Earlier this week, it was kind of ironic that – in a headline
that talked up how well “Up” was doing at the domestic box office – Variety mentioned “The Incredibles.”
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“Ironic how?,” you ask. Well, in a time where this
Emeryville-based animation studio is well into production on “Toy Story 3”
& “Cars 2” (And – very quietly – begun initial development on “Monsters,
Inc. 2”), what’s the one Pixar sequel that isn’t in the works right now? “The
Incredibles 2”
“And why is that?,” you ask. Well – to answer that question –
you have to understand how the creative culture works up there in Emeryville.
Pixar truly is a director-driven animation studio. Which means that no sequel
can be put into production unless the director of the first film gives the
thumbs-up and/or is on board in some sort of creative capacity on that project.
Which is why it really isn’t a coincidence that the sequels
that were initially greenlit after The Walt Disney Company acquired Pixar Animation
Studios back in 2006 were based on John Lasseter films. While John won’t actually be directing either of these
follow-ups (Lee Unkrich is riding herd on “Toy Story 3,” while Brad Lewis is
behind the wheel on “Cars 2”), Lasseter has been very hands-on. As chief creative officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney
Animation Studios, John has been heavily involved in all phases of production
of these two movies. Signing off on everything from the initial story ideas to the
vocal casting of new characters.
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And as for “Monsters, Inc. 2” … While it’s not yet certain whether Pete Docter will actually be directing
this sequel or just serving as the project’s producer, he too reportedly plans
on being very hands-on when it comes to the further adventures of Mike &
Sulley.
Whereas Brad Bird … In a 2007 interview with the Associated
Press, Bird admitted that he’s actively thought about an “Incredibles” sequel:
“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.”Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc and Pixar Animation Studios. All Rights Reserved
And because Brad – to date – hasn’t been able to come up with a
workable concept for an “Incredibles” sequel, there’s been no real work done on a
follow-up film.
Of course, some Emeryville insiders have suggested that the main reason that “The Incredibles 2” isn’t in the works is that Brad just doesn’t
like sequels. I mean – back when he was doing press for “Ratatouille” – Bird was
pretty clear about how he felt. Again – while being interviewed by the AP in 2007 –
this Academy Award-winner said:
“Sequels are not part of the business plan at Pixar. It’s
all about the filmmakers being passionate about going somewhere.”
So now that sequels have become a key component of Pixar’s
overall business strategy … Well, that’s gotta be rubbing Brad the wrong way.
Mind you, Disney veterans that I spoke with at this year’s Licensing
Show in Las Vegas said that once Bird gets “1906” under his belt he’ll most likely revisit the idea of doing an “Incredibles”
sequel. And given that Pixar’s first live-action film – Andrew Stanton’s “John
Carter of Mars” – is gearing up to begin shooting in Utah this November, it’s
only a matter of time now ‘til production of Brad’s Great San Francisco
Earthquake movie finally gets underway.
Which brings us to the other great unasked question that’s
currently floating around in the Pixar-related ether: After Stanton & Bird
have dabbled in live-action, is it really going to be possible to persuade these two talented fillmakers
to return to animation? Because (to be blunt here), if there’s one movie
that Disney’s board of directors would like to see go into production more than
“The Incredibles 2,” that would be a follow-up to Andrew’s 2003 hit, “Finding Nemo.”
But – again – that ain’t happening unless Stanton signs off
on a sequel and/or takes an active part in the development of a new “Nemo”
movie. After all, that’s just the Pixar way.
So how do you folks feel about this? Me personally, I find
it refreshing that — in an age where Hollywood seems to churn out nothing but sequels
– what’s stalling production of a Pixar follow-up film isn’t the details of the
deal (i.e. who gets what cut of the profits). But – rather – can we come up
with a story that’s actually worthy of the first movie?
Your thoughts?