SHE'S BACK! Jennifer Lee Steps Down from Disney Exec Role To Write and Direct Next Frozen Movies

It’s no secret that Disney’s Frozen franchise has been a massive success — and fans certainly aren’t quick to… let it go.

Frozen and Frozen 2 were both massive successes at the box office and Disney has made hay with rides inspired by the movie — and even an entire park land with the World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland. The writer responsible for the success of the franchise has taken up the role of chief creative officer at Disney — but that’s all changing soon.

According to Variety, Disney Animation’s chief creative officer, Jennifer Lee, will be stepping down from her role to focus back on filmmaking. Instead, she will be focusing fully on writing and directing Frozen 3 and Frozen 4. Jared Bush, who won an Academy Award for Encanto and currently works as a writer and executive producer on Moana 2 will be taking Lee’s place.

Lee served as writer and director for both Frozen and Frozen 2, so it makes sense that Disney would want to bring her back to ensure the third and fourth movies would be just as big as the first two. The first Frozen movie made $1.3 billion worldwide and earned two Oscars — for best animated feature and for the hit song, “Let It Go.”

Following John Lasseter’s departure from Disney Animation in 2018, Lee was named chief creative officer of the studio — at the same time she was writing and directing the second Frozen film, which made $1.45 billion worldwide.

“I am so grateful to Bob and Alan for supporting my decision to return to filmmaking full time,” she shared. “I’ve always believed in Jared’s incredible talent and can’t wait to see, with his passion and dedication to animation, what he brings to the CCO role.”

On the personnel switch, Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman said, “Jared Bush is an incredible filmmaker and a talented executive who’s been a prominent creative force at Disney Animation for the past decade, and I am thrilled that he’ll be taking the reins of this storied studio.”

“I also want to thank Jennifer Lee for her passionate leadership of the studio over the past several years – she’s made an indelible mark on both Disney Animation and the industry. I know she has so many more stories to tell, and there is truly no one better suited to oversee the continuation of the beloved story of Frozen.”

“I am so deeply grateful to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their faith in me, and thankful to Jennifer for her leadership and for her generous support as she embarks on the next chapters of Frozen,” said Bush. “I’m so excited to work with all of our filmmakers, artists, and Disney Animation team members as we shape the future of this legendary studio together.”

We’re excited that Jennifer Lee will be back to write and direct the next installments in the Frozen franchise. Frozen 3 is slated to come out on November 24th, 2027.

In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news and more!