Frozen 4 Is Officially Happening (And Yes, Frozen 3 Hasn't Even Come Out Yet)
Like an avalanche, "Frozen" didn't immediately take the world by storm in 2013. In fact, it was only a few weeks into its run that it even became clear Disney had a massive hit on its hands. By the end of the year, though, everyone and their dog knew the words to "Let It Go" and the film itself had become the highest-grossing animated movie ever (for a little while, anyway). By the time "Frozen II" arrived six years later, the House of Mouse had already spun off the first film into a series of shorts — including a half-hour special themed around Josh Gad's Olaf the snowman that Disney (ahem) unwisely elected to screen in theaters with Pixar's "Coco" — and a Broadway musical, among many other things.
If there was ever any doubt Disney would continue to milk this franchise for all it's worth, Bob Iger put them to rest upon his return as Disney's CEO at the end of 2022, announcing plans for "Frozen 3" a few months later. But why prolong the inevitable, Bob? Just go ahead and announce "Frozen 4" while you're at it. Well, now that the extremely wealthy executive is no longer being "disturbed" by those pesky labor strikes, he's gone ahead and done just that.
(Disney's never gonna) let it go
Appearing on "Good Morning America" to promote the newly-opened "World of Frozen" attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, Iger decided to drop an ice bomb on those in attendance. Upon telling the show's hosts he had "a little surprise," Iger confirmed "there might be a 'Frozen 4' in the works" in addition to a third film. He added:
"But, I don't have much to say about those films right now. But Jenn Lee who created 'Frozen,' the original 'Frozen' and 'Frozen 2,' is hard at work with her team at Disney Animation on not one but actually two stories."
Speaking as someone who enjoyed "Frozen" (save for "Fixer Upper" — apologies to those who actually liked the trolls in that film) and thought "Frozen II" was, eh, fine (although, if the movie had been gutsier, it would have gone full "Thor: Ragnarok" and destroyed Arendelle at the end), the prospect of "Frozen 4" is ... kind of exhausting. Don't get me wrong, it could be terrific! If you had told me "Toy Story 4" was going to happen before "Toy Story 3" had even come out, I might have said the same thing, and yet I felt that ended up being a surprisingly necessary capstone to the series (we'll have to wait and see about "Toy Story 5," speaking of animated sequels). But for the time being, I still need to be convinced we need a "Frozen 3" before I commit to anything else.
That being said, two more "Frozen" sequels are apparently coming, so prepare yourselves accordingly. In the meantime, Disney Animation will ring in its 100th anniversary with "Wish," which hits theaters on November 22, 2023.