Forget for a second that, out of the last four movies, Brave is the sole non-sequel/prequel and focus on the promise of the years ahead. Before Finding Dory comes out in the fall of 2015, Pixar will have released three straight original films: The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, and Lee Unkrich’s as-of-yet untitled movie about Dia de los Muertos).
That long a run’s only occurred once in Pixar’s history; between 2001 and 2009, moviegoers were treated to seven straight. That string of movies also happens to be widely considered their strongest, with Cars the only one not generally considered a classic. Am I saying this upcoming string of movies will match it? No, but I am saying that it can only mean positive things for Pixar. I also feel I should point out that it appears more original films are sure to follow Finding Dory, meaning Pixar won’t be transforming into a sequel factory, as some fear.
You should also forget that, besides Lee Unkrich and Mark Andrews, the old has yet to give way to the new, as that too is changing. From Monsters University to Lee Unkrich’s second film, only Finding Dory (directed by Andrew Stanton) will be without an infusion of fresh blood, with The Good Dinosaur being co-directed by two newbies, and Ronnie del Carmen joining Pete Docter as co-director of Inside Out. This too bodes well for the future of Pixar, as fresh blood is sure to bring with it fresh ideas, something Pixar is in dire need of.
In short, calm yourselves down and have some patience. Pixar will soon be as new and exciting as it once was, and you’ll probably wonder why you ever doubted them.
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