New Toy Story, Zootopia, And Frozen Sequels In The Works At Disney
Some of Disney's most popular animated franchises are getting new installments. Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger announced during the company's first-quarter earnings call today that sequels to "Toy Story," "Zootopia," and "Frozen" are being developed. Iger said that more details beyond their existence will be announced soon, so there's not much to speculate on at the moment. However, that's bound to change throughout the year.
"Toy Story" and "Frozen" are no strangers to sequels. The fourth "Toy Story" movie was released back in 2019, as was the second "Frozen" film. However, the official confirmation of a sequel to "Zootopia" might be major news for fans of the film. Despite making a billion dollars at the box office, little movement has been made to expand the world of anthropomorphic animals the film introduced — at least on the film side. "Zootopia+" was released on Disney+ in November 2022, but those episodes lasted only a few minutes each. A sequel to "Zootopia" will be the first large-scale continuation of the 2016 film.
No other details have been announced for these movies, but it's likely that writers and maybe even animators are already working hard on bringing them to life. There are a slew of potential dates that these movies could release on. Three co-productions with Walt Disney Animation Studios have been announced between 2024 and 2026, any of which could accommodate "Zootopia 2" and "Frozen 3." Likewise, three Pixar collaborations have been dated for 2025 and 2026, one of which will almost certainly go to "Toy Story 5."
Balancing theatrical with streaming
Based on the tenor of the investor call, it certainly sounds as if all three of these movies are slated to premiere in theaters, although Iger affirmed during the call that they will continue to produce content for their Disney+ streaming service. This makes sense due to all three of these properties having strong fanbases and even stronger box office returns.
The emphasis on theatrical releases for these films can't be ignored. While Disney did have a steady string of successes at the box office, it also had some noticeable disappointments and strange relegations recently. Many fans bemoaned the decision to release franchise entries "Prey" and "Hellraiser" exclusively on Hulu and other Disney-owned streaming services worldwide. Furthermore, Disney had a major box office disappointment in the animated film "Strange World," which only grossed $73 million on a budget that ranged between $135 and $180 million.
These issues and many more may have been why then-CEO Bob Chapek was ousted from the company back in November 2022, days before the release of "Strange World," and replaced with Iger. If these announcements are anything to go by, Iger is committed to more effectively balancing theatrical and streaming releases, and figuring out which projects are better suited for which distribution medium. Sequels to "Toy Story," "Zootopia," and "Frozen" certainly fall into that former category.