FROZEN 3 at D23 – Unanswered Questions and New Characters!?

At yesterday’s D23 Disney Entertainment Presentation at the Honda Center, Jennifer Lee presented a much desired update on the status of FROZEN III. It was not very long – just about five minutes in length – and it was the only project that Jennifer Lee talked about – even thought she is ostensibly the head of Walt Disney Animation. This is a positive development thought, IMO – as maybe she is super-focused on FROZEN III and IV (which I hope). As I have argued, Jennifer Lee has the opportunity to make an entire universe in FROZEN. I’ve always seen the property as something that has STAR WARS-level potential and she would be its George Lucas.

First the bad news: it is being released in… 2027! And going by the release dates of FROZEN and FROZEN II, it will likely be in late 2027 – November or December. So we have over THREE years to wait. When I covered the FROZEN Forces of Nature Podcast last fall (you can find the library of every episode blogged about starting with Episode 1 here: FORCES OF NATURE – EPISODE 1 RECAP), I was really hoping it would be sooner. The other piece of semi-bad news: it sounds like FROZEN III is being conceived as a part one of a two-part story that will conclude in FROZEN IV. I really hope we don’t have to wait till the 2030’s to get the ending of this epic adventure but we’ll have to wait and see. Anyway, we’ve covered her earlier update here (JENNIFER LEE TALKS FROZEN III AT THE LONDON FILM FESTIVAL) and speculated about possible plots here (10 POTENTIAL FROZEN III PLOTS).

FROZEN’S UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Now to the good stuff. At the presentation, Lee said that there were a lot of questions coming out of FROZEN II and displayed a graphic showing them all. Screenshots are below:

After showing them, she mentioned that “it will take two films to answer all of them” – presumably meaning that these questions could be the basis of FROZEN III and IV.

While some are valid – others feel a little fan service-y (“How did Kristoff meet Sven?” and “Who are Kristoff’s Parents?”) whilesome feel like we already know the answers if we can reason them out (“Who gave Elsa her powers?” “What happened to Hans?”). Though one really caught my eye: “Why are there castle ruins throughout Ahtohallan?” which was the last question. Also “Do we still need to beware the Frozen Heart?” and “Who Is The Frozen Heart?”. Hmmm – I think that trio point to something that features in the next two films. At least, this was a genuine idea in the FROZEN III writers room for somethign that might be featured in the next films.

THE FROZEN HEART

The Frozen Heart presumably refers to Anna’s own heart in FROZEN. When Anna is struck by Elsa’s ice powers towards the end of FROZEN’s second act, she gets more sick as her hair turns more white until she is completely frozen. The Frozen Heart also refers to the first song that we hear in FROZEN. This is the song that is sung by Kristoff and his fellow ice harvesters who warn of the Frozen Heart. The fact that one of the questions is “WHO is the FROZEN HEART?” makes me think that we might be getting some more lore in the film. This could be lore that points to some else besides Elsa who gave her the powers or originated the powers. Or perhaps, maybe most thrillingly, Elsa is THE Frozen Heart. And perhaps Elsa might have to confront the true nature of her powers. That would be so Jennifer Lee if Elsa was the villain all along – and it would upset so many fans. But also – I could see it (and I might just like it too).

ANNA’S CHILD – OR CHILDREN???

Also interesting is the idea of pursuing potential Anna/Kristoff stories in FROZEN III and some of the “unanswered questions” seemed to point to this. Who are Kristoff’s parents? Why is Sven so old but strong (what?)? and also do Anna and Kristoff want kids. I still think that we will see a child from Anna and Kristoff before this saga ends. And that child will play a key role in unraveling a lot of Elsa’s mysteries. This could include the mysteries of the five spirits, and the mysteries of the Northuldrans.

BRITTNEY LEE’S CONCEPT ART

We also saw a piece of of Brittney Lee’s production design concept artwork for FROZEN III (and maybe IV – who knows). See below.

The bottom right corner (right next to itty bitty Jennifer Lee) shows the outline of someone who looks villainous. Emphasis on “LOOKS”. Because, is Jennifer Lee going to give us an ACTUAL villain for once (something many FROZEN fans have wanted for a while – or at least since Hans), or is this someone who looks villainous but actually is an ally. Either way I think this person has something to do with the “Frozen Heart” profiled in Jennifer Lee’s unanswered question board. And remember, Jennifer Lee DID give us a traditional villain with King Magnifico in last year’s WISH.

Extrapolating from influences seen in FROZEN II, perhaps this person is a Northuldran god influenced by Sami culture – as so many things have been in the FROZEN films. This person might be an interpolation of a Sami mythological figure or god, maybe even the ultimate Sami god: “Radien-attje“.

This god is the superior deity and ruler of the cosmos. Radien-attje is also the god for which the Sami people plant a pole and celebrate his existence for giving us the earth. The god is often portrayed as hulking and with antlers (which leads me to the conclusion that the character in the artwork might be influenced by Radien-attje).

The god is also part of a trinity which is completed with the Raedieahkka (the superior mother) and their son, Radien-pardne. Sometimes the daughter Rana Niejta is also included in mythological and religious writings. Will Elsa possibly fit into this family? Could Elsa possibly be related to a character influenced by Sami deity as reinterpreted into the Northuldran culture? But there are so many Sami gods and mythological creatures that this person could be related to, that it is tough to limit consideration from just an outline of a figure – still it is fun to try.

Also in the concept art – what is up with that castle in the sky? Is that the summer or heat version of Elsa’s Ice Palace? It looks like there are the outlines of figures there. It also appears to be embedded potentially in the FROZEN world’s version of the Northern Lights – something that has a lot of importance in Sami culture. By turn this would mean that the phenomenon would have importance to the Northuldrans and their culture. Perhaps Elsa is reaching out to someone like her – who rules the summer the way that she rules the winter, and the Sami god is not too happy – or who knows, with Jennifer Lee is maybe pointing the way. I am so intrigued.

When you zoom in on Brittney Lee’s concept art, it is clear that both Elsa and Anna are fixated on the castle in the sky. And yet Olaf is pointing towards the horned figure as if to warn both of them. Like I said, whoever or whatever that is sure LOOKS villainous!

IN CONCLUSION – WHAT DO YOU THINK?

One other note – FROZEN III was actually not the thing that Jennifer Lee seemed MOST excited about at that FROZEN III panel. And it had nothing to do with FROZEN III. Lee spotlighted original filmmaking (something desperately needed at Disney and in Hollywood overall) and hyped up a new original Disney film in 2026 – which I thought was kind of cool and very true to Jennifer Lee’s spirit as an artist. As you know she had a ton to do with WISH (which I still absolutely LOVE and wrote extensively about here: WHAT IS WISH REALLY ABOUT?). Unfortunately she could not give us any details for the time being, instead saying that we would have to wait till next year. But maybe this also means that Jennifer Lee has a big hand in this new original film – as she did in WISH, FROZEN, and ENCANTO. Perhaps that is why she really only presented on FROZEN III at D23.

So even though we will have to wait till 2027 to get FROZEN III, and next year to get more details on that original film – at least we will get a Jennifer Lee approved original Disney animated film! I can’t wait for that film OR FROZEN III.

What about you – what do you think FROZEN III will be about now that we’ve seen Jennifer Lee’s unanswered question board and the Brittney Lee concept art?