Frozen headed to Broadway

Disney is very pleased with the success of Frozen, and it's planning on doubling-down by bringing the smash hit to Broadway.

Frozen, which stars Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel in a loose adaptation on Hans Christen Andersen's The Snow Queen, has what Disney CEO Bob Iger calls "franchise potential," meaning the story and characters will soon start showing up as toys and theme park attractions, and yes, a Broadway musical.

"I realized, 'My goodness, Disney Animation is where it rightfully belongs,'" Iger said, referring to the studio's recent string of successes beginning with 2010's Tangled and 2012's Wreck-It-Ralph. "The exhilaration was profound. It's not about the bottom line. The bottom line is for the quarter. This is for something bigger and longer."

It helps that the film's soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 this week, and the composers, husband-and-wife duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, are Broadway veterans.

Robert Lopez won Tony Awards for Avenue Q and Book of Mormon (which also won a Grammy), and Kristen Anderson-Lopez's Drama Desk Award-winning In Transit is heading to Broadway.

But when, exactly, Anna and Elsa will see their names in lights on a White Way marquee isn't clear, and Iger said there's no specific time frame.

"We're not demanding speed," Iger said. "We're demanding excellence."

[Fortune]