As Disney ramps up its sequel machine, one of its most beloved franchises is quietly preparing to make a major return. Frozen 3 is deep in development, with fans everywhere speculating on what’s next for Elsa, Anna, and the enchanted kingdom of Arendelle. At the 2025 Annecy Animation Festival, Zootopia and Encanto writer-director Jared Bush and Chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, gave Collider’s Steve Weintraub a promising update—and even dropped a hint or two about the mysterious Frozen 4 while promoting Zootopia 2. When asked whether Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 were designed as a two-part story, Bush kept things vague, but full of praise:

“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.”

Bush continued, stating that he felt a pressure and a responsibility to ensure that every film the studio makes reaches a quality threshold, noting that they could take their time with the film to ensure every minute detail was as perfect as it could be.

“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.”

That “one thing at a time” philosophy may be what’s guiding Frozen 3 as it prepares for a 2027 theatrical release. But Bush’s wording certainly leaves the door open for a narrative that stretches across both upcoming sequels, especially since Frozen 4 has already been confirmed.

What WIll The Music of ‘Frozen 3’ Involve?

And then, of course, there’s the matter of the music. From “Let It Go” to “Into the Unknown,” each Frozen film has produced that one iconic song that transcends the movie itself. Weintraub asked Bush directly: Has Frozen 3 found its musical soul yet?

“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.”

So that might not be a title reveal or a chorus teaser, but it’s clear that Bush and his creative team — not forgetting original stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff — are approaching Frozen 3 with a careful balance of reverence and reinvention. Don’t fix what isn’t broken, after all.

via Collider