Pixar sequels have been pretty successful at the box office and so far they’ve been very good films that stand on their own: “Toy Story 2”, “Toy Story 3” and “Cars 2”. This streak will be tested next year with the prequel – “Monsters University”.
And now comes the news is that Pixar is planning “Finding Nemo 2” – almost a decade after the original was released.
Andrew Stanton, who directed “Nemo”, “WALL-E” and Disney’s 2012 disappointment “John Carter”, will be looking to bounce back from his first venture into live action by directing the sequel to the 2003 Oscar winner. He’s pitched an idea to the studio that they’ve “embraced”, so it looks like the movie is in the Pixar pipeline for 2016 (though the studio has yet to make it official).
Some fans think Pixar’s already overdone it with the sequels (most weren’t happy about “Cars 2”) and I’ve read the criticism that the studio isn’t doing enough original projects. But that arguement doesn’t work – Pixar’s next three movies after “University” will all be originals: “The Good Dinosaur” (2014) and two in 2015 – an untitled film about mind exploration and the other related to “The Day of the Dead”.
“Finding Nemo” is a great movie, but it’s not one of my all-time favorite Pixar films. The better choice for a Pixar sequel would be “The Incredibles”. Many people, especially adults, have this as their favorite because the charcaters are human (and therefore more relatable) and it’s the most “adult”, serious and action-packed Pixar film. I like it for its off-beat humor as well.
Fan have been waiting for an “Incredibles 2” because we want to see these superheroes battle another villain (hopefully John Ratzenburger’s “Underminer” who appears at the end of the original). That film left you wanting more, and with the clear feeling that story of this amazing family wasn’t over. But it’s been eight years, guys – time to get this project going!
“Toy Story 3” was a perfect way to end that series. I still love Lightning McQueen and Mater, so I’d support the idea of a “Cars 3”, but “Cars 2” made $50M less than the original domestically, so that probably won’t happen.
“A Bug’s Life”, “Ratatouille” and “Up” all ended nicely and absolutely don’t need sequels. And I’m not a “WALL-E” fan, so I don’t think we ever need to see him back on the big screen.
So the question remains – is a sequel to “Finding Nemo” what we really want to see? In my opinion – No. “Finding Nemo” also had a memorable, emotional story and a fine ending. Why mess with something that already worked so well the first time.
“Finding Nemo” is being re-released in 3D on September 14. Pixar will likely officially announce “FN2” during or after that run.