Frozen 3 gets a new update from Olaf voice actor Josh Gad, who explains why there’s been such a long wait for the movie. After the mᴀssive success of the first movie in 2013, audiences had to wait six years before Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), and Olaf returned in the sequel. It’s now been about six years since Frozen 2, and Disney has confirmed that Frozen 3 is coming. The film, however, has been dated for November 24, 2027, meaning it will be a whopping eight years between installments.

During a recent appearance on The Spotlight with Jessica Shaw podcast (via People), Gad addresses Frozen 3‘s 2027 release date, sharing why the wait for another movie is so long. According to the actor, it’s all about ensuring that the next sequel is of high quality, and he stresses that nobody involved sees the third movie as a “money grab.” Check out Gad’s explanation below:

“Anything that I have seen or know I will have been sworn to secrecy on. Here’s what I can tell you: There’s a reason the movie is coming out in 2027. And that is because no one wants to rush this. Everyone wants this to not just be a sequel or a money grab. They want this to be absolutely worthy of the story we set out to make in 2013 [in the first Frozen movie].

“And we want to give audiences something that is worth the years of waiting and years of anticipation. And I know that they are actively working on that. And I know that they have a story that they are very, very, very excited about. And beyond that, I think I’ll have Disney lawyers knocking down my door. But buckle up because I think they have something incredible in store.”

What Gad’s Update Means For Frozen 3

Will It Repeat Frozen 2’s Success?

The first two Frozen movies have been mᴀssive hits for Disney at the box office, but they’ve also been well-received by audiences and critics alike. It’s clear that with Frozen 3 and the announced Frozen 4, Disney and director Jennifer Lee are keen on not tarnishing the franchise’s reputation. As seen in the chart below, the 2019 sequel may not have quite matched the original with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was still a widely loved movie.

If Frozen 3 can maintain a similar level of quality to the sequel, it could end up performing similarly well at the box office. As of writing, Frozen 2 stands as the third highest-grossing animated movie of all time, falling one spot from second place after the staggering ascension of Inside Out 2 last year, which ended its run with $1.698 billion and became number one. Under the right circumstances, animated Disney movies can still be wild successes commercially even in today’s changed theatrical landscape, and Frozen 3 has an opportunity to make a significant impact in this regard.

Our Take On The Wait For Frozen 3

Why The Long Gap Between Releases May Not Hurt The Movie

There were 13 years between Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), and the latter was still a mega hit. Though a long wait time between movies can be detrimental in some cases, it’s clear that audiences are willing to wait. The challenge with a franchise like Frozen, however, is that it’s aimed at younger audiences, and there’s a risk of these younger audiences growing beyond the target demographic.

The availability of both Frozen movies on Disney+, however, means the franchise is constantly finding new audiences, so it seems unlikely that the third movie will see a major dip at the box office. If the third movie can maintain a strong level of quality, this will only serve to increase excitement for Frozen 4, which is being developed at the same time as the third. While Frozen 3 marketing materials are probably still quite a ways off, it’s clear that there’s a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes.

Source: The Spotlight with Jessica Shaw (via People)