When is Frozen 3 being released?

It's finally happening: Disney is plotting a return the return of Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Kristoff in Frozen 3.

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that a third Frozen movie was currently in development during a year-end earnings call in February 2023.

The film will follow in the footsteps of 2013's Frozen and 2019's Frozen II which both grossed over a billion dollars each at the global box office.

It's very early stages yet, but here's everything we know so far about Frozen 3.

When could Frozen 3 be released?

Very little is known about when exactly the third Frozen film is likely to be released, but Disney has announced the release window for the film is 2026. As the film has only just been announced as in development (probably to boost shareholder confidence at a tricky time for Disney), we can assume it's still early days.

Read more: Frozen II cast shares thoughts on a threequel

If we look at the timeframe for Frozen II we can make an educated guess about when moviegoers can expect to return to Arendelle. Frozen II was officially announced by Disney during the annual shareholder meeting of 2015. The two previous films released in November, so we expect the threequel will follow suit.

What is the plot of Frozen 3?

Nothing is known about the plot of Frozen 3 so far. Frozen II ended with Princess Anna becoming the Queen of Arendelle after Elsa left to become the protector of the enchanted forest and live among the Northuldran people.

Anna had also accepted Kristoff's marriage proposal, and life in the magical kingdom appeared to be at peace. We wonder if, as the first film was set during Elsa's magically created winter, and the sequel was more autumnal, whether Frozen 3 might explore the season of spring.

Read more: Kristen Bell announces Frozen 3 'with zero authority'

In the gap between the first two Frozen films, a number of animated shorts filled in the gaps of the story, keeping fans entertained as they waited for the sequel. We wouldn't be surprised if Disney does the same again.

Who is in the Frozen 3 cast?

No cast has been confirmed for Frozen 3 yet, but we expect to see Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel reprising their roles as Anna and Elsa respectively.

Menzel seemingly confirmed her return during a chat with Billboard in June 2023, saying: "I don't know a lot. To be completely honest, they teased it to us, and I have no idea. They don't show you a script. They don't show you anything.

"All I know is, yeah we are gonna make one, and that's it. So, I'm like, 'Cool! I will be able to pay my bills'."

Josh Gad and Jonathan Groff are also likely to returns as Olaf and Kristoff too. Martha Plimpton, Sterling K. Brown, Alfred Molina, Jason Ritter and Rachel Matthews were cast newcomers in Frozen II who all survived the movie, so they might return too.

Speaking to PopCulture.com in 2020, Gad said a third film would only happen if there's a "story worth telling".

He said: "Frozen 2 wasn't Frozen 2 until there was a reason to exist. If there’s always a story worth telling, I’m sure that Jennifer Lee and the incredible team over at Disney animation will tell that story one day.”

Who's making Frozen 3?

The first two Frozen films were co-directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, with songwriting couple Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez behind both movies’ memorable songs.

Lee is now the chief creative offer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, so she may be unlikely be able to return to direct, but she may be able to work on the script as she did the previous two films.

Speaking at the London Film Festival in October 2023, director Jennifer Lee said: "All I'll say is that last week, they carved out time for me to work with the creative team on it. And I'm blown away.

"I'm so excited. I don't know what I'm doing on it yet. I might be doing nothing."

In 2019, Lee told Yahoo: "For me [finishing Frozen II] felt final. But we always say 'never say never'. I think what made this one special is that we’d both confessed that we didn’t want to leave this world. We naively just went into this because we love [the characters] and we could see more story."

Will there be a Frozen 4?

Meanwhile, Disney boss Bob Iger recently revealed that the studio has plans to stay in Arandell a little longer than expected. "Frozen 3 is in the works, and there might be a Frozen 4 in the works too," he told Good Morning America in November 2023.

"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."

Shortly after, songwriter Kristen Anderson-Lopez took to social media to confirm that she and her partner Robert Lopez will be back to pen new songs for both films.

Frozen 3 is currently in development at Disney.