It’s official: “Frozen” isn’t thawing anytime soon.
Tuesday night during an ABC special called “The Story of ‘Frozen’: Making a Disney Animated Classic,” the House of Mouse revealed a new “Frozen” short is in the works. Details were scarce, as Disney’s chief creative officer briefly announced the news at the end of the hour.
“We are bringing back the characters from ‘Frozen,’ and we are doing a short,” said John Lasseter. “It will have a new song, and basically the whole crew is returning. It’s absolutely hilarious.”
Variety reports that an announcement from Disney indicated the short will be called “Frozen Fever” and will premiere next spring.
“In the short, it’s Anna’s birthday, and Elsa and Kristoff are determined to give her the best celebration ever, but Elsa’s icy powers may put more than just the party at risk,” the announcement said. “Olaf, the snowman, also will make an appearance in the toon.”
There’s no word yet on what other characters will be involved — though every major character from the film appeared on-screen at Lasseter’s mention of “the whole crew” coming back.
The $1.3 billion film’s directors will return to helm the project, as well as its Oscar-winning songwriters to pen a new tune.
Though specific timing was not mentioned, it seems likely that the short could appear as part of a package deal in front of one of the studio’s upcoming features. The short that preceded “Frozen” last fall, “Get a Horse!,” snagged itself an Oscar nomination.
A feature-length sequel to the highest-grossing animated film of all time seems an obvious move, but no plans have yet been announced. A Broadway version and a novelization series are in the works, and a new “Frozen” story line will be introduced on the ABC fantasy series “Once Upon a Time” in late September.