Feb 13, 2019

Disney offers first look at sequel to its hit franchise: "Frozen 2" Teaser

Nearly six years after the release of the original film, Walt Disney Animation Studios has unveiled the first teaser trailer for Frozen 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2013 global hit based on Hans Christian Andersen's public domain fairytale The Snow Queen.

Becoming a ubiquitous phenomenon, Frozen went on two win two Academy Awards, for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, and became the highest grossing animated production of all time with $1.276 billion at the worldwide box office. A second installment was a no-brainer for the studio, which announced plans to continue the story in early 2015.

All four main voice cast stars will reprise their parts for this new chapter: Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa), Josh Gad (Olaf), and Jonathan Groff (Kristoff). Earlier this year Gad shared a photo on Twitter where the quartet appears together, presumably for a voice recording session. Actors Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) and Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) have also been announced as fresh additions to the group. Although details on their involvement are still under wraps, the teaser briefly shows two new characters that've led to speculation among fans.

The newly released clip begins with Elsa using her freezing powers to run multiple times into a turbulent ocean. Though we don't know the purpose of her actions, the photorealism of the water is impressive. This segues into a worried Anna and then to Kristoff charging into battle accompanied by an army of reindeer. It's obvious the teaser wants to highlight the exciting, action-packed nature of the story, rather than any charming elements. Autumn, as opposed to winter, appears as a crucial plot point this time around. The first look ends with Anna aggressively wielding a sword and slashing it in the direction of something offscreen. The new teaser strikes a very different tone from the original Frozen's teaser, which offered a comedic interaction between Olaf and Sven.

Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee will return as co-directors for Frozen 2, with Lee also co-writing the screenplay alongside Allison Schroeder, who recently co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated Hidden Figures and Christopher Robin. Last summer Lee also became the chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, following the departure of John Lasseter.

Frozen 2 follows Disney's two short films in the franchise, Frozen Forever and Olaf's Frozen Adventure (infamously shown theatrically before Pixar's Coco), and will feature new songs by the musical wizards behind “Let It Go,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who most recently won their second Oscar for Coco's “Remember Me.”

Peter Del Vecho, who produced the original film, also produces the sequel.

The movie will arrive in U.S. theaters on November 22.