'Frozen' gets a sequel – in book form

The wildly popular Disney flick 'Frozen' is getting a series of books expanding the story's universe and continuing the adventures of Elsa and Anna.

It's no exaggeration to say that Disney's "Frozen" was an enormous hit.

The film raked in over a billion dollars at the box office, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and its songs have gotten stuck in the heads of listeners all over the world. With success like that, Disney can't afford to just "let it go."

Fans of "Frozen" may have to wait a little while for a film sequel, but they won't have to wait long to see what lies ahead for Anna and Elsa. The sisters will be featured in a series of books that will start hitting shelves early next year.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new series will be a set of chapter books intended for younger readers that will continue the "Frozen" story and expand the universe of "Frozen."  The books will concentrate on the relationship between the siblings as they become closer together after the events of the movie.

The first two books in the series will be coming out in January, with two more coming later in the year.

Random House children's division president Barbara Marcus, comparing the upcoming "Frozen" books to their "Never Girls" series, set in Disney's Neverland, said that now was the perfect time to continue the "Frozen" story, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "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," she said.

According to the Associated Press, Random House has already sold more than 8 million books related to "Frozen." The official continuation of the story will likely draw a huge number of younger fans of the 2013 movie that became the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

The books will be written by Erica David, who has written dozens of spinoffs of films and television, including Nickelodeon's "Legend of Korra" and DreamWorks' "How to Train Your Dragon."

According to CinemaBlend, the new series of books is likely part of a 5-year Disney marketing strategy for the "Frozen" franchise. In addition to the books, a Broadway show based on the movie is in the works, as well as on-ice show (appropriately enough). Even ABC's "Once Upon a Time" will feature live-action versions of various "Frozen" characters in the upcoming season.

It seems that the only thing Disney hasn't announced yet is whether (or, more likely, when) "Frozen 2" will come out. In the meantime, there's always the books.

"Anna & Elsa #1: All Hail the Queen" and its sequel, "Anna & Elsa #2: Memory and Magic," will be released on January 6, 2015. 

Weston Williams is a Monitor contributor.