Is there going to be a Frozen 3? Possible movie release date, cast and plot rumours - what has Disney said?

Disney have confirmed that an animated sequel to the popular animated movie Frozen is in the works.

Speaking during a Q1 earnings call on 8 February, Disney CEO Bob Igner revealed that there are “sequels in the works” for some of their “most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia.” The news came along with an announcement of shock layoffs, with 7,000 Disney employees losing their jobs in a bid to save $5.5 billion in costs across all divisions.

Frozen is one of the most popular animated films of our time. From Elsa’s catchy songs to the hilarious Disney princess Anna the two movies have entertained children for the last decade. The first film, was released in 2013, with the second edition following six years later in 2019, finalising the story of our heroines.

The animated film is award-winning with Frozen picking up two Oscars in 2014 including Best Animated Feature and Best Song for Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s catchy hit “Let It Go”.

Combined, the two Frozen films have brought in an eyewatering $2.73 billion at the global box office. The sequel was the second-highest-earning animated movie ever made, grossing an eye-watering $1.45 Billion at the global box office. Considering its huge success, what has Disney said about bringing it back for a third movie? Here’s everything you need to know about whether there will be a Frozen 3.

Will there be a Frozen 3?

Disney have revealed that they are currently working on a Frozen sequel. Disney CEO Bob Igner shared the news during an Q1 earnings call, confirming that there are “sequels in the works” for some of their “most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia.”

Fans had previously been promised that the two films would tell “one complete story”, so with Elsa and Anna now at peace following the second movie’s ending they hadn’t been expecting to see them again anytime soon.

Speaking in an interview with Pop Culture, Josh Gad (Beauty and the Beast) who voices Olaf explained there would only be a third edition in the franchise if it had “a reason to exist”. Gad said: “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.”

When could Frozen 3 be released?

Frozen was released in 2013, with Frozen II making its way to screens in 2019, giving six years in-between both movies. This could potentially mean that a third edition could be released sometime after 2025.

Creating Frozen takes a huge level of time of detail from animators. The making of Frozen II is documented in the series Into the Unknown which is available to watch on Disney Plus and follows the animators and the sheer amount of work that goes into creating the characters from the popular movie. Frozen directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck are also currently working on their latest Disney movie Wish, which is expected to be released in 2023. Fans of Frozen might have to wait until after this film has debuted to hear when the new Frozen film could potentially be released.

What happened in Frozen II?

Frozen II gave us insight into the backstory of Elsa and Anna’s parents and how they died in the first movie. The plot follows the pair as they head to the enchanted forest outside of Arendelle to find out why a voice has been calling out to Elsa. The pair learn that previously there was a battle between Arendelle and the people of Northuldra who live in the forest, which left it blocked off from the rest of the world.

They discover that their parents had been shipwrecked on their way to Ahtohallan. Anna and Elsa find their ship in the enchanted forest and discover that their mother was from Northuldra and that their grandfather was responsible for the battle, creating a dam to weaken the people in the forest.

To set things right, Anna breaks the dam just in time as Elsa hears the voice, which turns out to be the voice of her mother in her memories. Elsa becomes the “fifth spirit”, the bridge between the magical world and the human world. Anna becomes Queen of Arendelle, whilst Elsa stays in the forest, with the two kingdoms living happily ever after.

What could the plot for Frozen 3 be?

Frozen II wrapped up many of the loose ends of the story, with our lead characters finding peace in their kingdoms. For a third instalment, there would need to be an incident that would rock that happy ending, or the story could potentially introduce us to some brand new characters.

Who could star in Frozen 3?

It’s expected that Frozen 3 would bring back cast favourites including Kristen Bell (The Good Place) as Anna and Idina Menzel (Glee) as Elsa, whilst Gad would reprise his role as Olaf and Jonathan Groff (Glee) as Kristoff and Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo) as Sven.

Bell and Menzel have both shared they would be willing to return to the franchise for a third edition. Gad has previously reprised the role since Frozen II in the series At Home with Olaf.

What has Disney said?

Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed the news in a Q1 earnings call on Wednesday 8 February. 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.” He continued: “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.”

Sequels were also revealed for Toy Story and Zootopia. However, it wasn’t all good news, Disney also announced they would be laying off 7,000 staff members in a bid to save $5.5 billion in costs across all divisions.