Summary

  • After Frozen 3 was confirmed earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger recently announced that Frozen 4 is in the works as well.
  • Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee now further contextualizes Iger's surprise announcement, revealing that a fourth film is needed because "they have a lot of story to tell".
  • While both new films are likely to be financial successes, they seemingly represent a response to Disney's rough year at the box office, and could signify further reliance on tried and true franchises moving forward.

Disney executive Jennifer Lee addresses the surprise announcement regarding Frozen 3 was confirmed in February of this year, but Disney CEO Bob Iger recently announced that Frozen 4 is in the works as well.

Now, following Iger's surprise announcement, Lee, who wrote and co-directed both previous films in the franchise and now serves as chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, reveals more about the plans for Frozen 4 in a recent interview with GamesRadar. While Lee doesn't reveal any specific story information, her comments do suggest that a sprawling narrative is behind the decision to make two additional films instead of one. Check out Lee's full comment below:

"We're really excited about where they're going, and we just have a lot of story to tell with that direction we're going in. So, I think, in my head, there may be enough for two in that story. But I'm really, really loving working with the team and where they're going."

Is Disney's Frozen Strategy A Good Idea?

What Frozen 4 Could Signify For The House Of Mouse

Anna looking concerned in Frozen 2

On the surface, fast-tracking two new Frozen movies is a great idea. Both movies earned positive reviews from audiences and critics, and the franchise's combined box office sits at an impressive $2.73 billion. It's very likely that the new films will also be successful financially, with the franchise clearly having built up an enthusiastic audience.

Despite that, however, the Frozen 4 announcement comes at a unique time for Disney. The company has had a rough 2023, with big live-action movies like The Little Mermaid and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny underperforming. It's a similar story in Disney's animation division, with Elemental struggling at the box office earlier this year, and Strange World completely bombing around this time in 2022. It's worth mentioning, of course, that these two animated movies were original ideas and not part of pre-existing franchises.

Even if the decision is story-driven, as Lee suggests, announcing both Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 does feel like a response to the disappointments of the last 12 months. Instead of Disney betting on new, original properties, the announcement feels like a deeper retrenchment into the safe franchise filmmaking that has come to define the last decade. It's very possible that Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 will continue the standard set by the first two films, expanding the story of Anna and Elsa in a powerful way, but hopefully, it doesn't mark a larger strategy shift for Disney.

Source: GamesRadar