FROZEN III Sets Release Date, but It’s Later Than Planned
By Movieguide® Contributor
During Disney’s D23 expo, the company revealed that it plans to release the third installment in the FROZEN series during the 2027 Thanksgiving season.
The movie was originally expected to release in 2026 but was pushed back to give the filmmakers more time to polish the tentpole feature. FROZEN III is set to answer some of the questions raised throughout the second movie.
Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger also hinted that a fourth movie might be required to tie up all of the loose ends; creator Jennifer Lee confirmed this was true.
“Everyone at Disney Animation is excited to be back in this world,” Lee said during D23. “Coming out of FROZEN II, we still have some questions. A lot of questions actually. Now, you see why we need two films to tell this story.”
Though the fourth movie has no public timeline for when it will be released, the filmmakers will likely start work on the next movie almost immediately after the third one is finished, hopefully closing the gap between the release dates of the latter half of the franchise’s saga.
While nothing has officially been announced about the plot of FROZEN III or IV, teaser art shared during the expo showed the shadow of a horned figure holding a spear looming behind Anna and Elsa — perhaps revealing the movie’s villain.
First concept art from Frozen 3 #D23 pic.twitter.com/N0CDBmWqbX
— IGN (@IGN) August 10, 2024
Regardless of the plot, Movieguide® is hopeful the franchise will continue the lessons of love and sacrifice that pervaded the first two movies and earned FROZEN a Teddy Bear Award® for the Best Family Movie in 2013.
While Disney has been pushing a strong agenda in recent years, INSIDE OUT 2’s clean plot provides hope that the company is finally turning back to its family-friendly stories built on biblical principles — especially when returning to franchises that already had these themes built into them.
Movieguide® previously reported on FROZEN III:
FROZEN 3 is still in the very early stages of development, but Disney Animation chief creative officer Jennifer Lee shared that she is already blown away by the movie’s direction.
“Every morning last week they carved out space for me to work with the creative team on it, and I am blown away and I am so excited,” Lee said at the BFI London Film Festival. “I don’t know what I’m doing on it yet, I’m not doing nothing—except doing what I do now, which is we work on every project as a team and I’m in there with creative.”
While some fans worry that Disney is milking the franchise because the company is desperate for a win, Lee promises they will only stick with FROZEN as long as the story has more to give.
“Our philosophy is this, and it won’t change: If there is more story to tell, the filmmakers have to drive it. And I’ll say with FROZEN, Marc Smith, who was our directory of story on FROZEN 2, came with an incredible idea for more FROZEN, and it’s worth it,” she explained.
