Disney has announced that its animation divisions are hard at work on Toy Story 5, Frozen 3 and Zootopia 2.
"Today I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia," said Disney CEO Bob Iger during the company's Q1 earnings call (via Deadline). "We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises."
The sequel news comes after a string of box-office disappointments for Disney animation, with the studio's most recent release -- 2022's Strange World -- grossing only $73.4 million globally. Encanto, released in November 2021, also underperformed in theaters but was reportedly a huge hit on Disney+. Lightyear, Pixar's first theatrical film since 2020's Onward and a spinoff of its Toy Story franchise, was also considered a box-office bomb. The most recent installments in the Frozen, Toy Story and Zootopia franchises each grossed over $1 billion, which strongly implies Disney is returning to these beloved animated properties in hopes that they will bring families back to the cinema.
Pixar Is Also Working on Inside Out 2
Pixar Animation Studios is also developing a sequel to its 2015 film Inside Out, with the project announced during the 2022 D23 Expo. While concrete plot details are unavailable at this time for the sequel, Poehler has stated that Inside Out 2 will focus on Riley's teenage years and will also introduce new emotions. Amy Poehler will return as the voice of the emotion Joy in Riley's head while Mindy Kaling has confirmed she will not be reprising her voice role as the emotion Disgust. Kelsey Mann is slated to direct Inside Out 2, replacing Peter Docter who helmed the first film, from a screenplay written by Meg LaFauve, who also scripted Inside Out. Other upcoming Pixar films include Elemental and Elio.
Before Disney's Q1 earnings call, Walt Disney Animation Studios had only one upcoming film on its slate: Wish, starring West Side Story's Ariana DeBose and frequent Disney voice actor Alan Tudyk. Frozen 3 and Zootopia 2 will be the fifth and sixth sequels developed by the animation studio after The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Fantasia 2000 (1999), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Frozen II (2019). All other Disney animated sequels were produced by Disneytoon Studios.
No release dates for Toy Story 5, Frozen 3 and Zootopia 2 have been announced at this time.
Source: Deadline