FILM · 2024 · USA
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
25 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
25 Interesting Facts About Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Interesting Facts (18)
- #001
When Gary says he has picked a film for movie night, he is holding a VHS copy of Cannibal Girls (1973). It was the second feature film directed by Ivan Reitman, who directed Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and he also served as producer on this film dedicated to him. The title "Cannibal Girls" can also be seen on a cinema marquee in both Ghostbusters II (1989) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021).
- #002
The scenes in which Trevor tries to catch Slimer resemble a subplot written for Ghostbusters II (1989) that was ultimately cut. In that deleted subplot, also set in the Ghostbusters' headquarters and intended as a joke in that film, Louis Tully tried several times to catch Slimer but failed. He also tried to trap him with food, something Trevor does.
- #003
According to Mckenna Grace, working with the surviving original cast was somewhat harder (at least for her) compared with Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), where the original cast members arrived near the end of the film and were on set for only 2 weeks to shoot the climax. On this installment, the original cast members were on set for about 90% of the shoot. Grace admitted that working with them and listening to their stories was fun, but that she was also a little intimidated and worried about messing things up in front of the men who started it all 40 years earlier.
- #004
Gil Kenan confirmed that the late Ivan Reitman was aware of the film's plans before his death in February 2022 (3 months before the sequel was officially announced by Sony). Kenan and Jason Reitman walked the director of the original film through all of their presentations, and he gave his approval.
- #005
- #006
- #007
This is the first Ghostbusters film in the original canon in which Sigourney Weaver's character Dana Barrett does not appear, to the point that the characters do not mention her directly. The only reference to her is the posters outside the library advertising a concert performance by "Cellist Dana Barrett," visible before the Owner animates one of the lion statues.
- #008
Kumail Nanjiani spoke about the influence of The Real Ghostbusters (1986) on the film. That influence also extends to the design of the proton packs. Photos in Empire magazine show that the Ghost Traps are now holstered on the sides of the packs rather than hanging from auxiliary belts (just as in the cartoon). The same photos also show Janine taking on the role of a Ghostbuster, as also happened in that series and in the toy line. Slimer now also visits the firehouse, just like his animated counterpart in The Real Ghostbusters and its successor Extreme Ghostbusters (1997).
- #009
- #010
Gil Kenan explained that it was important to bring back the OG Ghostbusters stars to continue from where Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) left off: "What I learned coming at this from the outside as a fan stepping into the Ghostbusters circle is that these legendary actors, who can be approached with respect because filmmaking changed the course of our lives, love their characters. They love these stories. For them it really is an absolute act of love every time. Put on the flight suit. Even though they grumble about putting on the proton packs, they really love doing it because it is central to their identity as characters who have a relationship with the stars and audiences around the world."
- #011
In the wider Ghostbusters media, ghosts and humans often talk to each other, but Melody is the first ghost shown conversing with human characters in the canon films. Although Gozerian Gozer and Carpathian Vigo are shown talking to human characters in the first and second films, it is unclear whether, as extra-dimensional beings, they fit the series' definition of "ghost." Other examples of ghosts in the canon films interacting with humans without speaking include: in Ghostbusters (1984), the Library Ghost shushed the men but said nothing; Ray encountered a ghost in a dream, but that did not include conversation either; in Ghostbusters II (1989), a disembodied voice in the subway tunnels said "Winston"; Egon Spengler's ghost had a prominent role in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) but was not verbal; and the Mayor stated in Ghostbusters II that he had talked with Fiorello LaGuardia's ghost for an hour, but this happened off-screen.
- #012
- #013
- #014
In an interview with THR, director Gil Kenan explained why Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver do not appear in the film as Louis Tully and Dana Barrett respectively. He confirmed that neither was ever approached for possible cameos because their characters were not needed for the story. Asked whether there was any attempt to bring Moranis back, Kenan said, "That would be a Jason Reitman question. That was more of an Afterlife story. We never wrote a role for Louis Tully in Frozen Empire. There are enough characters in this story. By the way, I love Tully. I'm a big Rick Moranis fan. Louis Tully was an indelible part of Ghostbusters. Dana Barrett was also one of my favorite characters in these films, but there was no story for Dana Barrett in Frozen Empire. But if we're lucky enough to make more of these films, I'd want Dana to have a bigger role in these stories." Moranis had previously been offered a part in an abandoned Ghostbusters sequel, but stated he was not interested in reviving old roles (which is why he declined to appear in the Ghostbusters (2016) reboot). Weaver, echoing Kenan's comments, stated that she was never approached about returning in any way.
- #015
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Behind the Scenes (1)
- #019
The trash ghost "Baggie" was created largely with practical effects. According to director Gil Kenan, "the SFX department created a garbage bag with a few points a puppeteer could stand on, so you could walk it around, so I could block scenes. The performance of that garbage bag with the artist's leg stuck inside it was so funny and so close to the way the final animation was created that it produced this loose, weird, absurd movement that I love very much."
Characters & Cast (1)
- #020
Despite the animated series' heavy influence on the film, The Real Ghostbusters (1986) story editor J. Michael Straczynski stated that the producers never consulted him. Straczynski was unaware of the RGB influences until Empire Magazine reported on it in the fall of 2023. Maurice LaMarche (who voiced Egon Spengler in the animated show) similarly expressed frustration that none of the surviving RGB cast were contacted or consulted. LaMarche stated that he and his castmates would gladly do a cameo (since it would be fun for both them and RGB fans).
Easter Eggs & References (3)
- #021
- #022
Although Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) was very sparing in referencing the events of Ghostbusters II (1989), this film includes an early major callback to it, in a news report recalling the time the Ghostbusters hitched a ride on the Statue of Liberty at the film's climax. The report also shows archival footage of Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler, a clip from the Ray Parker Jr.: Ghostbusters (1984) music video (with Parker dancing with the Ghostbusters in Times Square), and footage from a Real Ghostbusters toy commercial.
- #023
The film's working title was "Firehouse," after the Ghostbusters firehouse. In previous films, exterior shots of the firehouse were filmed at Hook & Ladder 8 in the Tribeca (Triangle Below Canal Street) neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. After filming on Ghostbusters II (1989) ended, the firehouse kept half of the Ghostbusters II sign that hung outside. During holidays, especially Halloween, it was regularly put on display. Eventually, in June 2021, after a successful GoFundMe campaign by fans of the film that funded a full-scale replica of the Ghostbusters sign, it was moved permanently inside. That sign now hangs outside the firehouse year-round. The GoFundMe campaign is now an annual fundraiser for the firehouse, and a celebration is held there every year on Ghostbusters Day.
Deeper Meaning (2)
- #024
Gil Kenan told Empire that after completing Gozer's threat to the Spengler family in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), Garraka was conceived as the first post-Gozer threat in the Ghostbusters saga, and he felt such a character needed to create an entirely new mythology with new visual references.
- #025
Although most of the mythology and folklore used in the Ghostbusters films was created for the films, the examples Ray uses when telling Nadeem about his gift are real-world stories. The burning bush is from Judaism, the jinn and the seven worlds are from Islam, and Kojin is from Japanese mythology.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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