If you feel a sense of déjà vu coming from Emeryville, you aren’t alone. As Pixar’s newest original effort, Hoppers, hops into theaters today, a massive deep dive from the Wall Street Journal has effectively laid out the studio’s roadmap for the next decade. And spoiler alert: It’s very, very familiar.
The report confirms that coming off of the massive success of Zootopia 2, Pixar will indeed continue to lean into reliability via franchise, officially moving Monsters Inc. 3, Incredibles 3, and Coco 2 into active development.
Return to Monstropolis
The headliner here is undoubtedly Monsters Inc. 3. While we’ve had the Monsters at Work series on Disney+ and the Monsters University prequel, we haven’t had a direct theatrical sequel to the 2001 original, which remains a beloved Pixar classic.
The project is in the early stages, but the timing makes sense. Disney is currently building a massive Monstropolis-themed land at Hollywood Studios in Orlando. Developing a third film ensures the IP remains fresh for a new generation of park-goers. Whether Billy Crystal and John Goodman return is the $200 million question, but given their history with the roles, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the booth.
The Incredibles & Coco Expansion
The WSJ report also provided updates on two other heavy hitters:
- The Incredibles 3: Following the announcement at D23 2024, the film has officially found its release window—reportedly targeting 2028. In a massive shakeup, Peter Sohn (Elemental) is rumored to be taking the director’s chair, with original architect Brad Bird potentially moving into a producer/consultant role.
- Coco 2: This is the real surprise. Despite the original being a perfect standalone story, Pixar is reportedly aiming for a 2029 release for a sequel.
The Original Front: Musical Felines and Ghost Markets
It’s not all sequels, though. Pixar is still trying to find the “next big thing” with two new original announcements:
- Untitled Musical: Turning Red director Domee Shi is officially helming Pixar’s first-ever full-blown musical.
- Ono Ghost Market: A film inspired by Asian myths about a supernatural bazaar where the living and the dead interact. This is works as a vibe check for the studio as they try to balance high-concept originals with safe sequels.
This is the Iger Era in a nutshell. After a few years of original films struggling to find theatrical footprints, the mandate is clear: give the people what they know. While the purists might groan at Coco 2, the box office reality is that sequels like Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have become the lifeblood of Disney Animation. Pixar is simply following in those footsteps and following the money.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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