While Brave might be a well-liked Pixar hit, Brave 2 is unlikely to happen any time soon. 2012’s Brave was a huge financial success for Pixar upon release in 2012. Brave earned over $540 million at the box office and garnered superb reviews, with critics calling the surreal body-swap comedy a successful update on the traditional Disney princess narrative. However, the decade since Brave’s release saw Disney release numerous princess movies that were even more successful, from the Frozen franchise to live-action remakes of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. As such, Brave 2 doesn’t seem to be high on Hollywood’s agenda in 2023.
While Pixar’s Brave avoided many mistakes, the movie was a self-contained story that didn’t beg for a sequel. There was no cliffhanger ending nor did Brave’s story set up any obvious opportunities for a follow-up film. Not only that, but Pixar’s top brass also haven’t shown sequels much love in the studio’s latest slate of releases. For a while, sequels were the order of the day at Pixar as Finding Dory, Toy Story 4, and The Incredibles 2 all earned positive reviews and a lot of money at the box office. However, Pixar has since cooled off on its sequel obsession, and there are no plans for further follow-ups.
Pixar Has Shown Little Interest In Brave 2
It’s been 11 years since Brave came out and a sequel seems unlikely. It has not been long enough for viewers to grow nostalgic over Brave, but it is now too long for the movie to receive a direct sequel. Earlier Pixar sequels either came long after their original movie’s release, like Finding Dory, or shortly after, like Cars 2. Since both Luca and Coco revisited Brave’s story in recent years, there is nothing that compels Pixar to offer another spin on this now-familiar narrative. Not only that, but Brave‘s own creators don’t seem to have an intriguing new direction in mind for the franchise.
Pixar president Jim Morris told Entertainment Weekly “We don’t make a sequel unless the director of the original film has an idea that they like and are willing to go forward on.” Since director Brenda Chapman publicly parted ways with Pixar, it seems exceedingly unlikely that the filmmaker will come up with a fresh take on Brave 2 any time soon. Combine this with the fact that Brave broke the Disney Princess rules and Pixar is left with a movie that doesn’t fit the generic mold, no longer has its original director attached, and isn’t old enough to engender viewer nostalgia yet.
Brave’s Story Didn’t Set Up Brave 2
Brave’s story was a surprise for many viewers, with the movie focusing more on Merida’s relationship with her mother (and her mother’s transformation into a bear) than a standard Disney Princess plot. While this was a welcome subversion of viewer expectations, it also meant that Brave didn’t set up much in the way of a sequel. By Brave’s moving ending, Merida had successfully changed how things were done in her clan, earned the respect of her mother, and improved the lives of her people in the process. However, the fact that she was at peace didn’t really bode well for Brave 2.
Part of the reason Brave ranks as one of Pixar’s best movies is because of this self-contained story. Brave features a poignant message of self-empowerment and a strong story of the bond between mothers and daughters, and it would be tough for any sequel to expand on these ideas without ruining the original movie’s story. To avoid feeling like a retread of the original movie, Brave 2 would need to find a fresh, compelling reason for Merida to leave her comfort zone again. However, this would be far harder now that she has made peace with her mother. Crucially, Brave didn’t set anything up for the sequel to pay off.
Disney Has Made More Movies Like Brave
In the years since Brave proved a financial and critical success, Disney has learned from Pixar’s princess story. Disney’s princess movies have followed in Brave‘s footsteps, focusing on heroines whose stories aren’t about romantic love like Moana and Raya and the Last Dragon. Not only does this mean that Pixar is less likely to return to Brave’s story instead of attempting something new, but the fact that not all of these movies have been successful also doesn’t bode well for Brave 2’s chances.
Raya and the Last Dragon was one of Disney’s biggest box office disasters and its critical success was limited by Encanto‘s acclaim. That successful movie dropped the tropes of the Disney princess story more than ever before, offering a more grounded story of self-empowerment that still held onto the studio’s magical realism, catchy songs, and colorful animation style. Thus, Brave’s chances of receiving a sequel were initially hurt by Disney focusing on other princesses and then further hurt by the failure of some of these movies. Now, Brave 2 is unlikely to ever happen, despite Brave’s success.
