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If Inside Out 2 didn’t succeed, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter was going to have to radically rethink Pixar’s entire business model.
Thankfully, the film didn’t just succeed. It surpassed all expectations, critically and commercially. It’s a sigh of relief for Pixar who has gone through a gauntlet both from Disney and the press. After having their films sent directly to Disney+ and then having a major misfire in Lightyear followed by a subtle comeback success story in Elemental. They needed an outright win and they got it. Disney on the other hand needed this just as bad as their entire 2023 slate underperformed their lofty standards.
However, before Inside Out 2 was a runaway success, Pixar was doing press and it gave us a glimpse at a studio that was wrestling with the possibility of a radical overhaul. The media has constantly tried to label Pixar films like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red as “flops” although that would be inaccurate considering those three films never had a chance at financial success as they were sent to Disney+ (all three were critical darlings). Not to mention, if they were really flops why do we see Luca and Turning Red merch everywhere?
Pixar CCO Pete Docter during his rounds of press, shined a light on the studio and its future plans. A mix of sequels with originals, and a more budget-friendly output for Disney+ after producing shorts that weren’t viewed as much. Docter admitted that Lightyear was maybe too nerdy for general audiences. Disney nerds love the meta concept but general audiences are easily confused. Also, it didn’t help the execution didn’t work. Docter also admitted the marketing for Elemental was wrong (vindication for me). I wrote about Elemental’s marketing last year, and how I was baffled at how Pixar couldn’t sell it despite it being an awesome film.
I also found it intriguing that Docter was lamenting the fact Pixar has sorta run out of “universal story” ideas like “the monsters in your bedroom” or “if toys could talk.” It seems like they are hard at work trying to find those concepts again, things that make everyone go “Oh I get that!” Sorta like how everyone understands Inside Out 2 because we all have emotions. Pixar’s next film Elio despite a Lightyear-lite teaser is allegedly going to tackle the concept of “Are we alone? Are we the only intelligent life in the universe?” I’m hoping the delay made the story stronger and maybe Elio’s next trailer won’t look as Lightyear-lite.
Sure, Inside Out 2 will also give Disney a big data point that the audiences may turn out for sequels. Although I hope Pixar’s bosses realize the magic was in the gap of time and the story being strong. Pixar is planning new installments in the The Incredibles and Finding Nemo franchises. Docter also teased Monsters, Inc. as a possible option as well. Lindsey Collins (Turning Red, Wall-E) was named SVP of Development at Pixar and her job is to explore potential new installments with popular Pixar IP. Collins recently told Bloomberg she had a conversation with her son about “a hypothetical” regarding Incredibles 3 and her son straight told her, “cash grab.” Collins said an expletive in reaction to her son. Yet it’s a reminder to Collins, Docter, and Pixar that they have to tread lightly when doing sequels. When it comes to Pixar projects with established IP, I’d also like to throw Coco into the ring for another installment or spinoff. The IP has been lucrative for Disney in recent years and it’s expected to get a larger presence in the Disney Parks. It’s my dark horse pick for another sequel/installment.
Docter also ruled out Pixar live-action remakes, but we will see if Disney allows that. I think Disney’s new live-action boss David Greenbaum won’t touch Pixar’s projects as he’s more likely to take some bolder swings while mixing in some Disney Parks film adaptations. I’m also wondering if Docter said the comment just to get ahead of a potential pitch from Walt Disney Studios about the possibility. Maybe an executive in Burbank sees money in a live-action Incredibles or Up? But I agree with Docter that the Pixar films should remain in animation. Disney Animated films are a different story in my personal opinion.
Pixar’s upcoming projects include its first full-length Disney+ series Win or Lose, Toy Story 5 directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Wall-E), another original film rumored to be a musical about Ducks, and a few other projects in the pipeline that are continuations and originals. Hopefully, we will get clarity at D23. I know a few things though like Turning Red director Domee Shi is working on Elio and another original project. Luca director Enrico Casarosa is working on another project as well. There are a few other projects as well but maybe we save discussing them for another piece.
This quote below by Pete Docter resonated with a ton of people so I decided to share it again in the newsletter.
“You might think our movies are about cars or bugs or monsters, but they’re really about us at the core. They’re about our experiences as human beings that we hope will then resonate with the audience.” — Pete Docter
Pixar’s charting its course into the future, and thankfully after an era of turbulence it can have a little bit of rest until Win or Lose and Elio. But Inside Out 2 at least buys the iconic animation studio some breathing room and avoids a potential radical reinvention.
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Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
