Disney Blindsides Fans With Brand-New ‘Frozen’ Film Releasing This Year
The next installment in the Frozen franchise is closer than you think.
While Frozen 3 (2027) isn’t set to hit theaters until next November after a delay from 2026, Disney just let slip that audiences can expect another project by the end of 2026.
“We’re excited to kick off the countdown to ‘Frozen 3’ with a new short this October, ahead of our biggest ever cross-company movie marketing campaign in 2027,” Paul Gitter, executive vice president of global brand commercialization at Disney Consumer Products, told License Global in a recent interview.
The comment effectively confirms that a new Frozen short will debut this year, narrowing the gap between the franchise’s last theatrical release and its next major installment.
But what can fans expect from the short? Here’s what we know so far.
‘Frozen’ Franchise to Date
More than a decade has passed since Frozen (2013) first reached theaters, introducing sisters Elsa and Anna and reshaping Disney’s modern animation slate. The film’s blend of spectacle, emotion, and subversion of classic fairy-tale tropes proved unusually enduring.
Its follow-up, Frozen 2 (2019), expanded the mythology, shifting the focus to the origins of Elsa’s powers. The sequel became the highest-grossing animated film of all time upon release (although it’s since lost its place at the top).
Despite that success, Disney placed the franchise on a lengthy theatrical pause.
While Frozen 3 has been confirmed for November 24, 2027, a fourth theatrical film is also in development, with its leads – Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa), and Josh Gad (Olaf) – all expected to take home $60 million apiece for their roles.
Disney’s History With ‘Frozen’ Shorts
The upcoming short will not be Disney’s first attempt to extend the franchise through short-form storytelling.
In 2015, Walt Disney Animation released Frozen Fever, a theatrical short centered on Elsa and Kristoff’s efforts to celebrate Anna’s birthday, only for Elsa’s powers to interfere.
Two years later, Disney followed with Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, a 21-minute holiday special that screened theatrically ahead of Coco (2017). Its length drew criticism, particularly from parents unprepared for an extended pre-feature presentation.
In 2020, Disney released Once Upon a Snowman on Disney+, which retold events from Frozen through Olaf’s perspective rather than advancing the timeline.
The October short is explicitly tied to the promotional runway for Frozen 3, suggesting a more coordinated franchise strategy than in previous years.
Disney has not announced where the short will fall within the series’ timeline, nor whether it will carry theatrical exclusivity or debut digitally.
Where the Story Left Off — And What Comes Next
Narratively, Frozen 2 concluded with a decisive shift.
Anna and Elsa went their separate ways, with Anna crowned Queen of Arendelle and Elsa choosing to remain in the Enchanted Forest, embracing her role as a guardian of magic rather than a monarch.
The ending provided resolution while leaving multiple story paths open — a balance that has fueled speculation ever since.
Disney has remained largely silent on the plot of Frozen 3, but licensing materials displayed at the Disney Consumer Products Division Launch Conference in Shanghai last September offered a rare hint.
“In this new chapter, witness the wedding of the century in Arendelle as Queen Anna walks down the aisle and joins Elsa on a new magical journey filled with unknown challenges,” the synopsis reads. “And what’s even more exciting: the royal family is about to welcome a mysterious new member!”
Some fans interpreted the “new member” as a child born to Anna and Kristoff. Others suggested the return of a long-lost relative, possibly tied to the sisters’ family history.
Another theory pointed to Once Upon a Time’s Frozen storyline, which introduced Ingrid, the sisters’ aunt, as a narrative parallel.
More extreme speculation also resurfaced about Frozen 3 – which will once again be soundtracked by songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez – including the long-running fan theory that Anna and Elsa’s parents are secretly Tarzan’s parents.
Online reaction to the synopsis was mixed. “Ah yes, the lazy trope of ‘adding a descendant because our creativity’s been milked,’” one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Another added, “This literally sounds like the plot of a Disney direct-to-DVD sequel.”
Disney has not commented on the accuracy of the licensing synopsis.
History suggests flexibility. The Disney+ documentary series Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 showed how dramatically that sequel’s story evolved during production, often late in the process.
What are you hoping to see in Disney’s upcoming Frozen sequels?
