Don’t expect your kids to let go of “Let It Go” any time soon.
On Wednesday, Walt Disney Pictures unveiled the first trailer for this fall’s Frozen 2, the sequel to the 2013 hit animated film, which made $400 million in U.S. theaters, and more than a billion dollars worldwide.
The dialogue-free trailer reunites the gang from the original Frozen, including sisters Anna and Elsa; snowman Olaf; and all-around-ice-guy Sven.
It’s the first entry in what’s sure to be an extensive year-long awareness campaign for Frozen 2, which is slated for release November 22. The film is one of several high-profile features the studio has in the works for this year, including Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 4, an as-yet-unnamed Star Wars sequel, and remakes of such studio classics as Aladdin, Dumbo, and The Lion King.
The movie’s release in 2013 represented a turnaround for Disney’s animation studio, which had under-performed after a run of hits in the ’90s, and had been largely hit-or-miss in the early 2000s. “We went through a long period where, for a variety of reasons, we weren’t making the films that drove the perception of the company and the brand,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in 2014.
Now, the Frozen sequel looks to be one of the studio’s biggest hits of 2019, part of a multi-media franchise that was boosted by a successful home video launch, a massive merchandising push, a soundtrack featuring such hits as “Let It Go,” and a smash Broadway musical.
Frozen 2 is opening right before Thanksgiving, traditionally a huge weekend for family films. The original film opened to nearly $67 million in 2013, but given Frozen‘s appeal, the sequel’s opening haul could easily double that. Some fans just can’t let it go.
