The Frozen 3 First Look Has Everyone Saying The Same Thing

With "Frozen" one of Disney's all-time biggest hits (and with the legacy of the animation studio, that's saying a lot), it was a no-brainer that they would continue to capitalize on the franchise. After "Frozen" broke records and had everyone and their dog humming "Let It Go," Disney released a follow-up to their beloved story of sisterly affection in 2019. This time, Elsa and Anna leave Arendelle, where they will learn more about themselves and each other. But they were hardly going to just stop there, right? After two hit films, a spin-off musical, and an entire land dedicated to it at both Disneyland Hong Kong and Tokyo Disneysea, the third "Frozen" film was only a matter of time.

At this year's D23 exposition, fans got a sneak peak at "Frozen III," the third film in the series (and one of many recently annouced sequel films alongside "Toy Story 5," "Incredibles 3," and "Zootopia 2"). And although details are fairly sparse on the ground about what the actual storyline will be, eagle-eyed fans have spotted a few key elements that suggest "Frozen III" will take inspiration from Norse mythology.

"Frozen III" was previously slated to come out in 2026, but at D23, there was the official announcement that the hotly anticipated film would be pushed back to 2027. Most of the main cast is likely to return to reprise their extremely popular characters, including Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel as Anna and Elsa, respectively, along with Jonathan Groff as Kristoff and Josh Gad as Olaf. Although the storyline will likely pick up where "Frozen II" left off, we haven't yet gotten any hints as to new characters that might turn up in the third film. 

Still, producer Jennifer Lee offered a tantilizing glimpse of things to come, saying, "Coming out of 'Frozen 2,' we still have some questions. A lot of questions actually. Now, you see why we need two films to tell this story." With this, she set the stage for "Frozen III," while also seemingly confirming the rumors that a fourth "Frozen" movie has already been greenlit. Beyond this, fans at D23 were treated to a single piece of concept art in the "Sleeping Beauty" aesthetic, showcasing Anna on a brown horse and Elsa on a white one, both riding towards a shining castle in the sky.

As they say, a picture's worth a thousand words, and fans have been quick to read into this concept art to try to determine what "Frozen III" will actually be about. Many have zeroed in on both the city in the sky and the dark, intimidating figure in the bottom right corner as evidence that the film will lean into Norse mythology for inspiration. "Oh my god it's loki," said @swifferstruggle on X, formerly known as Twitter, referring to what may be hinted as the villain of the piece. This was a common take, with @sunsolveig writing further, "Since Frozen is based off of Norwegian culture and folklore my bet is that this movie is gonna be about Norse mythology because of the shadow on the bottom right looking kinda Viking-ish/Loki-ish."

At the same time, others focused more intently on the city in the sky, making the argument that it represents Valhalla, the famed afterlife of Viking warriors. "Frozen 3 is going to be amazing and I can prove it!" @daeshyr wrote excitedly, breaking down elements of the concept art on X. "In the background of the released concept art, we have VALHALLA with 2 Vikings silhouettes and another large one in the river. I'm sure they'll delve deeper into the Norse mythology of this universe and it'll be amazing!"

We'll have to wait a few more years before we can see the finished product, but these fans seem to be on the right track. Will Elsa and Anna cross paths with the Norse trickster god? Only time will tell.