After a round of layoffs and a rough few years, Pixar is taking a not-entirely-unexpected approach to getting its studio back on track: leaning on its existing intellectual property.
The news comes from an extensive Bloomberg report today, a deep-dive into the studio's strategy as it pivots away from production for Disney+ and back to theatrical films. Unsurprisingly, it's hoping for Inside Out 2, the sequel to its beloved 2015 film, to point Pixar into a more positive direction when it debuts in theaters on June 14.
Inside Out 2 isn't the only sequel on Pixar's mind, though. According to the Bloomberg report, "every hit of yesterday is being considered for a reboot, with Finding Nemo and The Incredibles regarded as particularly strong candidates for new titles." Pixar President Jim Morris said in the article that they're aiming to make three movies every two years, "with every other title a sequel or spinoff and the rest standalone concepts or potential seeds for new franchise." That reflects something of a slight increase from the studio's previous output of roughly one movie per year.
The report comes after Pixar began layoffs of 14% of its workforce earlier this month, affecting around 175 people. Even as the studio refocuses on theatrical releases, it still has a couple of holdovers set to come to Disney+. Most notably, the article confirms that Dream Productions, a spinoff of Inside Out set in the universe of main character Riley's dreams, will air next year.
Pulling From the Past
Elsewhere in the article, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter specifically touched on Finding Nemo (2003) as a point of interest, especially considering that it and its sequel, Finding Dory (2016), grossed $2 billion worldwide combined.
“Where else have we not gone in the ocean? The ocean’s a big place," Docter said. "I think there’s a lot of opportunity there. We’re kind of fishing around — ha-ha."
Still, they're not unaware of how this focus on sequels and rebooting old franchises could look. Pixar's Senior Vice President of Development, Lindsey Collins, shared her own son's less-than-favorable reaction to another Incredibles film.
“The other day, I was like, ‘What if I told you we were making an Incredibles 3?’ And he was like, ‘Money grab.’ And I was like ‘F---,' " Collins said. "Sequels are a double-edged sword, because the audience can be brutal and so quick to judge. Unless they’re worthy.”
As mentioned, it's been a troubling few years for Pixar, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its 2020 film Onward headed to Disney+ after just a few weeks in theaters as pandemic lockdowns took hold, and Soul, Luca, and Turning Red would all be Disney+-only releases (save for a few international theatrical runs) after that.
Pixar returned to theaters with Lightyear in 2022, but that Toy Story spinoff disappointed at the box office, fizzling out at just $226 million globally. Elemental, luckily, rebounded from a soft debut to fare better, nearly getting to the $500 million mark worldwide.
As Pixar aims to get back to its glory days, it has at least one highly anticipated sequel in the tank: Toy Story 5, which was recently dated for June 19, 2026.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
