Will INCREDIBLES 3 Follow Franchise’s Family-Friendly Values?
By Movieguide® Contributor
During the D23 Expo on Friday, Disney announced that an INCREDIBLES 3 film is in the works, and writer/director Brad Bird will return.
“As you can see, we have some ‘Incredibles’ projects. That’s right, we’re making INCREDIBLES 3,” Pixar chief Pete Docter announced during his presentation at D23.
Per Variety, “Docter provided no further information about the project, but the announcement of a new INCREDIBLES movie comes on the heels of the wild success of INSIDE OUT 2, which recently passed INCREDIBLES 2 as Pixar’s highest grossing film ever (and Disney Animation’s FROZEN II as the highest grossing animated film of all time). No release date has been set for the third film in the franchise.”
While fans long speculated about a third movie, nothing definitive had been shared.
In 2018, Bird told Deadline of a third installment, “I would rather say I’m not closed to it, but it’s not on my mind. It’s like, the last thing you want to do after swimming in the ocean for a month is go for a swim. I need to do something else for a while, and we’ll see what the future has in store.”
Disney’s announcement of INCREDIBLES 3 on social media was met with fan hesitation, however.
“Frozone NEEDS the Spotlight,” super_sonic_mikey wrote.
“So I guess they’re gonna just make the first movie again but slightly different… again,” another user wrote.
Another said, “Honestly, I’m speechless. I hope this film exceeds expectations and that it doesn’t disappoint people like two did.”
With several flops like LIGHT YEAR and STRANGE WORLD in recent years, Disney is desperate for another hit like INSIDE OUT 2.
Thankfully, THE INCREDIBLES, a Teddy Bear Award® winner, and INCREDIBLES 2, a Teddy Bear Award® nominee, celebrate family and honor moral values.
Disney should take note of what made the first two movies successful and give viewers what they’re looking for in INCREDIBLES 3.
Movieguide® previously reported on the downward trend of Disney movies:
After Walt Disney Animation Studios’ STRANGE WORLD and Disney Pixar’s LIGHTYEAR failed to draw expected numbers at the box office, many fans wondered how the one-time undisputed leader in animated family films could fall so far, so fast.
STRANGE WORLD earned just over $25M despite its estimated $180M budget, while the TOY STORY spinoff failed to impress with only a $50M opening weekend and a slew of negative reviews from mainstream outlets.
The one consistency between the two movies? Their focus on a progressive agenda over a creative story, uplifting and moral lessons, and compelling characters.
The Wrap looked back at animated movies released from 2020 to 2022, noting that Disney’s total gross for animated movies was “just over $1 billion worldwide,” while Universal Pictures earned $2.06 billion in the same timeframe.
“I honestly think that not only are we challenging Disney Animation, but I would take our animation business over theirs right now,” NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell said on a recent conference call according to The Wrap. “We have an animation system now that rivals if not surpasses Disney.”
