Walt Disney Animation Studios’ chief creative officer has just given fans a promising but certainly vague update on the upcoming sequel Frozen 3. Frozen took the world by storm back in 2013, becoming instantly iconic for its fresh storyline about so-called Disney princesses, which focuses more on the relationship between sisters rather than either of them having a romantic subplot. It was helped along by the now-famous songs performed by the likes of Idina Menzel and Josh Gad. Frozen 2 arrived in 2019, and while it may not have been as groundbreaking, it generally lived up to the success of the original.

With Frozen 3 and 4 both confirmed, Jared Bush spoke in an interview with Collider about the progress on the franchise’s next installment. Collider asked Bush if Frozen‘s next two movies would be set up as a two-part story, to which he responded somewhat ambiguously, suggesting they are focusing on Frozen 3 for now, but that he believes the story is “organic” and “phenomenal.” Check out his comments below:

Some of that is under wraps, but what I’d share with you is that right now, the work being done on Frozen 3, specifically, is phenomenal. When people see it, I think returning to that world with those characters, the entertainment value of watching them go on a new journey, but that feels very organic to the story they’ve already been on, is fantastic.

For me personally, I think that it’s critical to make sure that every movie we do is fantastic. We have the luxury of being able to look at movies many times, so looking at Frozen 3 as, “Can we tell the very best story we can with that and not worry about where we’re going to split into that next story,” is sort of important. One thing at a time is, to me, the best way to approach it.

Furthermore, Frozen‘s incredible songs are crucial to the franchise, with a few Broadway legends singing them. Bush said that Frozen 3‘s songs will also be effective expressions of the characters. Check out his further comments:

The song is always deeply tied to what the character’s story is going to be and what those dynamics are. I’d say I have an idea of what that’s going to be. That’s very exciting. I think we’ll surprise people in the best way. I guess that’s as much as I can say about that.

What This Means For Frozen 3

Disney Still Believes In & Is Committed To The Quality Of The Frozen Franchise

Fans are often skeptical when their favorite movie gets a sequel; there was reason to believe that Frozen was lightning in a bottle, and after the effectively standalone first movie, its sequel would be a huge letdown. Historically, Disney Princess sequels have been critical flops, only really offering something to children who can simply enjoy seeing more of their favorite Disney characters. In this context, Frozen 2‘s relatively strong story and natural evolution of the characters are an incredible feat.

Bush suggests that repeating the things that made Frozen 2 work is at the forefront of the development of Frozen 3, which will inevitably tie into Frozen 4. According to him, Disney is continuing to organically push Anna and Elsa’s stories forward as they become more experienced leaders. While Bush also implies that Frozen 4 isn’t really what they are thinking about right now, they are almost certainly writing Frozen 3 with some kind of soft cliffhanger, as setting up a continuous conflict is vital to the franchise’s future success.

Our Take On Bush’s Comments On Frozen 3

A Two-Part Disney Princess Story Is An Approach Some Are Eager To See

I personally enjoyed seeing where Anna and Elsa’s stories went in Frozen 2, and think it made a lot of sense for both of them. Creators have talked about how they believe their sequels are amazing stories, which then turned out to be terrible, so I am cautiously optimistic about the next movie. However, I think leveraging the fact that they know they have another sequel coming would be in Frozen‘s best interest. This would be a format no Disney princess movie has attempted before, and building a larger conflict could make Frozen 3 the most epic installment yet.

Source: Collider