Back in 2013, Disney caught the world by (winter) storm through the animated film Frozen: a child-friendly musical that featured fun characters like a talking snowman, catchy songs, and political intrigue that reminded some viewers of Game of Thrones.
Given its success, a sequel was all but inevitable. What people didn’t expect, however, was that it would be a full six years before they got to see Elsa and Anna on the big screen again. After the long wait, will Frozen 2 inherit the first movie’s landmark success or not? We take a look at the possibilities in this article.
The Frozen Legacy
With a total box office revenue of more than a billion Dollars, Frozen is currently ranked as the 14th highest-earning movie of all time, making it one of Disney’s most successful releases to date. But not only is it a financial juggernaut, but it’s a cultural phenomenon as well.
From a theme song that won’t leave the public consciousness to parents naming their children after the movie’s main siblings, Frozen outlasted its theatrical run and its impact can still be felt today. Perhaps this is best shown in the countless articles that analyze the movie’s apparent LGBTQ themes, which continue to make the rounds online. The fact that an animated musical sparked such a conversation is in itself a feat, but its staying power is another accomplishment altogether.
Needless to say, Frozen 2 carries enormous expectations on its shoulders.
The Coming Winter
Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios
When it was released, the first trailer for Frozen 2 garnered more than 110 million views in its first 24 hours—making it the most viewed trailer for an animated film at the time. Frozen 2 already has an audience that’s beyond excited for the sequel. But even if the original cast, writer, and directors are set to return, the sequel seems to be going down a different path than what many were expecting.
Disney has been making a profit by giving its family-oriented movies a more serious, young adult-oriented approach, as seen in how big a hit the Sleeping Beauty spin-off Maleficent (which now has a sequel) and the Jungle Book remake became. Based on what little the trailer gave and the words of the creators themselves, Frozen 2 may be following this trend in the hopes of capturing a wider audience while also taking its well-known characters to unexplored territory.
With Disney’s successful history of secretive yet effective marketing, a profitable track record with young adult-themed family movies, a notably lucrative pre-Thanksgiving release date, and the sequel’s excited fanbase, Frozen 2’s success isn’t a matter of “if” but one of “when” and “by how much.”
It’s currently impossible to predict if the sequel will out-gross and surpass the legacy of its predecessor—after all, these depend on the movie’s execution and eventual reception—but it’s obvious that Disney has another blockbuster hit waiting to be unleashed.
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