Disney is definitely milking the success of its blockbuster animated hit "Frozen." Although children (and no doubt, adults as well) may have to wait a little more while for the movie's sequel, a book version of the story's sequel will reportedly hit the shelves by January 6 next year, Cinemablend said. Random House has announced that it will be releasing a chapter-book series based on the lovable characters of Arendelle to continue the story of the 2013 hit. The first two book titles are "Anna & Elsa #1: All Hail the Queen" and its follow-up story, "Anna & Elsa #2: Memory and Magic," and will provide more details about the relationship of the royal sisters Anna and Elsa.
"We have seen our Disney Never Girls series fill a real niche in the chapter book market, and with the momentum for Frozen only continuing to grow, we knew this was the perfect focus for this new series," Random House children's division president Barbara Marcus told The Hollywood Reporter.
Random House is no small player in the publishing industry. The company is also a popular publisher in the young adult genre, having spun out literary versions of popular movies, "How to Train Your Dragon," "Legend of Korra" and "Mr. Peabody & Sherman," all penned by writer Erica David. Marcus has expressed that the "Frozen" book series would hit it off with young readers just like its other popular "Never Girls" series, which is also based on Disney's fictional Neverland.
Cinemablend said that the book launch is surely what Disney has announced as part of its five-year expansion plan for the franchise. The "Frozen" fever has allowed the company to foray into Sing-Along screenings, a Broadway-style stage show, and a traveling Ice-Capades show.
"There's a lot of active development. You will see Frozen in more places than you see today. ... This has real franchise potential. We expect to see not just new product but continued interest in this and continued impact on the bottom line for quite awhile. Its success speaks volumes on the future of animation at our company," Walt Disney Company CEO Bib Iger was quoted by Variety during Disney's earnings call.
As for the movie's sequel? Forbes said Disney's plans to postpone "Frozen 2" might actually backfire. The magazine said, "Disney foregoing another round in Arendelle is basically tantamount to passing up free money in the hundreds-of-millions. That they haven't out-and-out committed and may leave it without a sequel shows something vaguely resembling artistic integrity as a matter of company policy."
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