Frozen 2 Movie To Release in 2016: 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman?' Preview, Cast, and Plot Spoilers

Mar 13, 2015 01:43 PM EDT

"Frozen" fans around the world can rejoice--Queen Elsa, Olaf, and Princess Elsa will once again return to the big screen. On Wednesday, Walt Disney Co. announced plans to make a sequel to the animated mega-hit, which features the wildly popular song, "Let It Go."

The news of a "Frozen" sequel, which was announced by Variety, came as no surprise to fans, as the film made nearly $1.3 billion worldwide at the box office--making it the highest grossing animated film of all time. The film, which was released in November 2013, also won the Academy Award for best animated feature and best original song for "Let It Go."

The creators of "Frozen" have given fans a sneak peek of the upcoming film by way of a 7-minute digital short called "Frozen Fever," which plays ahead of Cinderella, which is currently in theaters. "Frozen Fever" features Queen Elsa and Princess Anna singing away as they decorate for Anna's birthday party. Unfortunately, Elsa is coming down with a nasty cold, which threatens to prevent the party from taking place.

Although Disney didn't announce any details on the sequel's plot or a release date, they did reveal that "Frozen" writers and co-directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck will be returning.

"We enjoyed making Frozen Fever so much and being back in that world with those characters," said John Lasseter, head of Walt Disney Animation Studios said. "Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck have come up with a great idea for a sequel and you will be hearing a lot more about it and we're taking you back to Arendelle."

The "Frozen" producers also revealed that Josh Gad, the voice of the snowman Olaf, will be back for the sequel, but no other returning characters were officially announced. After the announcement, Gad expressed his joy in an Instagram photo of him grinning from ear-to-ear with Lasseter, captioned: "As you can see we are not mildly excited."

Kristen Bell, who voices Princess Anna,  also expressed her excitement on social media. Following the news of "Frozen 2",  Bell posted a photo on Twitter in which she is shown laying on a bag of ice. The caption reads, "Dreams really do come 2!!! #FROZEN2 #itsofficial!" leading many to predict she will also be returning for the sequel.

Additionally, Idina Menzel, who voices Queen Elsa, hinted at her involvement in the upcoming film back in December 2014.

So far, the rumored plotline for Frozen 2, according to KDrama News, is that Elsa will be getting a love interest, as Anna already has Kristoff.  Another rumor is that the creators of "Frozen" have discussed adding more big-name actors to the sequel, including Jamie Foxx, Melissa McCarthy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew McConaughey, and Judi Dench.

Also, as previously mentioned by the Gospel Herald, the first "Frozen" film was left open for a sequel as two of its antagonists, Hans and the Duke, were still alive and being taken away from Arendelle.  Another popular theory is that the two villains may work together and attempt to overthrow Queen Elsa in the subsequent film. However, because Elsa is extremely powerful--she even has the ability to make a living snowman--overthrowing her might not be as simple as her enemies think.

In the meantime, other upcoming Disney movies include "Moana" and "Zootopia," which are slated for release in 2016, and the upcoming film "Inside Out," which was created in collaboration with PIXAR.