Disney's 'Frozen 4' Plans Have Officially Changed, and There's a Good Reason Why [Exclusive]

As of November, only one year will remain until the next magical trip to Arendelle. Frozen 3 is due out in theaters on November 24, 2027, with all of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff slated to return for Anna and Kristoff's big wedding day. Fans are still heading into the unknown with the threequel, with no exact details about the story or who else is on the invite list other than what was shared at D23 about the ceremony, Olaf's new girlfriend, and a wicked new villain whose powers could give Elsa a run for her money. However, the upcoming adventure isn't stopping Disney from thinking about what comes after.

The same year that Bob Iger announced in an earnings call that Frozen 3, Zootopia 2, and Toy Story 5 were all in development, it was also confirmed that Frozen 4 was on the way. The first two Frozen films' writer and co-director Jennifer Lee then officially signed on to return for both installments in 2024, keeping the same creative DNA around for the next chapters of Anna and Elsa's story. That said, even less is known about what that fourth film could be about and how it could build on the third outing, especially since this is the first time the wintery franchise has a clearer picture of how far it'll go. Disney's Head of Animation Jared Bush was able to provide a bit of insight as to how the Mouse House is approaching their next adventure and the challenges that await in continuing Frozen's reign.

Collider's Steve Weintraub spoke to Bush during the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, where the topic of the next two Frozen films was brought up. When asked how much they considered Frozen 4 when plotting out the third film's story, he admitted, "It's tricky to answer that question." For him personally, the hope is to make a consistent emotional arc for the residents of Arendelle that each movie can individually evolve rather than worrying solely about the plot. "I'd say for me personally — again, talking just for myself — I think you have to have a rough sense of emotionally where you want your characters to go, a sense of an emotional journey. The plot behind that, at least for me, is secondary to the character journey." That said, he adds that Frozen 3 and 4 were initially planned to launch close together with a quick turnaround, but that ultimately didn't square with the team's desire to make each Frozen stand on its own while still building on what came before.

"Looking at Frozen 3 and what a Frozen 4 could look like, I know early on it was, 'We're going to put them right together, and they're going to be out in the world. It's going to happen quick.' That's not what we're doing, for a lot of reasons. To me, an important one is we want to make sure that Frozen 3 is the best movie it can possibly be, so that when you get to the end of the movie, do you feel like you've watched a complete story? That it feels like something that feels fulfilling. That doesn't always mean that everything is buttoned up, but it does mean that you have to be building to something that feels worthy of the end of a franchise that's that important to people."

Disney Isn't Going to Rush 'Frozen 4'

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Bush further adds that there naturally has to be some consideration of the future. The mindset with two Frozens on the horizon, however, has been geared towards outlining Arendelle's future rather than becoming too married to an exact idea that necessitates upending Frozen 3's story to fit it. The last thing he wants is for the next film's story and how it evolves the world to be compromised to fit the next chapter.

"But then you also need to think, 'Okay, well, if there was a future story, what might that look like?' You have to have a rough sense of that. But I'd say in my personal experience, I try not to go too in the weeds on that because it can lock you into a Frozen 3 that you may want to change or make better. If you're so rigid on what [Frozen] 4 might look like, then it could stifle you, and that's not something that I want to do."

In theory, having both Frozen movies in development at the same time should make the wait between each shorter than that between the previous chapters. He generally agreed when Weintraub brought up the possibility of around a three-year separation between 3 and 4. However, Disney isn't afraid to wait a bit longer to ensure one of their biggest franchises returns at the highest quality possible, especially after both Toy Story 5 and Zootopia 2 soared well over $1 billion globally after seven and nearly ten-year waits, respectively. "Something I noticed, certainly for Disney Animation, is if the future story is great, it doesn't matter how much time has passed," Bush asserted. "And I'd say that for a musical, even more so. I think a little extra time is not a bad thing because the character is going to need to sing again."

The musical element makes Frozen an even greater challenge to bring back so consistently. "Let It Go," "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?," and "Into the Unknown" have been so integral to the identity of the series, transcending the movies themselves to become Disney classics that fans still sing along to. Making more songs that not only have that same effect, but make sense within the context of the story and the characters' journey, is a colossal challenge, Bush confirms, even with the talents of composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez back in the fold. It's another layer of creative effort that also has to evolve with each chapter.

"That's actually no easy feat. There's never been a trilogy musical in cinema, to my knowledge, let alone four, right? So, what are these characters singing about? That's really important for us to figure out. You can't just say, 'Well, now they sing something.' All of our characters for our movies sing about the most important thing in their life. You have to then believe, in the future story, there's a new, most important thing in their life for them to sing about. That means there's a lot of character journey to work out."

On top of all the story considerations, there's also the constant challenge of making the music feel unique to whatever Frozen film it comes from without completely betraying the fantasy's identity. "Then, as you go from movie to movie, you want those songs to feel different, that you're not repeating yourself, but also don't feel like it's music from a different type of movie," Bush concluded. "So, it's a lot of hard work." It's already a challenge for Frozen 3, but as attention turns to the fourth installment, it'll only become a greater hurdle with every subsequent trip to Arendelle and turn of Anna and Elsa's journey.

Frozen 3 releases in theaters on November 24, 2027. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Frozen 4 after the latest chapter unfolds.