The multi-billion dollar success of two Pixar franchises might make them candidates for additional sequels and reboots. Pixar Studios, known for its emotionally resonant, family-oriented films, has excelled at crafting original content. However, many Pixar sequels have also achieved equal or greater acclaim and financial success. Recently, the head of the company unveiled Pixar’s new content release plan, aiming to rejuvenate its previously stellar reputation, which has suffered amid the pandemic and the rise of on-demand streaming platforms. This strategy demonstrates Pixar’s commitment to adapting to an evolving industry while upholding its captivating and profitable storytelling tradition.

Pixar films are notoriously high-grossing, with several sequels earning over a billion dollars. To capitalize on the success of its movies, part of Pixar’s new strategy is to continue rebooting successful franchises. If done well, sequels can be highly effective, especially among fans of the original content. They can also be a risk, though, as they threaten to ruin the integrity of the source material. Pixar is no exception. But after a proven $2.2 billion success with two sequels, the studio might be willing to take a chance on creating additional content within two franchises.

Finding Dory & Incredibles 2 Made A Combined $2.2 Billion Approx. At The Box Office

Pixar Often Finds Success In Its Sequels

In an interview with Bloomberg, Pixar president Jim Morris discussed that much of the studio’s content is under consideration for a reboot, specifically mentioning Finding Nemo and The Incredibles as strong candidates. Both franchises underwent the sequel process relatively recently, with Finding Dory in 2016 and Incredibles 2 in 2018. Finding Dory grossed nearly $1.03 billion, while Incredibles 2 became the highest-grossing Pixar film ever, earning $1.2 billion worldwide. Each of these films earned more than the past six Pixar films’ combined worldwide box office revenue.

Many of the highest-grossing Pixar films are sequels, showing how much the company profits from nostalgia-based content. Including Inside Out 2, 10 of the 28 Pixar films released are sequels. Toy Story 5 is now in production, extending what is already the longest Pixar franchise to date. This series technically includes the spinoff prequel Lightyear, which many consider a failure despite the popularity of its source material. In his interview, Morris said he hopes to remind audiences of “what they once loved about Pixar,” clearly planning new content to cater to the older audiences who grew up with the original films.

Pixar Has Struggled At The Box Office Since 2020

The Shift To Streaming Impacted Pixar’s Theatrical Turnouts

Pixar has struggled to regain its theatrical footing after theaters were closed in 2020 due to the pandemic. The shutdown clipped the showings of Onward, another attempt at original content, which was released the week prior. During the pandemic, Pixar premiered three new films: Soul, Luca, and Turning Red. These movies were all based on new material and received streaming-only releases on Disney+. Whether due to their novel content or the limited release, all three struggled on their opening weekends. In an attempt to remedy the release issue, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red all received theatrical releases in early 2024.

In the Bloomberg interview, Morris said Pixar’s new strategy is to not release movies on Disney+ until after their theatrical premiere. Instead, he explored the possibility of leveraging the streaming platform for series releases, a new content form for the company. With his emphasis on rebooting existing content, it is possible that iconic franchises like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo could debut as episodic narratives on Disney+. This strategic shift reflects Pixar’s evolving approach to digital distribution, which is what hurt its reputation during the pandemic. It also allows for an exciting new storytelling format for characters and universes that viewers already trust.

Pixar Can’t Afford To Rely Solely On Existing Franchises

Even Sequels In Proven Franchises Can Fail

Despite their success in nostalgia-based content, Pixar cannot rely on existing franchises forever. This is clear in the case of Lightyear, the fifth film in the Toy Story series and the studio’s first film to be released in theaters after the pandemic. Lightyear failed for Pixar because it contradicted existing lore and lacked important character dynamics. In some cases, creating additional content, whether a sequel or a prequel, betrays the specifics that made the original film impactful. The film’s earnings reflected this notion, just barely surpassing its budget of $200 million.

Sandwiched between two upcoming sequels is Pixar’s upcoming movie, Elio, which will be released in 2025. Elio will be the studio’s latest attempt to prove they can still produce fun, original content and make up for their recent flops. Unfortunately, Pixar’s recent endeavors in original content have struggled to achieve the same level of success as their earlier works, posing a challenge for the film. Elio also marks an important attempt for Pixar to create a successful sci-fi movie, which, considering Lightyear’s reviews, hasn’t happened since it produced WALL-E in 2008. Depending on the success of Inside Out 2 in June, Pixar might have a lot to prove with Elio.

Apart from the three films Inside Out 2, Elio, and Toy Story 5, there have been no confirmed updates on any upcoming Pixar films and TV shows. However, with Inside Out 2’s June premiere, Morris and the Pixar team are already upholding their plan to ensure their films get a theatrical release before streaming. Morris claims Pixar’s goal is to release three movies every two years, with every other project being “standalone concepts or potential seeds for new franchises” and the rest being sequels. This plan already appears to be implemented with two sequels and an original movie on the roster of upcoming Pixar movies.