A recent Bloomberg analysis of the future of Pixar Animation Studios made it clear that something like Inside out 2 is about to become the standard for the studio. After Pixar became so preoccupied with sequels in the 2010s, one might have hoped that the studio would put the brakes on such projects in the near future. However, to give the label some financial stability, the future of Pixar Animation Studios is set for an endless parade of sequels. That Bloomberg piece alone suggests that future Finding Nemo And Unbelievable sequels are on the way after previous sequels to those films broke box office records in the 2010s.

What’s strange about this emphasis, however, is that Pixar’s ability to make sequels to some of its classic titles is somewhat limited. Pixar is excited about franchises… but how many more vintage Pixar films can support sequels? Whether for practical reasons (like the death of a key cast member), lack of audience enthusiasm, or any number of other reasons, a slew of potential Pixar sequels could be impossible titles. Now let’s take a look at the likelihood of several Pixar titles getting sequels… and why some might be too impossible even for a franchise-hungry studio to embrace.

One note before you dive in: ToyStory, Inside out, UnbelievableAnd Finding Nemo are excluded from this conversation. Toy story 5 hits theaters in 2026, Inside out 2 is imminent, and it is probably further away Nemo And Unbelievable deadlines are ahead. The franchise opportunities for those titles are crystal clear.

Going through things in chronological order, it’s time to get in touch with the insect side of Pixar. The oldest Pixar Animation Studios to not get a sequel is the 1998 film An insect life. The lowest-grossing film for Pixar domestically until 2015 The good dinosaur, there isn’t much financial incentive for Pixar and Disney to pursue a sequel. The upcoming closure of the Insect life theme park It’s hard being an insect also suggests that Disney is moving away from this franchise. Making a 2020 Insect life sequel would also be a challenge, because…what would it look like? Literal? An insect life was an attractive project in 1998 because insects not wearing complex costumes were easy to achieve within the limitations of the CG animation of the time. Updating these characters to make them look feasible in modern animation can make them unrecognizable. Don’t count on it The life of an insect 2even if the project is referenced in a ToyStory ‘outflow’ from 1999.

What about someone else Monsters Inc. extension? That’s not impossible to imagine, but the current TV show Monsters at work (which combined mythology from Inc. And Monsters University) may have exhausted the franchise for the time being. That show even brought back John Goodman and Billy Crystal to voice Sully and Mike, respectively. This means that a third film wouldn’t even have the novelty of bringing back celebrity voices. More Monsters could happen, but more than a decade later Monsters University, it seems unlikely. Moving to the Cars world, a fourth Cars could exist, but like more Monsters, the prospects look hazy. Each Cars episode made less than its predecessor in its own country. Kids love this franchise and Disney has a lot of them Cars equipment in the theme parks. Cars 4 can be seen as a precious way to keep people involved in the larger mythos. Don’t count on more Lightning McQueen in the near future, though.

Now we come to the late 2000s trilogy Ratatouille, WALL-EAnd Upwards. This trio of films are among the most beloved films Pixar has ever made. Ratatouille has become a phenomenon for many people in particular, inspiring everything from a TikTok musical to a memorable recurring reference in Everything everywhere at once. The popularity and acclaim associated with these projects could make them seem like prime material for sequels. However, Disney never got further Ratatouille or WALL-E feature films from the media after 2007 and 2008, the years of their respective releases. No additional shorts beyond the shorts made for their initial home video releases. No Disney+ programs. Nothing.

Pixar was content to pass these projects off as one-offs. Jim Morris, president of Pixar Animation Studios, even explicitly said in 2016 that the studio had no plans to make another WALL-E function. Upwardshas since been exploited for further filmed media in the form of short films Dug days and the 2023 theatrical short Carl’s date. These projects suggest that Up is more vulnerable to a sequel than its fellow critically acclaimed Pixar films of the late 2000s (its significantly bigger box office gross than Ratatouille and WALL-E doesn’t hurt, either). The big problem here, however, is the death of it Upwards main voice actor Ed Asner. He could be replaced as Carl Fredricksen, but it would be such a strange move considering how deeply connected he was to the character. Carl’s date director Bob Peterson also saw this short film (the last time Asner voiced Fredricksen) as “a great way to end” the Dug days series and, by extension, the Upwards saga.

Of Upwards It’s unlikely that a sequel will materialize (especially since it’s been 15 years since the first film) that leaves out another beloved Pixar feature that could inspire an upcoming franchise. Which brings us to the 2010s, when Pixar’s sequel fever first took hold. This era brings a new wrinkle to Pixar’s new franchise ambitions. The 2010s were so dominated by sequels that few original films were produced that could spawn new sequels. They were so busy making more Toy Story 3s they didn’t make that many new ones Toy stories.

There are only three original films from the 2010s that could spawn sequels for Pixar in the near future. Brave is a potential option, especially since it was very lucrative and, making it extra attractive to Disney executives, has many merchandising connections for the larger Mouse House brand. The good dinosaurmeanwhile, was the first real money loser in Pixar history. That 2015 feature is one of the least likely titles in the Pixar canon to see any kind of sequel. It took so long and so much effort to release that first part. A sequel would tempt fate!

Now we come to the most likely film, hands down, to ultimately score a sequel that Pixar has yet to turn into a franchise. The 2017 movie Coconut was a huge box office hit with worldwide grosses of over $800 million. Since its release, Coconut has remained one of the most beloved Pixar films in history. It’s a huge artistic achievement of a film. It’s also something that Pixar executives likely see as easy fodder for a sequel. Maybe Miguel grows up and has his own child who travels to the Land of the Dead? Coconut 2 is not necessary, far from it. But it seems to be one of the most likely sequels that Pixar will embrace in the near future.

As for the slew of original features Pixar launched in the early 2020s, it’s hard to say whether any of them could support a sequel. Forward, Soul, LucaAnd To blush in all of them, general release was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Three of them even went straight to Disney+ instead of getting any kind of theatrical showing. Therefore, it is difficult to determine how much affection there is among the public for these titles.

The box office difference between An insect life And Coconut makes it clear that one of these features was more lucrative than the other. Streaming’s qualifications for “success” define its fan bases Luca or Soul a much more difficult process to parse. Regardless of whether or not Pixar artists would want to pursue those sequels, Furthermore 2 or Turning red: reloading are probably still years away. Pixar sequels usually play on nostalgia. Marketing for titles like Incredible 2 And Inside out 2 depends on the ‘reunion’ with familiar characters who function as ‘old friends’. Films like this take almost ten years Luca to cultivate that kind of nostalgia.

The options for further Pixar sequels are incredibly limited, mainly due to the studio’s long, intense commitment to exploiting their titles for long-running franchises. Nevertheless, such follow-up actions are clearly underway. Who knows, even if all logic suggests otherwise The life of an insect 2 It’s only a few years away…