Following the news that Disney would be turning a would-be “Moana” series into “Moana 2” and releasing it later this year, it was announced during the Disney earnings call that “Zootopia 2,” “Frozen 3,” and “Toy Story 5,” were locked into a time window. “Zootopia 2” is first on the docket, arriving sometime in 2025. This means the follow-up to one of Disney’s most profitable releases will arrive just shy of a decade later. For context, that means a kid who saw and fell in love with “Zootopia” in middle school would now be old enough to drink, but not so old that they have their own children to share the new film with. As a wise man once said, “Bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off.”
2026 will see the release of two highly-anticipated legacy sequels, with “Frozen 3” and “Toy Story 5” both hitting theaters. The latter is a Pixar production and part of one of the most consistent film franchises in history, and while it might seem like an unnecessary continuation, every “Toy Story” film since the first has felt like perfection. Personally, I’m all about it. I feel similarly about “Frozen 3,” as “Frozen 2” was, in my opinion, a massive improvement from the first film (and has even stronger music). Of the group, this film has the most potential to try something a bit more mature, as the “Frozen” films have grown a bit with its audience. The youngest “Frozen” fans will now be teenagers, and they deserve a story that reflects that change. I trust that director (and CCO of Walt Disney Animation Studios) Jennifer Lee will be able to deliver the goods.
These release windows are estimates and are subject to change. We will update with exact dates as they become available in the future.