Although Frozen 3 is in the works, the upcoming sequel will continue without its original franchise director. Frozen follows the evolving sibling relationship between Anna and Elsa, with whom the latter can manifest ice and snow powers. The franchise has become one of Disney’s most-acclaimed and profitable series, delivering over $1 billion at the box office each. Furthermore, Frozen 2 remains the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, earning roughly $1.45 billion. This past February, Disney announced that Frozen 3 was in development, although plot details remain secretive.
Now, The Wrap reports that the original Frozen and its sequel director Jennifer Lee will not direct Frozen 3. At the Annecy Animation Festival, Lee revealed that she will not return for the upcoming Frozen sequel, meaning that Disney will likely have to search for a new director. However, she will still be involved with the creative progress as an advisor or mentor role. Read what she said about Frozen 3 below:
I can’t say where we are [with “Frozen 3]. All our stories are driven by the artists in the studio. Where we’re going with ‘Frozen’ did not come from me. It came from an incredible person. That’s a new piece, I’ve told no one. And I’ve been blown away by it and I’m just having a blast with that team.
Why Lee Not Returning Isn’t A Bad Thing
Though the initial reaction to Lee not returning for Frozen 3 may be concern, it’s not inherently a bad thing for the director to not be leading the charge on the threequel. As she noted above, the concept for the next movie didn’t come from her, indicating that she could hand the reins off to someone she has just as much confidence in as Disney did for her and her team on the first two movies.
Additionally, Lee wasn’t the only creative voice that shaped the first two Frozen movies, having co-directed both with Chris Buck, as well as developing the stories for both with Buck, Shane Morris for the first movie, and Marc Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez on its sequel. Given Lee has indicated she will be staying on in an advisory position for Frozen 3, she could very well write the script for the movie again or help guide it along with her prior collaborators.
Even if the rest of her team don’t return for Frozen 3, a fresh perspective may be what’s needed to keep the franchise feeling fresh. Though still garnering positive reviews, Frozen 2 notably saw critics feeling more lukewarm than the first movie, with the sequel even failing to net an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, the award won by its predecessor, while Toy Story 4 went on to be the Disney movie to bring the statue home instead that year.
