In 2019, Pixar swore to us that “Toy Story 4” would be their last sequel for a while as a slew of “original” projects were lined up for release.
Five years later, and that promise has clearly not been kept under new boss Pete Docter. With the success of “Inside Out 2,” Pixar seems to believe that the best solution is to go back to sequel-making. Hey, maybe they have a point there, especially when it comes to commercially viable product.
“Toy Story 5” and “Incredibles 3” are already expected to be released in the near future — although I’m hearing that Brad Bird will NOT be directing the former, just producing. Regardless, we can now add another sequel to the mix.
D23 Brazil has accidentally let the cat out of the bag, and revealed that Pixar will be announcing “Cars 4” in the coming days. The ‘Cars’ franchise has considerably diminished in quality over the years — “Cars 2” might be the worst Pixar movie ever released and “Cars 3” isn’t too far behind — but the franchise has made a ton of money at the box-office ($1.4 billion combined), not to mention the uber-popular toy brand.
Gone are the Pixar days of releasing one animated classic after another, the likes of “WALL-E,” “Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles,” “Finding Nemo,” “Up!” “Inside Out” and “Toy Story 3.” What’s been the best Pixar release of the last decade? I guess 2020’s “Soul,” and that one doesn’t even come close to their golden age.
Pixar’s upcoming slate includes “Cars 4,” “Incredibles 3” and “Toy Story 5.” At least they have one original set up, that’s next year’s “Elio.” If the success of this year’s “Inside Out 2” is any indication, the toon company has no reason to make original fare. Many of the old creatives are gone at the company, and the team currently residing over there clearly isn’t as innovative or talented as the previous one.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.