Disney Says Frozen, Toy Story Sequels Are in the Works

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced 7,000 layoffs as part of a $5.5 billion cost-cutting package Wednesday—but he had better news for fans of some of the company's biggest animated hits. Iger announced that Frozen, Toy Story, and Zootopia sequels are in the works, Deadline reports. "We'll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we're leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises," he said. The most recent installments of the franchises—Frozen 2, Toy Story 4, and the first Zootopia movie—all grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, while box office figures for more recent original films like Encanto and Strange World have been a lot lower, Deadline notes.

Out of the three projects announced Wednesday, Toy Story 5 might be the most controversial, the AV Club reports. Fans say the endings of both the third and fourth installments seemed like clear finales to the franchise, and that a fifth movie would be like putting a "hat on a hat on a hat." The Orange County Register reports that Iger also announced that an "exciting Avatar experience" would be coming to Disneyland. He cited the "stunning" success of the "Pandora: World of Avatar" themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida. (More Disney stories.)