Sequels to Pixar films are exhausting to withstand. Even while you suppose you have had sufficient, there’s all the time room to get pleasure from yet another.
Pixar has not solely received our hearts with its immersive animation, however characters like Buzz, Woody, Nemo, Riley, and others really feel like our personal alter egos. Pixar tackles difficult themes with love, humor, empathy, and most significantly, craftsmanship.
Whether or not it’s Pleasure desperately attempting to maintain calm at Riley’s Headquarters of Feelings, or Mr. Unbelievable struggling to tone down his “incredibleness” to mix in, Monsters accumulating kids’s screams to energy their metropolis, or the love story between water and hearth, Pixar has infrequently disenchanted us.
To prime all of it, Pixar’s acquired a knack for serving up follow-ups that pack a punch. So, on this article, we’ve ranked the highest Pixar film sequels.
High Pixar Sequels, Ranked
Right here’s our ranked record, from least to most favourite Pixar sequels, primarily based on their narrative and storytelling.
#6 Automobiles 3 (2017)
Pixar breathed life into speaking vehicles in Automobiles. Whereas the unique was good, we predict the third film is one of the best movie on this franchise.
The story follows legendary Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), who seeks the assistance of Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), a promising younger coach, in his quest to return to racing, a sport during which he was as soon as the untamed champion. The movie additionally options Smokey (Chris Cooper), Doc Hudson’s former crew chief, and the conceited new-generation racer Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer).
Pixar centered on embracing generational change by means of Automobiles 3’s narrative, proving how considerate modifications can enhance the general narrative, even in a longtime franchise.
#5 Discovering Dory (2016)
We are able to’t overlook the loving, forgetful, wide-eyed blue tang fish in Discovering Nemo (2003). Someplace in between a sequel and a spin-off, Discovering Dory follows Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) as she units out on a quest to search out her mother and father, from whom she was separated years in the past.
With the assistance of her associates Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (Albert Brooks), Dory locates her mother and father, however they’re caught on the Marine Life Institute, a conservatory for various ocean species. Now she should set her mother and father free, ought to she ever wish to meet them once more.
The film highlights how sequels can succeed by shifting focus to a supporting character, utilizing their distinctive traits to discover new themes. I really like how Dory’s incapacity is handled with nuance, exhibiting each its challenges and the surprising strengths it brings.
#4 Inside Out 2 (2024)
Inside Out 2 proves that Pixar can efficiently revisit certainly one of its most emotionally advanced tales. The unique Inside Out masterfully simplified the difficult world of feelings whereas including shocking depth, and the sequel builds on that basis with the turbulent actuality of teenage emotions.
Inside Out 2 follows our beloved Riley (Kensington Tallman), who’s a young person now. Pleasure (Amy Poehler), Unhappiness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Liza Lapira), and Worry (Tony Hale) had simply realized to co-exist on the Headquarters of Feelings inside Riley’s thoughts, till new feelings present up.
These new feelings are Nervousness (Maya Hawke), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and Envy (Ayo Edebiri). Issues take an attention-grabbing flip as Pleasure begins shedding management of the headquarters to Nervousness.
Merely driving a narrative ahead in time can function a wonderful premise for storytelling, as Inside Out 2 proves.
#3 Incredibles 2 (2018)
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The primary film within the Incredibles franchise, The Incredibles, tells the story of a superhero household desperately attempting to slot in as unusual individuals. As its sequel, Incredibles 2 faucets into a few of the extra advanced themes, reminiscent of how notion dictates penalties, whereas constructing on its core themes, together with household, embracing identification, the worth of teamwork, and love.
The narrative additionally gently explores themes of feminism and familial roles, as Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) takes heart stage in a pro-superhero marketing campaign to revive their status. On the similar time, Mr. Unbelievable (Craig T. Nelson) stays house, barely navigating the challenges of parenting his three rambunctious kids, particularly Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile), who’s exhibiting his powers for the primary time.
Issues take a difficult flip when a cybercriminal named Screenslaver begins hypnotizing individuals by means of laptop screens. The villain is finally revealed to be Evelyn Deavor (Catherine Keener), the sister of Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk), a supporter of superheroes.
Incredibles 2 reveals how shifting the main focus from one character to a different inside an ensemble (right here, from Mr. Unbelievable to Elastigirl) can shake issues up for the higher, with out detracting from the respective characters.
#2 Toy Story 3 (2010)
Followers waited for a complete decade for Toy Story 3. The film’s launch in 2010 marked the hat-trick of the franchise’s success.
Though there are extra movies within the Toy Story franchise, Toy Story 3 is important because it culminates the toys’ journey with Andy.
The movie explores common themes of loyalty, letting go, and the transition to a brand new part of life, as a brand new proprietor acquires the toys after Andy donates them simply earlier than leaving for school. The toys encounter the deceptively pleasant Lotso (Ned Beatty), a strawberry-scented bear who guidelines the daycare heart with an iron fist.
Toy Story 3 demonstrates that endings matter. This sequel not solely gives closure but additionally introduces new stakes, exhibiting how sequels are excellent for delivering emotional payoffs whereas laying out new potentialities for the characters.
#1 Toy Story 2 (1999)
When Toy Story was launched in 1995, no person had seen something prefer it earlier than. Pixar offered a complete imaginary world, the place the toys might stroll and speak—they’ve feelings and aspirations, very very like the people who owned them.
The characters weren’t solely relatable but additionally had sturdy arcs that enabled viewers to kind a deeper reference to the toys. Naturally, the anticipation was at an all-time excessive when Toy Story 2 was launched in 1999.
With its distinctive storytelling and animation, Toy Story 2 surpassed the viewers’s expectations. Some even say that it’s a kind of sequels that surpassed the unique.
The narrative follows Woody (Tom Hanks), who’s stolen by a toy collector, prompting Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang to embark on a rescue mission. This one additionally introduces Jessie (Joan Cusack), a spirited cowgirl along with her personal emotional baggage.
Toy Story 2 deepens the themes of identification and belonging, with Woody confronting his personal legacy and worth as a toy. The film expands its character arcs and themes to honor its predecessor, placing a stability between the narrative’s depth and humor.
These sequels show that Pixar’s greatest follow-ups construct upon the emotional and thematic groundwork specified by the originals, providing new views whereas remaining true to the franchise’s spirit.
Which is your favourite Pixar sequel?
