Lightyear is the first Pixar movie to hit theatres since 2020, and while it bombed at the box office, it’s still a great animated film that introduces instant classic Pixar characters like Sox. The robot cat is the MVP of the movie, and fans are dying to see him return in the future. But Sox isn’t the only fan-favorite Pixar character who is missed.
Characters in standalone Pixar films have obviously only appeared once, but of all the studio’s long-running series, so many supporting characters have inexplicably not returned for sequels. Between a sentient snowman, an Italian F1 racing car, and a hypochondriac dolphin, these characters left audiences wanting more.
The Abominable Snowman (Monsters, Inc.)
The Abominable Snowman is one of the most popular characters that are in the public domain, meaning that any studio can use the monster in their movies. He’s the titular character in the 1957 cult classic, one of the best characters in the Goosebumps series, and he briefly appeared in Monsters Inc. While his appearance was short, the scene is hilarious and heartfelt at the same time. The scene subverts expectations by making the Snowman modest and polite, and Mike confides in the monster after fighting with Sully.
Granted, Monsters University was a prequel, so it may have been hard to shoehorn the monster into the follow-up, but there are ways it could have been done. The snowman explains in the original movie that he was fired from the mail room of Monsters, Inc. and banished to the Himilayas after discovering Waternoose’s secret, which the prequel could have explained. Every fan wanted to see the “Adorable” Snowman return, and the prequel could have had a short scene with the Snowman in the university at the very least.
Syndrome (The Incredibles)
The Incredibles would have been better in live-action, as director Brad Bird proved his brand of comedy action works just as perfectly outside of animation with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. However, it’d be hard for a live-action version of the movie to portray the eccentric look of Syndrome, the movie’s vengeful villain, with his big, fiery hair and advanced tech.
Syndrome dies at the end of the original movie, so it would have been hard to bring him back for a sequel. But between the character’s lively voice performance from Jason Lee and the over-the-top Bond villain-esque attitude, he’s one of the best Pixar villains.
Boo
Boo is one of the cutest characters in Pixar’s canon, as she even managed to make two monsters, who had been trained for years to scare her, become her father figures. Sully specifically formed a bond with her, and while it’s assumed that the two reconnected at the end of Monsters, Inc., as viewers heard her voice, fans want nothing more than to see the two fully reunite.
However, there is a theory that all Pixar movies have a shared universe, and that Boo returned as the Witch in Brave. In the Pixar theory, she is the connective tissue between every movie the studio has made, and the Witch created doors that go backward and forward in time in order to find Sully. But in the form that audiences know Boo, the mischievous toddler, she hasn’t been seen since the 2001 movie.
Gill (Finding Nemo)
Willem Dafoe is one of the best actors working today, and he generally plays creepy antagonists, whether it’s the Green Goblin or an unpredictable lighthouse keeper. He’s even typecast as the same kind of character in animated movies too, as the actor plays Gill in Finding Nemo, a Moorish Idol who is scarred both physically and emotionally.
When Gil first appears, it’s assumed that he’ll be an evil villain that will ruin Nemo’s chances of getting back home, but it’s revealed that he’s more kind-hearted than any other fish in the tank, even if he doesn’t show it. As the movie ends with him bobbing up and down in a plastic bag in the ocean, it’s expected that the fish died trying to get his freedom. However, he does have a small cameo in a Finding Dory post-credits scene, as he’s captured by Marine Life Institute volunteers.
Francesco Bernoulli (Cars 2)
There’s no doubt that Cars 2 is the worst Pixar movie, and it’s the only movie that the studio has made that’s rated “Rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes. However, just as there is with every Pixar release, there’s still a lot to love, including many of the new supporting characters. Given how Mater took over as the lead character from Lightning McQueen, fans had no other choice but to look to supporting characters for less over-the-top and more engaging performances.
One of those is Francesco Bernoulli, an Italian F1 car, who is hilariously voiced by John Turturro, one of Pixar’s many perfect casting choices. It almost resembles the underrated Will Ferrell comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which has an almost identical premise where a European F1 racer joins Nascar. It would have been nice to see Francesco return, but as Cars 2 was a globe-trotting affair, it’s unlikely that an Italian Formula One car will ever return.
Nigel (Finding Nemo)
Nigel acted more as ex machina in Finding Nemo, which is a storytelling device where main characters in a movie are cornered and there was no possible escape route, but are miraculously saved. That’s usually a big no-no in moviemaking, but Nigel is just so entertaining, especially when he has Dory and Marlin in his beak as he soars through the sky.
There are no heroes or villains in Finding Nemo, but if anyone in the movie was labeled a hero, it’s Nigel. The character came to the rescue so many times, whether it’s feeding information to the main characters or literally flying them from one place to another like the eagles in Lord of the Rings. He unfortunately never appeared in Finding Dory, but he could easily have briefly shown up on a windowsill at MLI.
Art (Monsters University)
Everything about Art is so much fun, whether it’s his blue-ish, purple-ish color, his legs that connect to his face, his dopey facial expressions, or his furry body. And as he’s voiced by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Charlie Day, who has the most animated voice in Hollywood, it’s a perfect Pixar character.
But Art is a perfect example of how prequels often run into major problems. The character first appeared in Monsters University, and he often steals the show from Mike, Sully, and any other new character introduced in the prequel, which retroactively makes it strange that he isn’t in Monsters, Inc. There’s no way that Pixar had the idea of Art when the original movie was being made, but fans will still wonder where he is after seeing the 2013 movie.
Finn McMissile (Cars 2)
So many sequels have switched genres from the original movie, and that’s exactly what Cars 2 did, as it’s a globe-trotting espionage spy movie. And while it might not totally work, it at least introduces some fascinating characters, one of which is Finn McMissile, which plays on spy movie stereotypes.
The character is, of course, British, and it is, of course, voiced by Michael Caine. While the character might not be as deep or as interesting as other Pixar inventions, Finn’s surface-level parody is the most entertaining part of the sequel. And Finn’s grill resembling a pencil mustache is both ridiculous and genius.
Bailey (Finding Dory)
Bailey is a hypochondriac and thinks his sonar skills don’t work, and he thinks his head is big simply because he banged it. There isn’t really any way Bailey could have appeared in any other Pixar movie, as the dolphin was introduced in the sequel Finding Dory.
But Bailey has so much potential that if Pixar doesn’t put him in any future releases, the studio would be underusing him and it’d be such wasted potential. Given all of the great new characters found in the Marine Life Institute, there could be a whole spin-off movie or Disney+ series based exclusively in the huge aquarium.
Henry J. Waternoose III (Monsters, Inc.)
Henry J. Waternoose III (James Coburn) is one of the most terrifying animated villains ever. Not only does he have an unsightly appearance and even the sounds of his crab-like legs tapping on the floor send shivers down the audience’s spines, but he is genuinely menacing and intimidating too. The villain has such a commanding presence, and he should have been in the prequel.
However, the character was originally supposed to appear in Monster University in some form, but Coburn passed away during production. But even then, Kelsey Grammer was hired to replace Coburn before the character was completely cut from the story.
