Disney has announced that a sequel to Frozen is in the works. The news came earlier in February from Disney’s chief executive Bob Iger, who made a statement about the business, structuring, and future works planned for the company.
Upcoming sequels
Mr Iger announced that not only would there be an upcoming sequel to Frozen, but audiences could look forward to another addition to the Toy Story films as well as Zootopia. He explained:
“I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises: Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia.
We’ll have more to share about this production soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivalled brands and franchises.”
While many youngsters and thespians will be excited at the news, there have also been business decisions made by Disney that are less upbeat, with Iger announcing there would be a restructuring of the company that would see 7,000 job losses following a drop in subscribers to the Disney+ streaming platform. The cuts will be a part of a new restructuring initiative aiming to boost profits of Disney+.
Mr Iger had recently announced that he would be leaving the CEO position in two years’ time due to the financial disagreements with investors. Following a rise in the cost to subscribe to Disney+, the company allegedly lost 2.4 million customers who had previously been using the service.
Disney100
On Super Bowl Sunday, Disney also released a video commercial celebrating the 100th anniversary of the company. Featuring a montage of filmed and animated movies, as well as fan home videos, stage productions of the musicals, and workers dressed as characters visiting sick children, the voice of Walt Disney features at the end of the video:
“I just want to say a word of thanks to all the artists, the workers, and all of you. The young, and the young at heart. You helped make this dream come true.”
With the video’s release Bob Iger stated:
“As we commemorate our historic 100th anniversary, it is remarkable to look back at Walt Disney’s legacy and his passionate pursuit of excellence that continue to propel the company forward today. We are incredibly grateful to the generations of people all over the world for being such a special part of our history and for inviting our stories and characters into their lives over the past century. Disney100 represents a celebration of all of our fans and families, and our storytellers and creative visionaries whose talents and imaginations have created the magical moments that make Disney such an enduring part of the global culture.”
With a host of planned events and celebrations for the 100-year anniversary, the months ahead look to be interesting. An exhibition featuring rare artwork, artefacts, costumes, props and more will tour the USA and Europe after opening in Philadelphia this February, while there are night shows currently underway at theme parks Disneyland California and Disney’s California Adventure, with more to come throughout the year.
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