Disney isn’t so much planning on heading into the unknown. Instead, news we already kind of suspected to be true was all but confirmed at the company’s 2024 edition of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Nerdist was excited to attend the event and report back on all its major news. As part of many other D23 reveals and announcements, Disney highlighted Frozen 3… and Frozen 4. Of course, Disney’s Frozen was a huge hit for the studio, taking home $2.76 billion at the global box office and a couple of Oscar wins. And Frozen 2 was a rare sequel success, continuing the hype. Given those facts, it’s no surprise that Disney wants to expand the story of Anna and Elsa with Frozen 3 and Frozen 4.
Here’s what Frozen and Frozen 2 writer and co-director Jennifer Lee had to say about the upcoming chapters of the Frozen franchise.
Frozen 3 Gets a 2027 Release Date Window and First Concept Art
Before we get into Frozen 4, here’s what we learned about Frozen 3 at D23. Originally announced for 2026, Disney has now confirmed that Frozen 3 will release in 2027. No exact release date for Frozen 3 has yet been shared, but Jennifer Lee did reveal its first piece of concept art. Lee notes of the Frozen 3 concept art, “It captures the scene of Anna and Elsa…everyone at Disney animation is excited to be back in this world.”
In this first piece of Frozen 3 concept art from D23, you can see Anna, Elsa, and Olaf heading off on another adventure. This time, they seem called toward a mystical world drenched in golden light. It almost looks like they’re going to visit the clouds. Perhaps we’ll visit a fantastical realm set in the Aurora Borealis in Frozen 3. In the water, a menacing shadow is hot on their tale though. We don’t like the look of that. So far, there’s no sign of Kristoff in this Frozen 3 concept art, but we’re sure he’ll pop up sooner or later. We’re also glad to see more of the Nokk, Elsa’s beautiful elemental water horse from Frozen II.
Frozen 4 Is All But Confirmed at D23
But Frozen 3 isn’t the only thing Frozen fans can get excited about. Frozen 4 was also all but confirmed at D23. Although Disney didn’t outright say Frozen 4 was happening, it certainly heavily implied that there would be two more sequel movies in the franchise. And it’s not the first time. Let’s take a look at a timeline of Frozen 4 teases by major Disney figures.
November 16, 2023: Disney CEO Bob Iger Teases Frozen 4
In November 2023, we first heard talk of a Frozen 4. Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed on Good Morning America, “Frozen 3 is in the works, and there might be a Frozen 4 in the works too… But I don’t have much to say about those films right now. [Director] Jenn Lee, who created the original Frozen and Frozen 2, is hard at work with her team at Disney animation on not one but actually two stories.” Iger flat-out introduces the idea of Frozen 4 here. It’s the only time someone from Disney says Frozen 4 outright, but only the first of several Frozen 4 teases.
November 23, 2023: Jennifer Lee, Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation and Frozen Creator, Teases Frozen 3 and Beyond
Shortly after Bob Iger’s first Frozen 4 hint, Jennifer Lee echoed his sentiments while speaking about Frozen 3. When asked what she could tell fans about Frozen 3, Lee noted, “Only what we have already shared, which is the team is hard at work, we are deeply excited about the story we are shaping together, and it’s so epic it may not fit into just one film.” This Disney tease once again intimated that the contents were so epic that Frozen‘s next story might need Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 to do them justice.
August 9, 2024: Jennifer Lee Once Again Hints Frozen 4 Is Basically Confirmed
Although Lee again did not outrigh confirm Frozen 4 at D23 2024, she once again stressed the story of Frozen 3 was so big that it would require more than one movie to tell it. Lee said at D23, “There were a lot of questions coming out of Frozen 2. It will take two films to answer them.” That sounds like a pretty intent confirmation of Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 to us. Although we don’t necessarily think Frozen 2 left us with that many questions, it seems like Disney feels it can sell fans on at least two more Frozen movies.
In the meantime, we’ll wait for a Frozen 3 release date and official confirmation on Frozen 4.