Should Disney decide to bless audiences with Frozen 3, the addition would be a momentous first for Disney’s Animated Classics. Encapsulating such movies as Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, and The Princess and the Frog, Disney Animated Classics are categorized as the films released to theaters by the studio, not including any movies released in conjunction with Pixar. When Frozen was released in 2013, it marked Disney Animation Studios’ 53rd feature film.
Of course, over the years, many of Disney’s projects have continued in direct to video release sequels and even threequels. These continuations tend to be less successful than their original films. Properties like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Tarzan have all received three movies, though some are prequels or even midquels (see The Lion King 1 ½). Surprisingly, Lilo and Stitch have received three additional feature-length movies.
The sequels to these Disney Classics were of varying success for obvious reasons. Many of the follow-up films mentioned were created for younger audiences who enjoyed the characters but did not trouble themselves if the plots were underdeveloped or contrived. Only those films that were released in theaters are included on the Disney Animated Classics roster, omitting nearly all of the sequel films. If Frozen 3 is confirmed for production, which many fans sincerely hope it will be, it will be the first Disney Animated movie to have inspired a true trilogy.
It is surprising that Disney has been producing animated classics for over eighty years and has not yet attempted a true animated trilogy project, especially since Pixar, Disney’s subsidiary, has already done so with success. Pixar may only have one true trilogy at this time (Cars) but, the success of the Toy Story films, as well as the possibility for trilogies with Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo, points to Pixar being well on the way to creating more trilogies in the future. In the last few years, Disney has produced more than a few films with the potential for sequels, like Moana, Tangled, and Zootopia. Wreck-It-Ralph already has a sequel film, but with no real prospects for a third at this time. Frozen is the only opportunity for Disney Animated Classics to round out a true trilogy in the near future.
A Frozen 3 project has not yet been announced but co-directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck seem to feel that Anna and Elsa’s story has come to an end. However, in an interview (via Digital Spy), Lee seems on the fence about a third installment, saying that “It feels like the end, but the first one felt like the end when we did it. We don’t know.” With the creators’ unwillingness to commit to ending Frozen after two movies, the possibility for a Frozen trilogy remains.
With the outstanding popularity of the first two films, it would be surprising if the creators didn’t at least consider how to extend the plot to a third and final installment. Certainly, there are plenty of avenues of possibility, seeing as how the sequel still left quite a few loose ends. Frozen 3 would have the responsibility to tie off those ends, creating a satisfying end to Anna and Elsa’s story, but it would also be afforded the unique position of Disney’s Animated Classics first and only true trilogy to date.
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