"Frozen" Director Jennifer Lee Will Not Return for Threequel

After steering both 2013's "Frozen" and its 2019 sequel "Frozen 2" to massive success for Disney, director Jennifer Lee will "let it go" to someone else. 

Speaking to "The Wrap" at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Lee revealed that she will not helm "Frozen 3", which Disney announced during its Q1 earnings call earlier this year. 

Lee is one of Disney's most proven creatives on the animation side of things, penning the story for "Zootopia" and the screenplay "Wreck-It Ralph".

She is also attached as one of the writers of Disney's upcoming animation "Wish" starring Chris Pine and Ariana DeBose.

When it comes to "Frozen", however, Lee has done it all as a writer, director, and producer with co-director Chris Buck. 

"Frozen II" flew to great heights in 2019, earning $1.4 billion, with the 2013 first installment bringing in $1.2 billion. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel lead the cast. 

She shared in the glory with the rest of the team when the original movie took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature back in 2014. 

It is currently unknown who will take over her directorial duties for the new adventures of Anna, Elsa, and the Arendelle residence. 

Although Lee is stepping back from her directorial duties, she is still on board in an advisory position to help the new filmmakers who will take the reins of the franchise. 

"I can’t say where we are with Frozen 3. All our stories are driven by the artists in the studio. Where we’re going with Frozen did not come from me," she noted. 

"It came from an incredible person. That’s a new piece, I’ve told no one. And I’ve been blown away by it and I’m just having a blast with that team,". 

"I’m doing what I do with all the other projects. It’s really fun on ‘Frozen,’…cause we’ve lived the world for a while together and a lot of the artists in the studio grew up with that film too, both of them and have been there the whole way…They kinda own them as much as anyone else," Lee added.

The director reassured fans that she is not ready to rule out directing again, especially if it was at the House of Mouse. 

"I know someday I want to be a filmmaker again. I’m old but I’m not that old! I’ve only done two films and I do believe there’s a time — I’ll know it — but there’s a time when you give everything you can and then you make room for innovation of the next person. I can’t imagine anywhere but Disney.”