With Disney hoping to return to the top of the box office on a regular basis, CEO Bob Iger recently confirmed plans for new Frozen and Toy Story movies. While Jennifer Lee won't return to direct the former due to her other Disney Animation commitments, there's still heaps of excitement for the threequel.
Before we get to Frozen III, however, Disney will celebrate the franchise's 10th anniversary by launching Frozen: Forces of Nature, a first-of-its-kind 12-episode podcast series picking up after the events of the second movie.
Titled Frozen: Forces of Nature, Anna, Elsa, and Olaf will be front and centre alongside a new slate of characters which includes Queen Disa, Lord Wolfgang, and magpies Astrid and Magnus.
"Queen Anna has a lot on her plate," begins the synopsis. "There are visitors in her Kingdom, a friend in need, and even the Duke of Weselton’s nephew skulking around - so when the Spirits of Nature start acting up, she knows she has to solve the problem – and fast – before things get more out of control."
"But when Anna and Elsa travel to the Enchanted Forest, they find mysterious copper machines that are disrupting the natural order of things. Who made these machines and what are they doing in the forest? And more importantly, how do Anna and Elsa stop them?"
It's unclear how crucial the events of this story will be in terms of filling in the gap between Frozen II and Frozen III, though we'd guess this story is largely standalone. After all, it's aimed at children and the third movie is still thought to be in the very early stages of development.
Lynn Waggoner, Vice President of Global Publishing, Franchise Content and Creative says, "For almost a decade, Disney Publishing has journeyed through Arendelle with Anna, Elsa, and Olaf - from storybook collections to middle-grade adventure stories."
"We are excited to continue telling new stories in this world through this spell-binding audio-first offering. The Disney Frozen Podcast is an expansive endeavor made possible through deep collaboration with creative teams across our company, setting a new standard for engaging kids podcasting content."
Are you looking forward to Frozen: Forces of Nature? It officially launches this October.