I’ve got bad news, Frozen fans: Although it’s very cold out (at least in some parts of the country), there’s nothing new in the Frozen vein to get excited about very soon. Sure, Frozen is going to be a huge for the next few years—the Frozen Broadway musical in 2017, Frozen 2 in 2018. But there’s nothing in 2016, and man… I miss it. It’s going to be a long wait for Frozen, and we don’t even have a Frozen Fever to look forward to this year.

Frozen 2 In 2016: Nope

Frozen was a huge, huge hit when it first came out in 2013. Then it was an even bigger hit in 2014. And it didn’t really taper off that much in 2015, did it? I sure saw lots of Frozen costumes and merchandise and all that sort of thing, even though the only actual content we got was the short Frozen Fever in front of Cinderella. That’s small potatoes, but it was welcome. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to Arendelle.

And it’ll be a long time more. To its credit and our frustration, Disney is taking its sweet time building the next two cornerstones of the Frozen world. Those are the Broadway musical, slated to open in 2017, and of course Frozen 2, destined for 2018, with nebulous plot details flying already. Both are very big deals. Disney has made much hay from its musicals, and they tend to have exceptionally long runs. And if Frozen is still as popular next year as it has generally been, the Broadway adaptation should be no different. It might even squeak past Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as the biggest opening worldwide next year.

The Frozen 2 release date is a whole ‘nother story. The movie is loosely scheduled for 2018, a full five years after the original Frozen came out. That’s quite a long time—kids who loved it will be surly teenagers by then. Us adults who loved it will still be adults, though, and there will be a whole new generation of kids to fall in love with Frozen 2 and the original. So far as we know, Disney is going out of its way to do everything right for Frozen 2. The company is taking its time; it brought back the same team, and it didn’t rush them. Frozen 2 is actually, believe it or not, a big risk. Disney wants to make it as likely as possible that Frozen 2 is another huge hit. And that means it’s going to, in all likelihood, be pretty darn good… but man, it’s a long wait. Unless Disney announces another short like Frozen Fever as a fun winter surprise! Come on Disney, you can throw us that bone, can't you?