Frozen 2: Everything you need to know
There are only three people not completely and utterly excited for Frozen 2 – Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik, Kristen Bell's daughter and that guy whose wife divorced him because he didn't like the first movie.
If, like us, you don't fall into that narrow category, you're pretty psyched for our eventual return to the land of Arendelle.
Disney's Frozen sequel is already underway, and here's everything you need to know to get you ready for more ice-bound adventures.
Frozen 2 plot: The new Elsa
Co-director Chris Buck has said that the new film will see the next evolution in the lives of the series' stars Anna, Kristoff and Olaf, but it sounds like the biggest change will be reserved for Elsa.
"[In Frozen] she had such a dramatic journey, and at the end she's just starting to feel like she can open up and have some fun again," he told Fandango. "That's what was really good about the short [2015's Frozen Fever] – we could have fun with Elsa. And that personality... you will see in the next one."
Story details are yet to be revealed but we know that the filmmakers actually came up with the ending for Frozen 2 first and have been working back from that.
Star Kristen Bell added when confirming that voice recording would begin in March: "The story is great... It took them a while because they wanted to figure out what story they needed to tell and what would be important and engaging and I think they found it."
Rumours have included everything from a love story for Olaf to a story about how Anna and Elsa aren't really biological sisters and how this affects their relationship – which sounds just right-on enough to be a distinct possibility.
Some fans asked for Elsa to get a girlfriend in the second film and Frozen 2 co-director Jennifer Lee responded to those requests for a lesbian plotline while promoting Disney feature A Wrinkle in Time.
"We have tons of conversations about it, and we're really conscientious about these things," Lee said. "Elsa's every day telling me where she needs to go, and she'll continue to tell us. I always write from character-out, and where Elsa is and what Elsa's doing in her life, she's telling me every day. We'll see where we go."
Tony winner Idina Menzel has also said an online petition to give her Elsa (the character she voices) a girlfriend was "great."
Frozen 2 release date: Disney's putting us on ice
Disney has confirmed that the sequel will arrive on November 27, 2019 - at least in US cinemas. While European dates aren't official yet, it's logical to expect Frozen 2 to arrive around that same period in UK cinemas.
Shooting began on the sequel in September with Jonathan Groff back as Kristoff and Kristen Bell teasing that it won't be a typical sequelwon't be a typical sequel, rather it will be "a story that needs to be told" within the Oscar-winning animated movie's chilly universe.
Obviously, there is no trailer to go on yet, but check out Frozen Fever if you need a hit of post-Frozen magic. And a singalong is ALWAYS an option.
Frozen 2 cast: They're back!
The core cast of Frozen are all getting back together for the sequel, with Bell (Anna) confirming that Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad are all joining her.
No word yet on whether Santino Fontana will be bringing back wicked Prince Hans into our lives, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Both Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld, Charlie Countryman) and Sterling K. Brown (This is Us, Black Panther) have also been linked with the production.
Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (the latter having been named head of Walt Disney Animation) are both returning behind the metaphorical camera once more, with Peter Del Vecho back in the producer's chair. We're in good hands, people.
Hidden Figures writer Allison Schroeder has also joined Frozen 2 to work on the script and will assist Lee.
Frozen 1.5 short: Olaf's Frozen Adventure
If November 2019 seems like an awfully long time away, fear not. The guys are releasing a short called Olaf's Frozen Adventure which will play in front of Pixar's Coco this November.
A preview of one of the songs and some footage was show at Disney's D23 Expo this July.
The 21-minute film features four brand new festive tracks from Between the Lines' Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson. One of those, a jaunty toe-tapper called 'That Time Of Year', was previewed via a live performance from the one-and-only Josh Gad in one of many celebrity appearances. (Kristen Bell, aka the voice of Anna, was also in the house.)
Olaf's Frozen Adventure is set during the first Christmas that Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Bell) open the castle for the holidays, only to find that their villagers are all off celebrating with their own families. Elsa and Anna never got the chance to develop their own Christmas traditions, so Olaf and the lovable reindeer Sven go door-to-door to learn about Christmas traditions in hopes of giving the siblings a magical day. Footage shown of that sequence was as bouncy as you'd expect, with lots of sly holiday jokes. It's heartwarming, it's Christmassy, you're gonna love it!
Have a listen to these snippets.
A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Sep 8, 2017 at 10:59am PDT
A post shared by Josh Gad (@joshgad) on Sep 8, 2017 at 10:24am PDT
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