Finding Sequels

Now that Pixar has officially announced the Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory for 2015 (and the Monsters, Inc. prequel Monsters University is hitting theaters in June), hopefully that means we’re closer to a sequel toThe Incredibles.

Finding Dory is going to follow the continued adventures of Finding Nemo’s absent-minded blue tang (that’s the name of the fish; I swear) Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres (perhaps the person who is most excited about the sequel); it is to take place approximately a year after the events of the first film and will be set along the California coast. The film is scheduled to flood the box office on November 25th, 2015—and hopefully bring plenty more whale speak and surfer turtles.

Now, if you’re a Pixar fan like I am, you will recall John Lasseter’s oath to never make a sequel unless the story is there; meaning Pixar is not all about churning out sequels just to make a quick buck. If, however, you’ve seenCars 2, then your faith in Lasseter’s stance may have taken a hit and rightfully so. Cars 2, by every measure, was a swing-and-miss. It was Pixar’s first, true stumble, though, in 12 films; that kind of track record, and my admitted blind fandom for everything Pixar, is enough to convince me that Cars 2, while perhaps not the typical Pixar success, was absolutely not a cash grab.

In recent years, Pixar seems to have decided to pick up their production level. With now five future films announced (Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, Finding Dory, and an untitled feature about Dia de los Muertos; no, Planes does not count), the now-legendary time Pixar has put into every film (often 3-5 years) would seemingly be in danger of going away, but their follow-up to Cars 2 (2012’s Brave) was a fantastic film and did a lot to reassure the fan in me that Pixar’s new workload has not diminished the quality of their work. Now, we just have to see if Monsters University will deliver (everything I’ve seen indicates that it will); then we can all sit back and watch as Pixar gives us not only a continued stream of original films but also a complementary slate of sequels and/or prequels to their past films.

Speaking of what Pixar may do in the future: Monsters, Inc. was their fourth film (released in 2001), and it has now received a story continuation; Finding Nemo was their fifth film (released in 2003), and it has also now received a story continuation. If this pattern holds true, Pixar’s sixth film, The Incredibles (released in 2004), would seem to be the next in line to receive a much-anticipated revisit.

This imagination (by deviantART user MyTduck) of The Incredibles kids all grown up would seem to be a great direction for such a sequel to go. While it may not sound like the best idea in terms of continuing the story from the first film, it would definitely be intriguing. Brad Bird, the creator/director/writer of The Incredibles, has gone on to a live-action directing career with films like Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and the upcomingTomorrowland, so I think it would take a radical reimagining like this to get him to consider coming back to a universe he already visited. That’s not to say I think Bird would feel “too good” for an Incredibles sequel; not at all. It’s just that I think he would need something different enough from the original to get him to sink the years into it that a sequel would require. Could Pixar revisit The Incredibles without Bird at the helm? Sure, but I’m not so sure I would want them to; just like I’m not sure Finding Dory would be so exciting without Andrew Stanton returning to direct.

And, let’s not forget the potential for a Toy Story 4. Was Toy Story 3 perfect? Yes. Is it difficult for me to be enthusiastic about another sequel potentially harming that perfection? Yes. Is my Pixar fandom strong enough to overcome any trepidation? Absolutely. Pixar will always have a friend in me.

Do you like how much Pixar has embraced sequels? Do you want to see The Incredibles 2? Toy Story 4? The return of Wall-E, perhaps? Or would you prefer it if Pixar left the sequels behind and focused entirely on new, original films?