Yes, it was animated by Disney Toon Studios. But it was executive produced and approved by John Lasseter. It’s all Disney (even Pixar) and at this point all Disney animation essentially has John Lasseter’s fingerprints to some degree on it. The problem with Planes was not animation, it was story. That was the problem with Cars 2 as well.
So, I think, supports the case that when it comes to sequels while Toy Story 2 and 3 show success, Cars 2 and Planes show that they’re willing to go out with bad scripts for sequels. Monsters University was also surprisingly weak on story, too.
I hope not for Incredibles 2. But recent evidence is not reassuring. But hopefully Brad Bird’s attentions and responsibilities aren’t spread as thin as Lasseter’s (who is also heavily involved in theme park stuff too).
I wouldn’t care about bad sequels (since I’ll just not watch them), but these things aren’t in addition to work they’d otherwise be doing (at least not the ones on the Pixar label) but in place of other work. They’re not going to make more than two movies a year.
Lasseter is on record as saying that Cars is far and away his favorite Pixar movie. The toy tie-ins (and the resulting money) are a big reason Cars 2 was made, but Lasseter probably would have greenlighted it regardless.
I don’t think this is a cash grab or anything. Sadly, I can’t find a cite, but The Incredibles was never a huge moneymaker for Pixar. Human-centric movies like Brave*, Up, and The Incredibles don’t sell many toys, and that’s what drives them more than ticket revenue. I’ve heard there’s a lot of internal pressure at Pixar to create more toy-driven movies, or at least sequels, hence Cars 2 (which is a huge moneymaker due to merchandising).
If they’re making a sequel, I suspect it’s an artistic decision, and possibly one that had to be fought tooth and nail to get, not an attempt to cash in on a well-loved property. Of course, that doesn’t mean it will be good, but I strongly suspect their heart is in the right place.
Brave might escape this due to the fact that Merida got the Disney Princess treatment, I’m not sure.
I humbly disagree. Bomb Voyage escaped, and the Underminer was about to lay waste to the pavements.
IIRC, Bomb Voyage was seen on a sidewalk in Ratatouille. At least I remember catching a glimpse, and gasping out loud in the theatre That’s Bomb Voyage!
Maybe one of the reasons this movie is being made, and the reason it was announced alongside Cars 3 was that Pixar/Brad Bird wanted to make an Incredibles 2 movie, Disney balked citing the “no toys sold” thing, and then said “well, we’ll let you do a new Incredibles if you do a new Cars too”
I am very familiar with Brigadoon – it’s one of my top 20 favorite musicals.
But I have to say I think there are some key elements in the story that are subverted in “Doc Hollywood.” Brigadoon is isolated by choice – Grady (and Radiator Springs) don’t wish to be isolated. Nothing except interest keeps Jeff and Tommy in Brigadoon; a judge’s sentence keeps Stone in Grady and Lightning McQueen in Radiator Springs. In other words, while some aspects of the stories are similar, the character motivations are virtually opposite as between Brigadoon and the other two.
But Cars is, in fact, a virtual repeat of Doc Hollywood.
It’s a much closer analogy to place Cars and DH together than it is to tie in Brigadoon.
I could take or leave a Cars 3, but I’m very, very psyched about an Incredibles sequel. The original is far and away my favorite Pixar movie, and if Brad Bird is back at work, all is right with the world. Can’t wait to see it.
The merchandising for Cars 1 was worth $10 billion which is more than the combined ticket sales of every pixar movie ever made. There’s a very good reason why this is the franchise that’s being extended and not something like Nemo which made only 1/10th the amount of merchandising.
