ANAHEIM, Calif. — Disney gave fans their first extended look at “Frozen 3” on Friday night, revealing that Anna and Kristoff’s long-awaited wedding will open the film before a mysterious new villain and an unexplored, dangerous realm pull the characters far from their kingdom of Arendelle.

The reveal came during Disney’s D23 Entertainment Showcase at the Honda Center in Anaheim, where stars Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell walked onto the stage together and performed a rendition of “Frozen Heart,” the song that opened the original 2013 film, before discussing the upcoming threequel in detail. Bell confirmed that Anna will marry Kristoff, referring to her love interest by his familiar nickname. “This royal wedding has been a long time coming,” Bell told the crowd, noting that Elsa will be by her sister’s side for the ceremony.

According to descriptions from outlets present at the event, the footage shown to the D23 audience opened on the night of Anna and Kristoff’s wedding, when the newlyweds come upon Elsa on a dock, studying a mysterious stone that appears to open a portal into an entirely new, snow-covered dimension. Menzel, who plays Elsa, described the realm awaiting the characters as considerably more perilous than anything her character has previously encountered. “A frozen land more wild and dangerous than anything Elsa has ever created,” Menzel said, teasing the scale of the adventure awaiting Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven in the new film.

Once the characters step through the portal, they are quickly confronted by a new antagonist. Outlets in attendance described the character as a woman with short black hair and a dark, dramatic cape, though her face was not shown during the footage. In the scene, the new villain approaches the group from atop a snowy peak and addresses Anna and Elsa directly, acknowledging their identity as Arendelle’s ruling sisters in a tone that made clear she was not a friendly presence.

The presentation also confirmed a lighter subplot involving fan-favorite snowman Olaf. Josh Gad, who voices the character, joined Bell and Menzel on stage to perform a new song dedicated to a character named Samantha, described as Olaf’s love interest in the upcoming film. The addition appears to be a nod to a running joke from “Frozen 2,” in which Olaf briefly mentions an imaginary friend named Samantha during the film’s post-credits scene.

“Frozen 3” is scheduled for release November 24, 2027, timed to arrive just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, mirroring the release strategy Disney used for the franchise’s two previous installments. The returning voice cast includes Bell as Anna, Menzel as Elsa, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff and Gad as Olaf, with the story once again centered on the fictional kingdom of Arendelle, even as this chapter is expected to take the characters well beyond its borders for much of the film.

Friday’s reveal builds on concept art Disney first showed for the project two years earlier, also at D23, depicting Elsa and Anna riding separately toward a distant white palace, with Elsa mounted on the water spirit Nokk and Olaf perched on the back of Anna’s horse. At that earlier presentation, “Frozen 3” co-director Jennifer Lee said the story had grown complex enough that it would take two films to resolve the questions left open at the end of “Frozen 2,” a comment that first confirmed a fourth “Frozen” film was also in development alongside the third.

Kristen Bell has previously discussed the film’s development in press interviews, telling Variety in October 2025 that production was getting underway, though she had not yet heard any of the film’s music at that point. Bell also used that interview to deny reports claiming she would be paid $60 million to reprise her role as Anna, though she did not disclose her actual compensation for the film.

The “Frozen” franchise ranks among Disney’s most commercially successful properties, with its first two films combining for more than $2.76 billion in worldwide box office receipts and two Academy Awards. “Frozen 2,” released in 2019, remains one of the highest-grossing animated films in box office history.

With “Frozen 3” still more than a year from release, Disney has not yet revealed the new villain’s identity, name or full motivations, nor detailed the specific nature of the frozen realm introduced in Friday’s footage. For now, fans have confirmation of a wedding, a new romance for Olaf, and the outline of a threat serious enough to pull Anna and Elsa away from Arendelle once again, with additional details expected to emerge as the film moves closer to its Thanksgiving 2027 release.

Dr. Bill Conerly connects the dots between the economy and business decisions. He has the unique combination of a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University and over 30 years’ experience helping companies adapt to changing economic conditions. He has worked in economics and corporate planning at two Fortune 500 corporations and at a major bank, where he was senior vice president. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.   Companies have used Dr. Conerly’s expertise to help with decisions regarding capital expenditures, inventory levels, expansion into new markets, pricing, business models and financial structure. Dr. Conerly is an on-line contributor to Forbes.com and the author of The Flexible Stance: Thriving in a Boom/Bust Economy (2016) as well as Businomics (2007). He had been interviewed on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CNN and CNBC. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and USA Today.