Disney’s Frozen Franchise Is Never Going To End
Disney overlord Bob Iger recently let it slip that Frozen 4 is in development at the studio. This news comes at a time when nothing is yet known about the also-in-development Frozen 3, but we, like Iger, can already assume it will make zillions at the box office, so yeah, Frozen 4, why not?
Disney Is Working On Frozen 3 And 4
Iger let the news wiggle its way out of his mandibles during an interview on Good Morning America earlier today. “Frozen 3 is in the works, and there might be a Frozen 4 in the works too,” the CEO said slyly. Iger went on to say that he didn’t “have much to say” about Frozen 3 and 4 at the moment except to confirm that original Frozen director Jenn Lee is back for the new sequels and is currently working on both stories “with her team at Disney animation.”
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the duo responsible for the songs in Frozen 1 and 2, followed Bob Iger’s lead and confirmed that they, too, were hard at work on new tunes for Frozen 3 and Frozen 4. Anderson-Lopez posted about their involvement with the sequels on X earlier today after Iger broke the news on GMA. ” Well, I’ve been quiet here for a while. But yeah, this.” wrote Anderwson-Lopez, followed by the hashtags #frozen3 and #frozen4.
Disney’s World of Frozen
Bob Iger made the announcement remotely from Disney‘s Hong Kong theme park. The CEO is there for the opening of a new attraction, “World of Frozen.” The new attraction will allow guests to meet Elsa, Anna, and living snowman Olaf while they dine at restaurants that are designed to feel like they actually come from Frozen‘s Arendelle.
“For years at our Disney Parks, we’ve been creating these large immersive worlds. Essentially, they are the physical embodiment of some of the greatest stories that we’ve told…” said Iger when describing the new attraction. The proud capitalist then pivoted from the whimsical idea of “stories” to cold, hard cash, calling Frozen one of Disney’s “most valuable franchises,” before realizing his mistake and quickly going back to referring to the new theme park attraction as “a fantastic land that enables people to get immersed in the story of Frozen.
Frozen 2 Was The Biggest Animated Release Ever
As tempting as it is to view Frozen as a fairytale made to spark the imagination of children of all ages, Iger was correct when referring to the franchise in terms of how much money it generates. Frozen 2 was the biggest animated release of all time, raking in $1.45 billion at the box office and who-knows-how-much money in merchandising. With the right marketing, Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 could generate even more cash for the currently ailing company.
Will Sequels Have The Same Luck?
Whether or not the proposed Frozen sequels will gross enough to make up for recent Disney bombs like Strange World and Lightyear is another question entirely. Then again, there isn’t a skull on earth that hasn’t had “Let it Go!” crawl its way inside via the ear holes and refuse to leave. With that in mind, Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 have the potential to make Disney’s earlier money-losers feel like chump change.
Frozen 5 On The Horizon?
If that happens, you can expect to hear Frozen 5 announced soon after, with Frozen 6 and 7 close behind. In other words, don’t expect to be letting the Frozen franchise go any time in the next couple of decades.
