This weekend sees the release of Pixar‘s Hoppers (read our review here), an original animated feature that’s getting solid reviews, with most critics saying the animal adventure film is a fun, funny time, and well worth the price of admission. I plan to see it later tonight, after most of the kiddies have gone home for the evening. While I’m waiting, I couldn’t help but notice that Pixar is busy plotting its upcoming slate, including Monsters Inc. 3, The Incredibles 3, and Coco 2. As much as it pains me to see Pixar relying on sequels to power their output for the next several years, I’m still curious and excited by these releases, especially Monsters Inc. 3.
Pixar Has Multiple Projects In the Works
According to Pixar, Monsters Inc. 3 is in its early stages of development, as is the studio’s first-ever musical from Turning Red filmmaker Domee Shi. In addition to those projects, Pixar is changing course on one of its upcoming streaming series. Instead of going to Disney+, the project titled Ono Ghost Market, inspired by Asian myths about supernatural bazaars, will now be a feature-length endeavor. Elsewhere, Pixar plans to release its third film in the Incredibles franchise in 2028, with a sequel to 2017’s Coco, Coco 2, aiming for a 2029 release.
How do we know this information? Pixar Studios boss Pete Docter said as much in a new profile courtesy of the Wall Street Journal. While the news is not official, Docter is as good a source as they come. Plus, having been to Pixar Studios myself, I’m aware that the studio works on multiple projects at any given time. With that in mind, they’d have several projects in various states of development. Regarding talent, Elemental filmmaker Peter Sohn is directing Incredibles 3, though Brad Bird is still on board to write the screenplay.
Handing Out Sequels Like Candy
As much as I harp on the idea of Pixar making sequel after sequel, I understand the strategy. Pixar earned $1.3 billion from Monsters Inc., and its sequel, Monsters University, and Coco made $823 million worldwide. If you’re a corporation, you don’t make that much money with something and then abandon it. I’ll always take an original idea that fails over returning to the well, but that’s why I’m not in charge. Plus, I love animation so much that I’m still excited for all of these releases, even if the plan feels a bit uninspired. Am I part of the problem? Probably.
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