Major New ‘Frozen’ Franchise Changes Explained

It has now been over ten years since Frozen (2013) blasted onto the scene and changed pop culture and The Walt Disney Company forever. Now, 2023 had not only seen the movie celebrate its tenth anniversary, but it had also been the year Disney announced major changes to the franchise. Let’s break it down.

What Made This Film So Popular?

Frozen debuted over ten years ago in 2013, quickly becoming one of The Walt Disney Company’s most successful movies. At one point, Frozen was the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, only being usurped by the 2019 additions of the live-action The Lion King (2019) and the original film’s sequel, Frozen II (2019).

This instant classic was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, with a screenplay by Lee. Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez provided the songs for the movie, with Christophe Beck penning the score.

The film is loosely based on Hans Christen Anderson’s “The Snow Queen” (1844) and follows the sister duo Anna and Elsa as they come to terms with their parent’s deaths and become leaders of the Kingdom of Arendelle — that is until Elsa’s ice powers set off an eternal winter everywhere.

Frozen had a stacked cast, with Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel playing the sisters Anna and Elsa, respectively. Jonathan Groff plays Kristoff, and Josh Gad voices the snowman Olaf, with Santino Fontana playing Hans and Alan Tudyk voicing the Duke of Weselton.

The 2013 movie became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, netting $1.334 billion for The Walt Disney Company. It was also the highest-grossing movie of 2013. Thanks to its portrayal of sisterly love, teamed with a stellar soundtrack that includes the smash breakout song, “Let It Go,” Frozen‘s power at the box office was unparalleled.

What Constitutes the Frozen Franchise?

Six years later, the world of Frozen returned with a sequel, Frozen II, which went on to deliver another $1.453 billion at the box office, surpassing its predecessor but falling short of Jon Favreau’s The Lion King.

Unlike the original installment, which was decorated with awards (including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature), Frozen II was not as universally loved as the first movie and failed to receive a nomination for the same award over half a decade later. It’s worth noting that same production team and cast returned for the sequel.

Joining the first and second installment is the short film Frozen Fever (2015), which debuted along with the release of Disney’s live-action remake of Cinderella (2015), starring Lily James as the titular Disney Princess.

At the end of 2022, The Walt Disney Company shocked everyone when it ousted Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek after months of scrutiny and replaced him with Chapek’s own predecessor, Bob Iger.

Upon Iger’s return to the House of Mouse, the executive’s mission was to get the company back on track in various areas of the business, with a major focus aimed at the animated movie output.

Following a troubling year, with the lukewarm releases of Lightyear (2022) from Disney Pixar and Disney’s own Strange World (2022), Iger announced on his first earnings call back in the chair that a Zootopia (2016) sequel would be coming, as would new entries into the Toy Story and Frozen franchises.

Of course, both of these franchises were solid successes for Disney, taking over a billion dollars.

What Can We Expect From a Third Installment Into the Frozen Franchise?

While not much is known about Frozen 3, it has been revealed that director Jennifer Lee is not returning to helm the movie, instead focusing on her role as the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Earlier this year, Lee said, “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. I’m so excited. I don’t know what I’m doing on it yet. I might be doing nothing.”

Despite there not being any plot details or even a confirmed cast for Frozen 3, it can be expected that the Disney movie will follow Anna and Elsa as they lead their respective communities of Arendelle and the Enchanted Forest. The end of Frozen II saw Anna crowned Queen of Arendelle, while Elsa became protector of the Enchanted Forest and the Northuldra people.

Many fans are hoping that Disney will potentially develop a love interest for Menzel’s Elsa, who has been viewed as queer-coded since her first appearance in Frozen. Her scenes with Honeymaren (Rachel Matthews) in Frozen II further suggested to some viewers that Elsa was queer, so it will be interesting to see if Disney continues to develop this identity for the ice queen.

Surprisingly, earlier this month, CEO Bob Iger said there were actually two Frozen stories in development. “Frozen 3 is in the works, and there might be a Frozen 4 in the works too,” Iger said on Good Morning America (via Variety).

“But I don’t have much to say about those films right now. Jenn Lee, who created the original Frozen and Frozen 2, is hard at work with her team at Disney animation on not one but actually two stories.”

After Iger made the announcement from Hong Kong Disneyland at the opening of the new World of Frozen Land, songwriter Kristen Anderson-Lopez confirmed via social media that they would be back to write the songs for both movies.

Related: Elsa to Marry a Woman in ‘Frozen III’: Fact or Fiction?

Unfortunately, there is not yet anything available for Frozen 3. As the studio and cast get to work on the film, more will be shared.

Are you looking forward to seeing Frozen 3 and Frozen 4? Tell us about it in the comments below!

This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.