Jennifer Lee says she’s blown away with what she’s seen for ‘FROZEN 3’ so far.
Though the third “Frozen” installment is in early stages, Disney Animation chief creative officer Jennifer Lee — who directed the first two frosty films — told BFI London Film Festival attendees on Thursday that she is “blown away” by what she’s seen so far.
“Every morning last week they carved out space for me to work with the creative team on it, and I am blown away and I am so excited,” Lee said during a Spotlight conversation with Tricia Tuttle, head of directing fiction at the National Film and Television School. “I don’t know what I’m doing on it yet — I’m not doing nothing — except doing what I do now, which is we work on every project as as team and I’m in there with creative. But with ‘Frozen,’ just a little bit more.”
When Amazon’s The Boys first premiered, it was lauded as a fresh take on the superhero genre, skewering tropes and corporate motivations in equal measure and pulling no punches with its violence and commentary on the broader state of Hollywood. Based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys has now established itself comfortably as a staple of the modern superhero landscape with three seasons currently under its belt and a fourth on the way. This acceptance raises an interesting question for a show that initially positioned itself as an outsider work, and in the eyes of some fans, this is where the franchise has begun to falter, leaning more into its own mythology and offering commentary that feels increasingly obvious and broad.
Marvel Studios’ original series lineup for Disney+ has been a mixed bag in these last two years. Some shows have faded away with hardly any lasting impact on both audiences and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large, while others have earned acclaimed status in what is already a grandiose franchise. Loki was a project that was always destined for success with Tom Hiddleston reprising the titular, fan-favorite villain. The God of Mischief’s character arc has evolved arguably more than any other Marvel character over the years, from first being the MCU’s main villain to now attempting to be its very savior in Loki Season 2. There have been some significant changes to the creative crew of Loki since the first season came to a close in 2021. Eric Martin, who was a staff writer on season one, has taken over head writer responsibilities from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron. In the directing department, Kate Herron passes the baton to a slew of directors this time around, including Dan Deleeuw, Kasra Farahani, and directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
Meanwhile, Loki Season 2 directors Dan Deleeuw and Kasra Farahani were previously heads of the Visual Effects and Production Design departments, respectively, on the first season. These two names are true Marvel alumni with Farahani working on titles as early as Thor and Deleeuw since Iron Man 3, but has recently served as a second unit director on Eternals and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Impressively, the third episode of this season, one that is certain to garner attention for its sheer scale, is Farahani’s first directorial credit.
The promise of a spin-off from The Boys raises as many questions as it answers: will a show that purports to satirize the superhero genre fall into its greatest trap? Will this new series build on The Boys’ criticisms of the superhero industrial complex, or entirely prioritize its internal lore? What is The Boys without the characters we’ve spent years following? With all of these questions in mind, I went into Gen V unsure of what to expect, or even what I wanted. And to much surprise, the most consistent feeling coming out of the show’s first 6 episodes is confidence. Gen V is incredibly sure of what it is, where it stands in a broader context, and more importantly, what it has to offer.
In addition to directing “Frozen” and “Frozen II,” Lee penned the screenplays. Of making another film in the franchise, she said: “Our philosophy is this, and it won’t change: If there is more story to tell, the filmmakers have to drive it. And I’ll say with ‘Frozen,’ Marc Smith, who was our director of story on ‘Frozen 2,’ came with an incredible idea for more ‘Frozen,’ and it’s worth it.”
Lee also co-wrote the screenplay for Disney’s upcoming animated musical “Wish,” which stars Ariana DeBose as Asha, a 17-year-old girl who wishes upon a star. Lee gifted the audience with a clip of the musical number “I’m a Star” from the movie, in which Asha sees a forest come to life through a star’s magic, and also teased Chris Pine’s villain, Magnifico.