New ‘Frozen 2’ Details And An Early ‘Olaf’s Frozen Adventure’ Reaction [D23 Expo 2017]
Disney Animation’s D23 panel got started with a bang. Or maybe a blizzard. While we didn’t learn much aboutFrozen 2, a little bit of light was cast on the mysterious sequel to the beloved 2013 hit, with starsKristen BellandJosh Gadtaking the stage to chat…and to sing.
After joking that it would be titledFrozen Toein its native language and that it won’t be calledThawed, Bell noted that, for now, the sequel will just be titledFrozen 2. This could always change, of course.
Bell proceeded to talk about the film’s development and how the filmmakers were inspired by some of the most beautiful locations on the planet. They embarked on trips to Norway, Iceland, and Finland for inspiration and the D23 crowd was treated to a video shot by the filmmakers showcasing their many adventures. Beautiful panoramas, glaciers, and waterfalls were among the images shared.
BeforeFrozen 2even hits theaters, you’ll be able to see more from theFrozenworld. A new 21-minute short titledOlaf’s Frozen Adventurewill arrive in theaters alongside Pixar’sCocolater this year. The film will feature four new songs fromElyssa SamselandKate Andersonand the entire original cast will return. The story follows Olaf as he attempts to bring some holiday cheer to Anna and Elsa after learning they don’t have any holiday traditions.
Our own Peter Sciretta saw a clip fromOlaf’s Frozen Adventureat D23, where voice actor Josh Gad took the stage to perform live alongside footage from the film. The song finds Olaf going door-to-door, learning about (and making fun of) some fairly common Christmas traditions, like decorating trees and Santa Claus (“Hang up all your socks above an open fire…That sounds safe”). During the song, the animation changes style, transforming into a cross-stitch resembling a Christmas sweater. While Peter didn’t love the song as much as anything in theFrozenfeature film, he did note that the crowd of Disney fanatics was really into it.
You don’t have to have kids or even be a fan of Disney’s animated output to be familiar withFrozen, which opened to critical acclaim and $1.2 billion at the box office back in 2013. A sequel was inevitable and Disney has not made it a secret that they intend to keep Anna, Elsa, and the rest of their family and friends in the spotlight for the foreseeable future. A theme park ride set in the world of the film has opened at the Epcot theme park in Florida. An entire theme park land based onFrozenis coming to Tokyo Disneyland. A short film sequel premiered in 2015 and another will arrive later this year. Yeah, when it comes toFrozen, Disney isn’t prepared to…let it go.
Plot details forFrozen 2have been mostly kept under wraps, butChris BuckandJennifer Leewill return to direct alongside voice actorsKristen Bell,Idina Menzel,Jonathan Groff, andJosh Gad. Disney regularAlan Tudyk, who played a supporting role in the firstFrozen,says he will also be return. The film is set to be released onNovember 27, 2019.
