The roles of Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell are still being negotiated, and things have come down to securing adequate compensation, so it looks like we might even get a more official confirmation soon. Both actresses have been very excited about the opportunity to return to this production though, so we can expect them to their work with great enthusiasm.
There is a lot of time to go until the film is ready to be shown to the public, so all we can do right now is wait for Disney to release more information.
We wouldn’t expect any information to be released until at least 2016 in light of the current release schedule, but we might still hear the occasional rumor about the production here and there, especially once they pick up the pace. Of course, with a production as hyped as this, we should also be careful and take everything with a grain of salt as there will likely be lots of false rumors.
FINALLY, an article that isn’t making wild claims that “Hans is going to marry Elsa” or “Chris Buck is basing it off of Oz”
You’re right, all of the rumors should be duly ignored until we can get some REAL information from Buck or Lee. And no, as far as we know, the writing is nowhere near done yet.
But the 2018 release date wasn’t really a surprise. In fact, as far as I know, that date has yet to be confirmed by Walt Disney Animation Studios; it is speculation by the fans that it will be released in 2018. It’s an educated guess based on their current release schedule for other movies, and the amount of time it took to write the first movie.
I should mention, too, that not only is Disney careful with sequels… they have NEVER DONE a sequel themselves. Let me be clear, I’m talking about Walt Disney Animation Studios, and not its smaller, poorly-funded subdivisions. That’s why they have a horrible track record when it comes to sequels–because they are always handled by a different group of people. So, this is a really big thing, having them make a sequel themselves.
P.S. it wasn’t announced a few weeks ago. It was announced nearly three months ago, on the day that Frozen Fever hit theaters: March 12.