FROZEN: FORCES OF NATURE PODCAST ANNOUNCED! New Characters! Magpies! Akershus?! Setting up FROZEN 3???

In honor of FROZEN’s upcoming 10th anniversary, Disney announced the October release of FROZEN: FORCES OF NATURE, a FROZEN podcast that will be canon to the FROZEN saga and will tell a story that occurs AFTER FROZEN II but before FROZEN III. If you are already a FROZEN fan and that isn’t interesting enough to get you to listen, then I don’t know what to say! For Frozen fans, this will be our first look at Arendelle after The action that took place in FROZEN 2. We will take get our first glimpse of Queen Anna as a ruler as she entertains visitors like the returning Duke of Weselton (aka Weasel-Town) and new ones including his nephew, Lord Wolfgang and Queen Disa of Sankerhus (hmm, what does that name sound like – more on that later). The plot of the podcast is described as Anna and Elsa working with a neighboring Queen – presumably the aforementioned Queen Disa – to solve a mystery in the enchanted forest.

The official logline reads: “Queen Anna has a lot on her plate – 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? Disney Frozen Podcast: Forces of Nature is a 12-episode audio-first story for kids.“

Disney has also labeled FROZEN: FORCES OF NATURE as “Season One” – this hopefully means we will get more seasons, presuming this one is a success as we lead up to FROZEN 3 in a few years. The second, and probably more important, point is the specificity of “copper machines” in the description. This is interesting because Norway is a huge repository for copper ore. Of course Arendelle was based on the city of Bergen in Norway and its Fjords – where copper is found prominently. Also interesting, copper mining in Norway has become somewhat contentious as of late. The Norwegian government approved construction of a copper mine in Kvalsund, Finnmark, despite opposition from indigenous Sami herders and fishermen. Remember that the indigenous Sami were used as the basis for the Northuldra in FROZEN 2. Are connections forming? Will we return to the enchanted forest? I think so – almost assuredly. Does this mean that Honeymaren, a fan-favorite character and Sami woman featured in FROZEN 2, might be returning and have something to do with the “copper machine” plot? I hope so. The possibility is definitely there. So many fans were wondering what became of Honeymaren after FROZEN 2. She had a unique relationship with Elsa so to see them reunite during a potential crisis would be an interesting development.

The official announcement, revealed this morning on GOOD MORNING AMERICA and at the link below, also repurposed art from FROZEN 2’s read-along audio CD storybook (which I find a lot of fun to listen to the car – even without the book). This makes sense as the podcast will be produced by Disney Publishing Worldwide and ABC Media. But this also makes me hope that they add a visual element to the podcast and give the fans a bit of artwork and maybe a peek into the future of the FROZEN saga. And also, to me at least, points to further evidence that the Northuldra and Honeymaren might be returning – as they were briefly hinted at in that artwork.

It is also of note that the Duke of Weselton will be returning on an apology tour for what occurred back during the events of FROZEN. But could he be the villain and behind the copper machines? Knowing Jennifer Lee and the way she likes to subvert expectations, I am more inclined to say no than yes. Perhaps the Duke of Weselton will get a chance to redeem some of his actions and judgements from FROZEN and help Anna, Elsa and others solve the copper machine problem.

Another point that interested me was that Queen Disa is described as being from “Sankerhus”. That word is so close to Akershus – which is the restaurant in the Norway pavilion of EPCOT at Disney World. This is also the pavilion where the FROZEN ride is located and where Elsa and Anna have a meet and greet. Interestingly, Elsa and Anna do NOT meet people at Akershus (though other princesses do).

But I’m digressing a bit. The greater significance is that Akershus is based upon the medieval castle Akershus is Oslo, Norway. It is a castle designed for the military – as many forges and castles were at the time of its construction. But considering Queen Disa’s name, might she come from a militarily focused part of Norway and share a mindset with Elsa’s grandfather King Runeard (whose actions set off many of the events of FROZEN 2 and the FROZEN world at large)… We shall see.

The announcement also makes note of introducing “magpies Astrid and Magnus”. The magpies are apparently owned by the Duke of Weselton per reports and are described as “definitely normal birds that definitely do not speak.” The Eurasian magpie is indigenous to Norway and its surrounding countries and is considered highly intelligent. Its brain is relatively the same size in relation to its body as chimpanzees, orangutans, and even humans. It is also the only bird known to pass the mirror test – something few non-avian species have been successful at doing. In addition, the magpie has been thought to have had a magical quality for years in

Could these be animals that Anna and Elsa befriend like many classic Disney Princesses have done in other stories (and yes I know Anna and Elsa are not Disney Princesses – officially, but this is a really fun trope and hey, lets admit it, great for merchandise as well). Could they at least be a friend to fire salamander Bruni from FROZEN 2? Could they be enemies? I think all of these possibilities are on the table considering the magpie’s place in Norwegian mythology as well as their general intelligence as a species. Also we NEED to see Astrid and Magpie and what they look like – so I really hope this means the podcast has a visual component.

Will this have any impact on the plot of FROZEN 3? It is tough to say – though it may play out a few of the ideas I speculated upon (return of Honeymaren) while also ruling out a couple of our previously speculated plotlines (return of Hans) for FROZEN 3 that I discussed here – click this link!

So where can I find this podcast? According to the release, it says that it will be found “wherever you listen to podcasts.” So hopefully that means it will be found on all platforms: itunes, spotify, google – and my prediction is that it will make its way to Disney Plus in some form or another, hopefully with an exclusive visual element – as I discussed above. The podcast will also be hosted by Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist for ABC News – and who also narrated the successful INSIDE FROZEN 2 podcast. Could her presence also hint at the potential environmental and climate based threats to Arendelle and the enchanted forest from the copper machines? Possibly – we shall see in October!

The official announcement over at ABC News/GMA can be FOUND BY CLICKING HERE.