An interesting twist developed during Disney’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders today, and it came hot on the heels of this morning’s bombshell reveal about the Star Wars franchise. Following up that headline grabber with another equally anticipated tidbit, CEO Bob Iger, Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter and Josh Gad (the voice of Olaf) officially announced that work has begun on Frozen 2.
The film is currently in the early stages of development at Disney Animation with directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck said to be “involved.” What their specific roles will be are being kept under wraps though. They could be on board to write, produce or indeed take up residence in the director’s chairs once more.
However, what’s of interest here is that today’s unveiling comes mere days after Lee and Buck refuted talk of a follow-up. The pair chatted to Buzzfeed and flat out denied talk of an imminent sequel. Claiming that the likelihood of Frozen 2 was still some ways off, they each reiterated that another trip to Arendelle would depend on a solid story.
Released in 2013, Frozen went on to become a global smash. It netted $400 million domestically and $700 million internationally for a combined total of $1.2 billion, so it’s no surprise that Disney is pushing forward on another feature.
In terms of its story or characters, we don’t know for certain what direction Frozen 2 will take or which stars may be back to reprise their roles. Based on his appearance today though, Gad is expected to return as Olaf. And judging by Kristen Bell’s latest Tweet, she’s in, too:
Dreams really do come 2!!! #FROZEN2 #itsofficial pic.twitter.com/qF6qTQlnqi
— Kristen Bell (@IMKristenBell) March 12, 2015
Until any firm story outlines are released on the next batch of adventures for Elsa, Anna and Olaf, you can check out the short film Frozen Fever, which is set to open in front of Disney’s Cinderella this week.
