Disney Releasing Frozen 3 In 2027, Brad Bird Developing The Incredibles 3 For Pixar [D23]

Do you want to build a snowman? Are you still avoiding capes? After the gargantuan success of both "Frozen" and its sequel at Walt Disney Animation and "Incredibles 2" at Pixar Animation, it should come as no surprise that both franchises are being given more sequels, as announced officially at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California today. 

/Film's Jacob Hall was in attendance during the studio's big panel presentation at D23, where the studios revealed "Frozen 3" will arrive in 2027, and "The Incredibles 3" is currently in development at Pixar. Since neither "Frozen II" nor "Incredibles 2" had specific titles for the sequels, it doesn't seem like the three-quels will have any sort of subtitle either.

So, what do we know about both of these sequels after the big announcement at D23?

With "Frozen 3," Disney didn't have much to spill, but it was confirmed that all of the unanswered questions from the end of "Frozen II" will be answered with two movies, which reaffirms that "Frozen 4" seems to be on the way too. But a piece of concept art by Claire Keane revealed Elsa on her ice horse with Anna riding alongside her with Olaf accompanying her. They're riding towards a castle made of light floating in the sky. But there's a dark presence too, as a shadowy, devilish figure with horns on its head is holding a spear and lurking ominously nearby. Check it out (via DiscussingFilm):

First concept art for 'FROZEN 3'

In theaters in 2027. pic.twitter.com/IEfowBH9AO

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 10, 2024

When "Frozen" hit theaters back in 2013, nobody was really sure what to expect. Disney's trailers were focused mainly on hijinks involving the movie's sidekicks, Olaf the Snowman (Josh Gad) and Sven the Reindeer (shockingly, not Alan Tudyk), along with Anna (Kristen Bell) and Kristoff's (Jonathan Groff) screwball comedy antics, as opposed to the epic tale of sisterly love that would help catapult the film into blockbuster success. That changed dramatically with the marketing for "Frozen II," which really leaned into the idea of sending the original movie's heroes on a sweeping adventure, presenting Elsa (Idina Menzel) as a cross between an element-bender from "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and Link from "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."

Indeed, one of the most interesting things about the "Frozen" movies so far is how they've aspired to grow alongside their youngest fans (who are now over a decade older than they were when the franchise began — sorry kiddos, time waits for no one). "Frozen II" was certainly more ambitious than its predecessor, tackling mature themes about the importance of addressing the sins of the past and digging deeper into its characters' emotions. Some would even go so far as to argue that the sequel was better than what had come before (you know how much we here at /Film love our spicy hot movie takes), which suggests that series co-captains Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee will only continue to try and up their game as the franchise progresses. Now, hurry up and give Elsa a girlfriend already, will ya?

In "The Incredibles 3," the superhero family will be back in action, but we don't know what kind of threat they'll be facing yet. However, the good news is that director Brad Bird is currently developing it, and having him on board does inspire a certain amount of confidence. (Although, notably, it was never said that Bird was officially on board to write or direct, so he could just be involved as a producer this time around.)

It took 14 years for "Incredibles 2" to follow up on the extremely successful computer-animated superhero hit from 2004, and it didn't quite match the power of its predecessor. However, unlike the superhero movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, almost no time had passed between the sequels, and the movie basically picked up where the first film left off, with the Parr family ready to square off against The Underminer. Of course, the big baddie was actually a new villain known as the Screenslaver using hypnotizing technology to wreak havoc on the city. Helping to take down the antagonist was a new team of superheroes, though they were briefly used as mindless henchmen that gave the Incredibles a run for their money.

"The Incredibles" movies have offered a nice dose of heart and family alongside superhero antics, and director Brad Bird (and hundreds of animators) have created a visually stunning world unlike anything else in the superhero genre. That should be enough to keep the franchise from getting lost amidst the many comic book movies being made these days. We just have to hope that Pixar has a story worth telling here, and that it's not just cashing in on an IP that's tailor-made to churn out new adventures every so often. It took nearly a decade and a half to get the last sequel, and far less time has passed since "Incredibles 2" in 2018. We'll keep our fingers crossed for something special.

Stay tuned for more updates as both of these projects make their way to theaters!