In 2019, Pixar swore that “Toy Story 4” would be their last sequel for a while as a slew of “original” projects were lined up for release.
Six years later, and damaged by a handful of straight-to-streaming releases during the pandemic, Pixar seems to believe that the best way forward is to go back to sequel-making. Do you blame them?
The recent success of “Inside Out 2” has proven that safe, and nostalgic, filmmaking is the way to go to lure a massive audience. That’s why we shouldn’t be so surprised by today’s announcement. Another sequel is coming!
Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed that “Coco 2” is in the works over at Pixar, and that a 2029 release date has been set up for the sequel. Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina will return to direct.
Released in 2019, “Coco” received acclaim for its animation, music, visuals, and depiction of Mexican culture. It grossed over $814M worldwide. The story tackled a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who gets accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead.
Pixar’s upcoming slate of films includes “Elio,” “Hoppers,” “Toy Story 5” “Incredibles 3,” and “Cars 4”; that’s one too many sequels for my liking, but hey, money talks and their recent originals have not been entirely good.
Gone are Pixar’s days of releasing one animated classic after another, the likes of “WALL-E,” “Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles,” “Finding Nemo,” “Up!” and “Inside Out.” Artistically speaking, what’s been the best Pixar release of the 2020s? I guess “Soul,” and that one didn’t even come close to the golden age classics.
