Summary

• Pixar has an esteemed track record for producing high-quality animated films and successful sequels.
• Cars 2 is considered one of Pixar's weakest sequels due to its departure from the original concept.
• Films like Cars 3, Monsters University, and Toy Story 4 improved sequels by returning to the emotional core of the original stories.

Pixar is an incredible production company when it comes to original animated films, and their track record for producing great sequels is also pretty outstanding. Pixar has an illustrious history of putting out high-quality animated films and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in computer-generated animation. In addition, the company has always had a knack for delivering stories that were packed with emotion and fun for the entire family.

Since their first feature length film, Toy Story, released in 1995, the company gained global recognition and praise. It wasn't long before they were brought into the Disney family, and now, almost 30 years later, the company has created an incredible 27 movies. Within this figure, Pixar has recognized the strength of individual brands and IPs, and several of their movies serve as sequels to earlier titles. For the most part, these sequels have managed to garner just as much success as their predeccessors thanks to Pixar's incredible team of talented creatives.

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9 Cars 2

John Lasseter and Brad Lewis

While Pixar does have a good track record, it is not unblemished. Some movies have been much more successful than others, and in of sequels, there is one that stands out as the worst from the company. Cars 2 was a significant departure from the original. Not only did the story leave behind some of the core cast that made the original movie so popular, but it took the exciting world of cars and racing, and swapped it for an entirely new genre with spies and espionage.

However, while espionage films can be incredibly exciting and compelling, and there have been hit spy movies aimed at younger audiences, making a movie about cars that are spies was just a weird mash up. Lightning McQueen belongs in the world of racing, and his best friend Mater proved he was invaluable as part of his crew, and a trusted friend, but taking them to the wacky world of spy cars was a step too far.

8 Cars 3

Brian Fee

Fortunately, the team at Pixar recognized that Cars 3 needed to go back to it's roots as a movie about cars competing in races. The third entry did exactly that, and it made for a considerably better story. The film explored themes of growing up, maturing, and finding new purpose in life. At the heart of the story, Lightning McQueen is preparing for the Florida 500 race, but Lightning is a veteran at the races, and newer, faster cars have begun to outperform him despite his experience.

The film sees Lightning adopt a new role as a mentor, following in the footsteps of his old coach, Doc Hudson. Thanks to the film attempting to create a more emotional story, and sticking to a formula that had worked well in the original movie, it made Cars 3 a much more accessible and entertaining film than the previous sequel. However, the Cars trilogy remains one of the least strong franchises within the Pixar umbrella, as many of their other sequels were even better.

7 Monsters University

Dan Scanlon

Technically speaking, Monsters University is a prequel. However, the movie was released 12 years after the original movie when it came out in 2013. The original movie explored a world full of monsters whose job it is to enter the human world and scare kids. Kids' screams have effectively been farmed as a source of energy to power their whole civilization, but in reality, the monsters are deathly afraid of humans, believing them to be poisonous.

Due to the original 2001 movie ending with the world of monsters being changed forever, a follow-up story would have looked dramatically different, unless they looked back. That is exactly what happened with Monsters University, which follows the stars of the original film in their college years. The premise is entertaining, and it created a great backstory for how the characters came to team up for the original movie. Thanks to the creative approach, and the authenticity that connected it with Monsters Inc., Monsters University was a great success.

6 Finding Dory

Angus MacLane and Andrew Stanton

Finding Dory had an even longer lead time between movies, with the original, Finding Nemo, debuting in 2003, and the sequel 13 years later in 2016. However, the emotional story from the first movie proved difficult to follow up. Pixar is especially skilled at producing emotional, heartfelt stories, and the movie about a father losing his son in the vast ocean was an incredible success. Building on that foundation required an equally emotional and important story to avoid a drop in quality.

Dory struggles with her memory, and as a result, she spends much of her life alone

The sequel succeeded by turning to one of the most beloved characters from the original movie, Dory. Dory struggles with her memory, and as a result, she spends much of her life alone. However, the sequel sees Dory finding a new home with Marlin and Nemo, which prompts her to her own parents. Finding Dory opens up a beautiful story about her journey to find her family, and overcoming the challenges that stood in her way.

5 Incredibles 2

Brad Bird

Continuing the tradition of having increasingly long waits between films, The Incredibles debuted in 2004, and the sequel, Incredibles 2, came out 14 years later in 2018. However, The Incredibles had one major disadvantage, in that it explicitly hinted at a sequel coming in the final moments of the 2004 movie. As a result, fans were anxiously awaiting a sequel film that would finally explore the Parr family's adventures as a superhero team.

Anticipation was further exasperated with the release of an Incredibles video game that featured the Underminer in 2005. Despite this, when the sequel did finally appear in 2018, it was a huge success that eclipsed the earlier film, doubling the box office and earning well over $1.2 billion (via The Numbers). The story was set just three months after the original, but the animation and style made both films timeless in a way that worked perfectly for the story.

4 Toy Story 4

Josh Cooley

However, Pixar's most successful franchise to date remains the first one they created. Toy Story has gone on to create numerous sequels, and earn billions at the box office, with multiple titles earning $1 billion each (via The Numbers). Toy Story has grown from strength to strength, with the films continually receiving positive reviews and generating incredible interest from multiple generations. Both kids that grew up watching the original movies, and younger viewers who have seen only the latest entries in the cinema have grown to become lifelong fans of the series.

In saying that, some entries are better than others. Toy Story 4 essentially finishes off the Andy saga, as Andy leaves for college, gifting the toys to a young girl named Bonnie. The film sees them traveling through unfamiliar territory, not unlike the earlier entries, but at the conclusion of the film, there is a major development that appeared to end the franchise for good. Woody, the long-time companion of Buzz Lightyear, and original favorite toy of Andy's, chooses to leave his friends and Bonnie behind in order to be with his longtime love, Bo Peep.

3 Inside Out 2

Kelsey Mann

Inside Out raised the bar when it came to telling emotional stories about growing up when it literally went into the mind of its protagonist Riley in 2015. The movie was widely praised for its approach to exploring emotions and how complex and multi-faceted they can be for people of all ages. As a result, the movie was ripe for a sequel, but the comedy sequel Inside Out 2 was only officially announced in 2022, and released in 2024.

With the movie's eventual release window being relatively short, the film has managed to maintain some of the momentum with the story. With a slightly older Riley now reaching a point in her life where she experiences a wide range of new emotions, the film has plenty of material to explore. The film is unique in how much it appeals to audiences both old and young, and despite the nine year gap, the film only becomes more relevant as people become more aware of their emotions and how to effectively work with them instead of against them.

2 Toy Story 2

Lee Unkrich, Ash Brannon, John Lasseter

Toy Story came out in 1995, and despite the companies' relatively little experience, the sequel was able to be released in one of Pixar's shortest turn arounds of all time, just four years later, in 1999. Toy Story 2 saw the toys bound together by their first excursion, but facing a new terrifying villain in the form of a giant chicken. In reality, it was a man named Al McWhiggin who owns a local toy store. Al steals Woody from Andy when he spots the toy after it accidentally lands in the box for a yard sale.

Toy Story 2 is an incredible acceleration of what happened in the original movie, and it sees the toys banding together to achieve the impossible. It is also the film that introduces several pivotal characters to the franchise, including Jessie the Cowgirl, and Bullseye the Horse. Ultimately, Toy Story 2 exceeded the original in some ways and resulted in an incredible story that kept Pixar at the forefront of animation.

1 Toy Story 3

Lee Unkrich

The film is the most mature and emotionally intense of the series

11 years later, Pixar released an impressive seven further feature animated movies which all went on to critical acclaim and won an array of awards. Pixar was firmly established as a major contender in the animation space with heartfelt, touching stories like Wall-E, Up, and Ratatouille all pushing the boundaries of what was possible in a kids' film, and delivering emotional plots through unusual viewpoints.

At this point, Pixar set out to revisit the franchise that put it on the map. Toy Story 3 came out in 2010, featuring a fully grown Andy on his way to college. In many ways, Andy is an anchor for the audience who have grown at a similar pace with the character, and this moment is both an entertaining and powerful story, and a love letter to the fans of Pixar through the years. The film is the most mature and emotionally intense of the series, but its also an example of how far Pixar has come.