Disney is dipping into their most successful franchises once again as Bob Iger announced that new sequels to Frozen, Toy Story, and Zootopia are in the works at the House of Mouse. While there have been few previous hints that the Toy Story franchise would be continuing after Toy Story 4 seemed to complete the tale of Woody and Buzz Lightyear for good, Frozen 3 has been hinted at many times by the stars of the franchise, including Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, and Josh Gad. Zootopia already had a TV series released last year, and it looks like the franchise will also be growing on the big screen. Bob Iger said:
“Today I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia. We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises.”
In the last couple of years, Disney’s original movies, such as Strange Worlds, have struggled to make an impact at the box office, while others, such as Encanto, have become instant classics and will no doubt be spawning their own franchise in the future. However, when it comes to guaranteeing a big turnout at the box office, there is nothing like a sequel to a popular IP to get the cash registers chiming.
The news of the new sequels came in the Q1 earnings call, with Bob Iger updating shareholders on the financial state of the Walt Disney Company and some of their upcoming plans to ensure the Disney dream continues to dominate the big and small screen. The news of Disney’s planned animated movies came after it was announced that 7000 jobs would be cut at the company as part of a massive cost-cutting exercise.
Frozen 3 Has Been Teased Previously by the Franchise Stars
While Toy Story 5 is the biggest surprise of the three announced sequels, and Zootopia 2 was never really in doubt, Frozen 3’s official announcement is one of the least surprising that Disney could have made as for the last couple of years, many of the franchise’s stars have been teasing its potential arrival.
Idina Menzel, who plays Elsa, has discussed the possibility of returning to the Frozen franchise recently, noting that should could be “80 and play a blonde animated girl who is, like, 15.” She also revealed that she hoped the movie was in the works, but at the time, would only say, “I really don’t know, though.”
Anna voice star Kristen Bell was a little more direct about her feelings over a potential third movie when appearing on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She told Fallon last summer:
"I would like to officially announce, with zero authority, Frozen 3. I know Idina recently said she would do it. And I feel like if we're all in, what are we waiting for?"
In 2020, soon after the release of Frozen II, Olaf himself, Josh Gad, explained that it was probably too early to think about a third movie but was almost certain it would happen in time. He said:
"Here's the deal. Frozen II wasn't Frozen II until there was a reason to exist. And similarly, I don't know if and when there will be a Frozen III. That's way above my pay grade. But we'll see! If there's always a story worth telling, I'm sure that Jennifer Lee and the incredible team over at Disney animation will tell that story one day."
It seems that now, the time is right, and Frozen fans will soon be taken into the unknown again. Unfortunately, there is no further information available on the trio of sequels, but that will likely follow soon.