We’ve all heard the term superhero fatigue in recent months, as moviegoers are starting to show signs of getting frustrated with the oversaturation of superhero movies. Disney has seemingly fallen victim to this trend, with their MCU movies falling to replicate the numbers of their peak years.
A similar indifference among viewers has also been seen with the Fast and Furious franchise, with many believing the Vin Diesel-led series has run its course due to the overwhelming number of installments without proper planning and time. Now it seems Disney is gearing toward making the same mistake once again with another highly successful franchise, Frozen.
How Fans Are Reacting to Disney Confirming Frozen 4 Is in the Works
Disney first brought the story of Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) in 2013. The plot follows Anna’s journey to change weather conditions in Arendelle after Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) accidentally uses her power to make her kingdom experience constant wintriness. The musical fantasy instantly won over the hearts of millions, grossing $1.285 billion globally in the process.
Set three years after the events of the first film, Frozen II (2019) sees Anna join Elsa and mountain man Kristoff to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land in search of the origin of Elsa’s powers. This was an even bigger hit, managing $1.453 billion at the box office.
Earlier this year Disney confirmed Frozen 3 is happening, and now their CEO Bob Iger has stunned fans by revealing that alongside the threequel, Frozen 4 is also under development. Iger said 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.”
While fans are undoubtedly excited about the prospect of heading back to Arendelle, a few of them are not impressed with talks about Frozen 4 when the release date of the threequel hasn’t even been announced. This also led to comparisons with the Fast and Furious series.
Frozen about to have a fast and the furious type of run 😂😂😂
— MR BEAR 🐻🧸🐻❄️ (@teddy_blackmon) November 16, 2023
Disney going heavy on Sequels and Animations
— Screen Wizard 🧙♂️ (@screenwizardz) November 16, 2023
Bob Iger says ‘FROZEN 5’ is also in the works.
(Source: Bob the Builder )
— AB (@anirudhbakshi) November 16, 2023
There was a Frozen 3?! pic.twitter.com/1zo6WhRnrw
— Terrence (@Terrbear2K24) November 16, 2023
3 already looking so bad they jus skipped to 4 😭
— anthony a. PUZZLE CONCERT ON DEC 1ST 🧩 (@punkpuzzlepiece) November 16, 2023
Lee, who is chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, is involved with the project but she won’t be directing the third installment. As things stand, there’s no official confirmation concerning who will lead the movie from the director’s chair.
Read more: Lost Art: Disney Planning To Bring Back Legendary 2D Animation Following Relentless Fan Campaign
Idina Menzel Got a Role in Frozen Because of a Failed Audition
In the first two Frozen movies, it’s fearless Princess Anna who saves the day and paves the way for sunshine by leading the group from the front, but it won’t be far-fetched to say that the stories would be incomplete without a magical and larger-than-life Queen Elsa, whose mistake led to the curse of infinite winter.
Menzel, who voiced the character, revealed to The Guardian in September of this year that Frozen changed her life in many ways, throwing her into being a role model for empowerment and self-esteem. Interestingly, all this would not have happened had a Disney casting director not recorded her audition from a different movie.
According to IMDb, the singer and actress, aged 52, auditioned for the part of Rapunzel for Disney’s Tangled (2010). Mandy Moore landed the part ahead of her, but a Disney casting director recorded her audition, and two years later, it gave her the opportunity to voice Elsa.
Read more: ‘I’m Just Older’: Frozen Actress Idina Menzel Claims ‘Ageist’ Hollywood Blacklisting Her
