Everything We Know About Frozen 3 (So Far) (2025)

Frozen's popularity has been raging on for over ten years, ever since the first movie captivated viewers with ice magic and heartwarming relationships. Characters such as Olaf, Kristoff, Elsa and Anna are loved by many, even though five years have passed since the release of Frozen II. Today, Frozen is still Disney's most lucrative franchise.

Since Frozen II hit theaters, the talk about a third and a potential fourth movie has excited fans. Unlike other follow-up movies by Disney, the sequel didn't flop. It explores the origin of Elsa's ice magic and sees her reconnecting to her ancestry. Some even favor Frozen II over the original movie. Frozen II ends on a satisfying note with Anna and Kristoff tying the knot and Queen Elsa becoming more powerful than ever. It seems to be a good place to end their story. Many fans are wondering what the next adventure for Elsa and Anna is going to be and whether there will be more Frozen movies in the future. Thankfully, Frozen II won't be their last adventure together. There will be at least two more sequels and plenty of stories to explore.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on October 10, 2024: Disney's hit Frozen franchise is continuing with a third and fourth installment. As fans anxiously anticipate the next film's release, here's a roundup of all the info we know about the sequel.

Frozen III Is Currently in the Works

Disney Is Hard at Work on Frozen III Right Now

Early last year, Disney CEO Bob Iger gave fans a long-awaited update regarding this family-friendly movie. During a Q1 earnings call, Iger confirmed that Frozen III was coming, though he refrained from revealing more about the upcoming movie. Frozen is Disney Animation's most lucrative franchise. The original Frozen is loved by millions of children, earning $1.28 billion globally. Frozen II topped that and earned a massive $1.4 billion worldwide. Disney also sold 4.1 million soundtracks from the initial movie by June 2016. Because of the success, the studio has greenlit two more Frozen sequels, Frozen III and Frozen IV.

Following Iger's announcement, franchise producer and Disney Animation executive Peter Del Vecho teased that "there's enough story to tell" for the next two Frozen movies. Though fans have to wait a little while, De Vecho promised that the story will be "amazing." "We only do sequels if we believe there's enough story to tell," the producer explained. Though specific plots are still under wraps, the announcement of two Frozen sequels can only mean that the studio has big plans for Anna and Elsa. "They're working on it up in development," De Vecho offered in an update at the end of 2023.

Frozen 3 Is Possibly Coming out in 2027

The Film Was Recently Pushed Back a Year From Its Original Release Date

Disney released the first two Frozen movies almost seven years apart from each other. Frozen came out in 2013 and the sequel followed in 2019. During Disney's Q1 2024 earnings call in February, Iger talked about the possible release window for the third Frozen movie. He revealed that they were planning on releasing it in 2026 along with Toy Story 5. However, at D23 in 2024, it was confirmed that Frozen III had been pushed back to November 24, 2027.

Last year, Disney Animation CCO Jennifer Lee praised the creative team behind Frozen 3 at the London Film Festival after seeing what they had been working on for the new film. She said that she was "blown away" by what they had in mind. While keeping the specific details to herself, she told fans, "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." In fact, the studio has a lot of faith in the upcoming threequel. Frozen III will mark Disney Animation Studio's first trilogy, though this will soon become a quadrilogy, with a fourth film in active development.

Why Is Disney Taking So Long to Make Frozen Movies?

Disney Takes Its Time With Animated Sequels

It's going to be eight years since the release of Frozen II by the time the third movie in the series comes out. For a franchise with global popularity, why is it taking Disney so long to make another movie? The most logical course of action would be to release a new Frozen movie as soon as possible while the franchise still has its momentum, as a new movie means more revenue and potential commercial success. It would help keep the franchise alive and relevant to the ever-changing world. However, unlike Marvel Studios, who, at its peak, was able to release four movies set in the same universe in a year, it generally takes Disney decades just to have an idea fully developed for the big screen, and even longer to make a sequel.

While it's true that some stories simply take less time to develop, many fairy tales, especially the most famous ones, generally take longer, since it's more challenging to top a classic. Disney wouldn't have the same recognition they have today if they weren't so persistent in handling the most difficult challenges that turn other storytellers away. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning premiered 19 years after the 1989 original movie. It took the studio almost half a century to make another Peter Pan movie. Peter Pan 2: Return to Never Land came out 49 years after the first movie. Incredible 2 also graced the big screen 14 years after the original. Seven years, in comparison to the other Disney properties, isn't really that long. Many expected Frozen II to flop, but the sequel was just as successful as the first movie. Elsa and Anna have since become some of the most cherished Disney characters.

Frozen Was in the Disney Vault For More Than 70 Years Before Hitting Theaters

Disney Stopped Production on the Original Frozen Film

The story of Frozen originates from a Disney project called "The Snow Queen" from the 1940s. The predecessor of Elsa, the Snow Queen, is a villainous protagonist. The creative team kept running into roadblocks when trying to develop the story, fearing that the audience wouldn't appreciate its darker tone — this was during Disney's traditional princess era, where the protagonists were always friendly and lovable princesses. The Snow Queen wasn't a princess in the traditional sense. She was too rebellious and ahead of her time. Over decades, animators and creative professionals have tried and failed again and again in an attempt to bring "The Snow Queen" to life. The studio brought in fresh eyes and brainstormed different approaches only to abandon the project all over again.

During Disney's animation renaissance in the '90s, the animators again considered making "The Snow Queen" into a Broadway musical. Over the next two decades, the studio made multiple attempts at reworking the story into something that would appeal to the audience at that time. However, they couldn't find a viable way to make the villainous queen likable. It wasn't until the mid-2000s that the film finally received some real development. The studio brought in Tarzan and Surf's Up director Chris Buck to the production team. During Disney's post-Renaissance era (1999 to 2008), the demand for less conventional princesses was increasing, and "The Snow Queen" offered an opportunity. From that point, it took Disney another ten-plus years to work Elsa's backstory. She went from being a vain bride left at the altar to the sympathetic sister who was born with magic but never learned how to control it. The theme song, "Let It Go," also served as a major inspiration for the team to shift the story's focus from the villainous queen to sisterhood and magic.

Who's Returning for Frozen III?

Most of the Main Cast is Expected to Return for the Upcoming Sequel

Disney hasn't confirmed the entire cast of Frozen III yet. However, Josh Gad, who plays the goofy, kindhearted snowman Olaf, has announced his return to the franchise on X. "Excited to head back... into the Unknown," the actor wrote. The ice-wielding queen Elsa's voice actor Idina Menzel also confirmed that she will continue being part of the franchise in an interview with Billboard. However, she doesn't know a lot about the third movie yet. "I don't know a lot," the actor admitted. She said that the studio has teased her about the idea, but she hasn't received a script or any material from the creative team. "All I know is, yeah we're gonna make one, and that's it," said the actor. It seems that Menzel knows just as much as fans at this stage.

Kirsten Bell, the voice actor who portrays the fan-favorite character, Anna, mentioned the same when being asked about the upcoming movie. Though Bell wasn't able to offer fans much insight into the film, she confirmed her involvement in the upcoming projects. Aside from the main cast, Jonathan Groff, who voices Kristoff, will also be returning, along with Frank Walker, who voices the reindeer, Sven. Furthermore, many of the same creatives who worked on the previous two films are returning for the upcoming sequel. Most notably, Jennifer Lee, who co-directed and wrote the first two films, recently stepped down from her position as Chief Creative Officer for Disney Animation Studios to work on Frozen III and Frozen IV.

The Next Frozen Sequel Could Be a Two-Parter

A Fourth Frozen Film Is in Development

Disney's announcement of Frozen III was unique in that it was not the only film announced in the beloved animated franchise. Rather than announcing a third and hoping for a fourth film sometime in the future, Disney confirmed that a fourth film was also in development, leading to speculation that the next chapter in the Frozen saga will be a two-parter, with Frozen III leading directly into Frozen IV.

While this hasn't been confirmed by Disney, the likelihood seems high that there will be a strong connection between the plots of the upcoming two Frozen sequels. Normally, Disney Animation doesn't announce two films in the same franchise at once, making this an unusual exception. While fans may fear that Disney is stretching its story to encompass two films, it may be that the upcoming chapter is simply too big to contain in a single installment. This also means that fans won't have to wait nearly as long for Frozen IV as they did for the previous sequels. With the fourth film already well in development, it may even be made in conjunction with its predecessor, perhaps releasing as early as 2028 or 2029.

Frozen

Musical

Fantasy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Director

Chris Buck , Jennifer Lee

Release Date

November 27, 2013

Cast

Kristen Bell , Idina Menzel , Jonathan Groff , Josh Gad , Santino Fontana , Jennifer Lee , Maurice LaMarche

Runtime

102 minutes

Studio(s)

Walt Disney Animation Studios