'Frozen 2' is set to begin production and recording sessions this month. Kristen Bell will be reprising her role as the lead protagonist Princess Anna. The actress will be joined by co-star Idina Menzel, who will return to voice Queen Elsa.
According to The Telegraph, Bell revealed that production for Disney's long-awaited sequel will begin this month. She is set to return as the voice of Princess Anna, one of the series' main protagonists. The 32-year old actress and singer addressed the delay saying that the official announcement for a follow-up took a while since the team was still putting together an "engaging" story worth telling.
She said, "What I know about that whole team is that they wouldn't just put something out to put it out... That's why it took them so long to even announce that we were doing a second one... It took them a while because they wanted to figure out what story they needed to tell and what would be important and engaging and I think they found it."
Bell will reprise her role as Anna, Princess of Arendelle and younger sister to Elsa the Snow Queen. Her character was based loosely on Gerda in Han Christian Andersen's fairytale 'The Snow Queen'. Anna was first introduced in the 2013 film as a free-spirited, fearless yet naïve teenager who was desperate to reconnect with her sister as well as find true love.
The creation of Anna was also inspired by Bell herself as the filmmakers wanted a character that was distinct from previous iconic Disney princesses. She is portrayed as a slender, fair-skinned girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes.
The first film was released in November 2013 and was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. It went on to receive mainstream success as well as numerous awards and nominations. It won Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes as well as two Academy Award wins for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for 'Let It Go'.
According to Collider, Disney only announced that a sequel was in the works in 2015. Bell revealed, "They've just written it and they're still doing tweaks, but I think we should be recording this month. The story is great, and they exude quality."
It was reported by the Independent that fans may be expecting a Christmas release this year should production go as planned. However, it is also likely that 'Frozen 2' might make it to cinemas much later - perhaps in 2018.
Idinia Menzel will be reuniting with Bell for the upcoming animated film as the voice of Queen Elsa. The Tony Award-winner already has numerous full-feature film credits to her name and rose to international prominence as Maureen Johnson in the cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical 'Rent', released in 2005. She also starred in several theater productions throughout her career including 'Wicked', 'The Vagina Monologues' and 'Funny Girl'.
'Frozen 2' is a planned animated film featuring the return of lead actresses Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. It is intended as the sequel to the 2013 blockbuster hit of the same me.
