Evidentially, Pixar has comfortably settled into the sequel/prequel phase of their career. They’ve spent more time of late harkening back on their previous films rather than producing anything original, beyond the occasional “Inside Out,” “The Good Dinosaur” or “Brave.” The results, expectedly, have varied: “Toy Story 3” was great, but “Cars 2” didn’t quite live up to the Pixar standard, while both “Monsters University” and last month’s “Finding Dory” were pleasantly forgettable. Well, at least in my opinion.
Unfortunately, the next few years see even more sequels released from the studio, with “Cars 3” set for next year, “Toy Story 4” coming out in 2018 and “The Incredibles 2” flying its way into theaters in 2019. 2017’s “Coco” is the only original Pixar film scheduled in this ongoing decade, and that’s looking, well, a little worrisome. But fear not: the reign of Pixar sequels, prequels and anything in-betweenquel will soon come to an end. At least, for the foreseeable future.
Talking with EW, Pixar president Jim Morris said there are no more Pixar sequel plans after Brad Bird’s latest. In other words, if you were hoping “Ratatouille,” “WALL-E” and/or “Inside Out” continuations were in the works after Dory’s return, prepared to be disappointed. “Everything after ‘Toy Story’ and ‘The Incredibles’ is an original,” Morris said. Although he didn’t reveal what’s up next, he said movies set in “unusual but believable worlds that take us in even other directions than we pursued in the past” are the focus. Yay!
READ MORE: ‘Finding Dory’ Sets Its Own Course, And Is A Worthy Successor To ‘Finding Nemo’ [Review]
“Most studios jump on doing a sequel as soon as they have a successful film, but our business model is a filmmaker model, and we don’t make a sequel unless the director of the original film has an idea that they like and are willing to go forward on,” Morris added. “A sequel in some regards is even harder [than the original] because you’ve got this defined world which, on the one hand, is a leg up, and on the other hand has expectations that you can’t disappoint on.”
Apparently, the recent onslaught of sequels was merely a scheduling coincidence, an accidental byproduct of ideas returning them back to their original properties. They’d probably like to call it a happy accident, as it went against their original plans. Of course, this doesn’t eliminate the possibility of more Pixar sequels; it just means that they’re not coming anytime soon. However, after “Finding Dory” continues to slay the box office and moviegoers remain enamored with “Inside Out,” it’s not impossible for more sequels or spinoffs to come somewhere down the line. It all just depends on if they get the director and animators interested, which can always happen. Morris, in particular, would like to see “WALL-E” return to the big screen, but he isn’t petitioning for it just yet.
It’s good to know quality is what the animation company cares about most, and we’ll see if that’s the case when the latest “Cars 3” movie comes roaring into theaters. In the meantime, check out “Finding Dory” in theaters, if you haven’t already. Just don’t expect this stream of Pixar sequels to continue for long. Hopefully.