Until Inside Out 2 became one of the best Pixar movies of all time and the highest-grossing animated movie ever, that title belonged to Frozen II, which in turn took the title from the first Frozen. Clearly, Anna and Elsa are major Disney icons, so the announcement that Frozen 3 was on the way probably didn't surprise a lot of people.
But what will Frozen III be about, and when will we get to see it? Only some of the questions people have about the new movie currently have answers, but here's everything we know about the next Frozen movie right now.
What Is The Frozen 3 Release Date?
Going into D23 in 2024 it looked like the plan for Frozen 3 was to release in 2026. Moana 2 and Zootopia 2 had already been dated for 2024 and 2025, and November 2026 was the only other date on the list of upcoming Disney movies slated for a Disney Animation project.
However, Frozen director Jennifer Lee surprised fans by announcing Frozen 3 would arrive in 2027, specifically November 24, 2027. The 2026 release date belongs to an as-yet-unannounced non-sequel Disney animated film.
The Frozen 3 Cast
No official cast has been announced for Frozen 3 but we can fully expect the four major voice actors, who have all been named Disney Legends since the release of Frozen II, to return. It certainly wouldn’t be a Frozen movie without Idina Menzel as Elsa, Kristen Bell as Anna, Josh Gad as Olaf, and Jonathan Groff as Kristoff.
There are a few other characters who might reprise roles from previous films. Sterling K Brown debuted in Frozen II as Lt. Mattias, and he was hoping to return for a theoretical Frozen 3, because he wanted to sing, and his Frozen II song was ultimately cut. Returns for Evan Rachel Wood and Alfred Molina as Anna and Elsa's parents (in flashbacks, obviously) can't be ruled out.
Who Will Direct Frozen 3?
The question of who will direct Frozen 3 may be the most interesting because while many expected Jennifer Lee, who previously helmed both Frozen and Frozen II, alongside Chris Buck, to return, that wasn't going to be the case. Lee, who became Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation had announced she wouldn't be directing the Frozen sequel.
However, that all changed in September 2024 when in a surprise announcement, Disney stated that Jennifer Lee was stepping down as CCO in order to focus on managing the growing Frozen franchise. This would include directing Frozen 3 and co-writing and producing the planned Frozen 4.
The Songwriters Of Frozen And Frozen II Will Return
If there’s a pair of behind-the-scenes talents who might be even more important to the success of Frozen III than the director, it could be the songwriting duo of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. The spouses, who won the Oscar together for Let it Go, penned all the songs in the first two films, and they have confirmed they will be back for the third film as well.
Having said that, they haven’t had a great deal of time working on it. Andserson-Lopez admitted that she and her husband were only made aware of Frozen 3 on the same day in February 2023 that the project was officially announced to the public.
What's Come Out Since Frozen II
While Frozen and Frozen II are the tentpoles of the franchise, there has been plenty of other Frozen media outside of the films. We saw the shorts Frozen Fever and the holiday special Olaf's Frozen Adventure prior to the film sequel, and there's been plenty of Frozen animation since.
Once Upon a Snowman acted as a prequel to Olaf's story, showing, if not necessarily explaining, how Olaf came to be alive. We also got a pair of short animation series. At Home with Olaf was a series of simple shorts released during the pandemic, highlighted by a beautiful song sung by Josh Gad. We also got the Olaf Presents series on Disney+, where Olaf retells classic Disney stories in the same fashion that retold the story of Frozen in Frozen II.
We also got an Anna and Elsa podcast series, called Forces of Nature which was a story set following the events of Frozen II. Whether the events of that story could play into the sequel film, we don't yet know.
What Frozen 3 May Be About
Frozen II was a movie of massive change for the main characters of the franchise. Elsa has relinquished her crown, and gone to live among the magic of the enchanted forest. Anna has become queen of Arrendale and accepted Kristoff’s proposal. Even Olaf went through a significant maturation process throughout the film.
At this point, no plot details have been released regarding Frozen 3, and story elements can go through pretty significant changes in animated films, even late in the process. All we have to go on right now is a piece of concept art that was shown at D23. The image shows Anna and Elsa, with Olaf, on horseback looking toward some sort of city in the clouds. There's also a mysterious figure in the shadows that appears to be watching them.
Frozen 3 Is Not The End
While Frozen 3 will mark the first trilogy for a Walt Disney Animation project, that doesn’t mean that the story will end here. Bob Iger had already teased that Frozen 4 was a project that is also in development, and at D23 in 2024 Jennifer Lee confirmed that the story of Frozen III would require two movies to tell, indicating that the two currently announced Frozen films will be two halves of one tale.
Frozen III is still early in development and as the Frozen II documentary on Disney+ revealed, things can change a lot when it comes to making animated movies. Keep checking back as we'll keep updating things here as more information is learned.
