Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Confirmed: 'Incredibles 2' and 'Cars 3' In Development


You can keep pinching yourself as many times as you like, but this is no dream. The day has finally come, ladies and gentlemen. We have been begging, pleading, and clamoring for this announcement for years now, and Pixar has finally answered our prayers today by announcing that they are indeed making Cars 3. Oh, yeah, and a certain other sequel known as, yes indeed, The Incredibles 2.

The news broke today at the annual Disney shareholders meeting, where Disney CEO Bob Iger let it slip that both sequels are indeed currently in development over at Pixar. No other details were given, leaving fans to speculate about the plots and release dates.

So it's official: The Incredibles 2 is finally happening. It's hard to believe that the original film turns 10 years old this year. Over the past decade, it seems that no sequel has been asked for more than an Incredibles sequel. Fans have constantly inquired of director Brad Bird about when we could see another film starring the family of supers, and every time he has spoken about the matter, he's said that it will only happen if he can come up with a story better than that of the original.

Recently he stated:

I love the world. I love the characters, and if I could come with a story that was as good or better than the original, I’d go there in a second. I have pieces of things that I would love to see in a sequel, but I haven’t got them all together yet, and I certainly wouldn’t want to come out there with something that is less than the original. … Sequels are not part of the business plan at Pixar. It’s all about the filmmakers being passionate about going somewhere.

Well, it looks like he's finally put those pieces together. Bird will reportedly pen the sequel's script, although it is currently unknown if he will return to the director's chair for the Parr family's second outing. It is reassuring to know he is involved in the project in some form, however, and I can definitely see him directing The Incredibles 2 once he's finished with Tomorrowland (which hits theaters next year).


The announcement comes right on the heels of yesterday's news that the original Incredibles film is being converted to 3D. No word yet on whether the film will be given a theatrical re-release once the conversion is complete, however that does seem a bit unlikely at the moment after Disney's past two 3D re-releases underperformed at the box office. But who knows, they could bring the film back to theaters in a few years in order to pump audiences up for the second installment, similar to how Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were released in 3D as a double feature a few months before Toy Story 3 hit theaters.


As for Cars 3, it was bound to happen eventually. It's obviously the less exciting of the two films announced today, but I don't see how its existence is a problem. I love the Cars universe; it's got some great characters, the first film is fantastic in my opinion, the shorts are great as well, and I still think Cars 2, while underwhelming, is decent and definitely not the piece of garbage most people claim it is. And if you've been to Cars Land at Disneyland, there's no denying that it's pretty darn impressive. Plus, who's to say the third film won't be any good? For all we know, it could be better than the second installment, and heck, it could even surpass the original! According to Michael Wallis (voice of Sheriff in the films), Cars 3 will take audiences back to Route 66 and will even include Route 99, so it seems like it will be closer in style to the first film than the second.

Overall, not a bad day in terms of Pixar news. We're finally getting the sequel everyone has been praying for, and the sequel that no one really asked for, but could still prove to be good, if not excellent.

And please, if you're still on that whole "Pixar is all about sequels now" bandwagon, do recall that there are not one, not two, but three (and probably more) completely original and very promising projects in the Pixar pipeline as well.

What do you think? Are you excited for The Incredibles 2? How excited are you for The Incredibles 2? What are your thoughts on Cars 3?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Really excited for The Incredibles 2 and, while I don't have high hopes, I pray that Cars 3 revisits some of the elements from the original movie that were lacking in the second.

Anonymous said...

I like Cars though from my observation many aren't taken to it because they people just don't create much emotional bond with their cars. Toys yes, cars not so much.

Incredibles 2 sounds awesome. I would really love to see the super hero family again and Jack Jack.

Cars 2 I don't like. The James Bond elements (a.k.a. British Spy) that I don't like as well. I almost kinda expect McMissile to bed some hot girl or female car in this case.

Nyah! I don't really care for Cars 2. It deserves the rating it received.

Then Cars 3? After Cars 2, I rather wait for a few days then decide if to watch it or not, than reflexively buy a ticket.

Anonymous said...

Ugh, Cars 3. I thought after people bashed Cars 2 that Pixar would stop it with the Cars!!! Well at least we have Incredible 2 to even it out.