olaf may have a new girlfriend and there’s a wicked new villain whose powers could match up against Elsa. We also know that the next movie will feature Anna and Kristoff’s wedding.

Now, we may have gotten a first look at Frozen 3 during this year’s D23 Expo, but the movie was actually announced for the first time at D23 in 2024. Along with the Frozen 3 drop at that D23, Disney announced that Frozen 4 would follow. Jennifer Lee, the director and co-writer of the first two films, officially signed on to return for both movies back in 2024.

Collider’s Steve Weintraub spoke to the head of Disney Animation, Jared Bush, during the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. During the conversation, the topic of the next two Frozen films was brought up. According to Collider, Jared Bush was asked how much they considered Frozen 4 when making the plot for Frozen 3, and he said, “It’s tricky to answer that question.” They want to make a “consistent emotional arc for the residents of Arendelle that each movie can individually evolve rather than worrying solely about the plot.”

“I’d say for me personally — again, talking just for myself — I think you have to have a rough sense of emotionally where you want your characters to go, a sense of an emotional journey. The plot behind that, at least for me, is secondary to the character journey,” said Jared Bush. He also told Collider that Frozen 3 and 4 were planned to launch close together with a quick turnaround. However, that doesn’t really match what Jared said the team’s desire was to make each Frozen stand on its own while still building on what came before.

Collider provided another quote from Bush to get an idea of what the goal is with both Frozen 3 and Frozen 4.

“Looking at Frozen 3 and what a Frozen 4 could look like, I know early on it was, ‘We’re going to put them right together, and they’re going to be out in the world. It’s going to happen quick.’ That’s not what we’re doing, for a lot of reasons. To me, an important one is we want to make sure that Frozen 3 is the best movie it can possibly be, so that when you get to the end of the movie, do you feel like you’ve watched a complete story? That it feels like something that feels fulfilling. That doesn’t always mean that everything is buttoned up, but it does mean that you have to be building to something that feels worthy of the end of a franchise that’s that important to people.”

It simply looks like the focus isn’t on Frozen 4 right now. Jared Bush was clear that the team doesn’t want to build Frozen 3 to work for Frozen 4. They want them to exist as two separate movies outside of each other, while still complementing each other in a coherent story. They don’t want Frozen 3 to be an incomplete lead-in to Frozen 4. So, what does this mean for the future of Frozen 4?

According to Collider, there’s a possibility of around a three-year separation between Frozen 3 and 4. However, Disney is willing to wait even longer to ensure one of their biggest franchises of all time is at its best. “Something I noticed, certainly for Disney Animation, is if the future story is great, it doesn’t matter how much time has passed,” said Bush. “And I’d say that for a musical, even more so. I think a little extra time is not a bad thing because the character is going to need to sing again.”

There’s clearly a lot for Disney Animation to think about when it comes to this beloved franchise, especially when they want to make it perfect. For now, Frozen 3 is what’s on their mind, and then Frozen 4 will follow. We might be waiting a long time for that last movie, in the same way we waited for Zootopia 2. It’ll all be worth it in the end! For more of the latest Disney news and updates, make sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog.

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Are you excited for Frozen 3 and 4? Let us know in the comments!