Fans of Disney should prepare for the return of some fan-favorite franchises. The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger confirmed Toy Story 5, Frozen 2, and Zootopia 2 are in the works.
Iger returned as Disney CEO following Bob Chapek's exit in November 2022. Since his return, he's aimed to return the company to its pre-pandemic days. Not even Disney has been immune to the effects of the pandemic, and during Chapek's tenure from 2020 to 2022, the company experienced several downturns. Unfortunately, this has resulted in layoffs for the company and several other problems.
During an earnings call, Iger hinted at an attempt to regain the success it enjoyed during his previous tenure. “Today I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia,” Iger said. “We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivalled brands and franchises.”
These three franchises have proven to be some of Disney's most popular. The Toy Story brand has expanded to include spin-offs such as Lightyear, and Frozen has enjoyed unprecedented popularity and already made its mark on a generation of animation fans. Zootopia, meanwhile, recently expanded into streaming with the launch of Zootopia+.
Iger recently commented that Disney had no plans to acquire more assets, signalling a pivot towards building up their current assets. Likely, Disney won't feel adventurous anytime soon, as its announcement of sequels means that the studio will focus on reliable franchises with guaranteed returns. The failure of original films such as Strange World also points towards a more conservative era for Disney. Had that film succeeded, Disney might have been slightly more open to new IPs. However, because that film severely underperformed at the box office, the likelihood of more original properties diminishes.
Interestingly, Toy Story's inclusion in the slate could mean new Pixar movie sequels are on the table. It's already known that Inside Out 2 is scheduled for a June release next year, but the possibility exists that other Pixar properties could gain new entries. The Incredibles franchise, for example, is one of which fans have been begging for more. Not only has that franchise proven reliable, but there are plenty more stories to tell in that universe. Hopefully, Disney's return to reliability doesn't mean there won't be any originality.
Source: Deadline
