By now you’ve heard the news that there’s going to be a Frozen 3.
Just in case you missed it, CEO Bob Iger confirmed the sequel during The Walt Disney Company’s First Quarter 2023 Financial Results Conference Call. He also announced that both Zootopia 2 and Toy Story 5 are also in development. And while some people might be excited for more of these worlds…we kind of don’t want this to go down, especially for Frozen.
Having a successful sequel is a hard thing, especially if you’re a Disney film. And yes, sometimes great writing, music, and talent make magic. That’s what happened with Frozen 2, which is arguably better than the first one. But that doesn’t happen very often. *pointedly looks over at Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar, Tarzan II, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, and the utterly forgettable Belle’s Magical World*
But honestly, (and we’re going to move away from the royal “we” into “I” territory) I don’t want to risk ruining one of my favorite worlds. That’s especially true when I see no way forward. Elsa knows who she is and has connected with her powers. Anna is the Queen of Arendelle and is leading her people peacefully. There are no loose ends and I don’t want to risk losing what we have to shake things up and make a couple more dollars thanks to a random plot device.
And if I’m being honest, the only direction that I could possibly see Frozen 3 going in, I doubt the studio would go in. *looks over at the continuous “first LGBTQ+ character” announcements* For too long people have connected with Elsa’s struggles with their own LGBTQ+ ones. I know Disney didn’t explicitly set out to do that, but it stands that from her songs to her outfits, queer people have identified with Elsa. And while I’d love for that to happen in the third movie, I don’t want to live with the disappointment when it doesn’t happen. Or if the only story they tell is Elsa finding some man to feel “truly complete” when she already is.
Sure, the cast seems to be on board, with Idina Menzel tweeting about it:
And Josh Gad too:
But what about Kristen Bell? Jonathan Groff?
And look, I can be wrong. After all, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride is beloved (where my Kovu girlies at?!) and so is Mulan II. But this kind of magic doesn’t happen often and Frozen 2 is a rare success. And I’m not ready to risk it all when I love it so much. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
