Let’s be honest, we’re all sick to death of Cars by now. I understand that it’s a ruddy goldmine when it comes to merchandising but the potential is running thin and I’m sure we’d all appreciate it if the effort and time spent on the series was put into something original or at least towards making a sequel for a more promising IP.
So with the long-awaited sequel to The Incredibles finally happening, we thought we’d run through some of the best animated movies we think actually deserve a sequel.
Brave (2012)
The highland charm, the medieval lore, a badass main character and a great plot that unites themes of familial bonding and the defiance of backwards customs, Brave has more going for it than you can toss a caber at.
In an interview in The Scotsman, director Mark Andrews said, "I don't know if there will be another one. We never make a film at Pixar to have a sequel. It is always nice when you do and we kind of have a philosophy that if we find the right story then we will. Surely the marketing and success of Brave says that you can have one and they will come." So this one’s not entirely off the cards, folks.
WALL·E (2008)
Bah gawd WALL-E is such a goddamn cutie. Remember that bit where he puts a bra on his face? Yeah you do. He’s one of the best animated robots of all time and with the possibility of returning to the ruined Earth as a sequel, I’m hungry for more.
Unfortunately, Pixar President Jim Morris has gone on record as saying: “It would be good to go back and visit that world and let everybody know that the humans actually survived again after getting back to their burnt-out planet. But that was really a love story that had its beginning, middle, and end, so we're not really planning any further stories in those worlds at this point.”
Still, with Finding Dory, Toy Story 3 and The Incredibles 2 all coming out yonks after their first movie, I’m never giving up hope.
ParaNorman (2012)
One of the best spooky animated movies of the last 10 years (Monster House is a close second) ParaNorman is a triumph in modern stop-motion animation by studio LAIKA. Unfortunately it looks like chances of a sequel are skinnier than a witch's finger.
LAIKA co-founder, Travis Knight had this to say during a Cartoon Brew interview: “I take a firm stand against sequels. My industry brethren are a little shocked at how firmly I'm committed to not doing sequels.” Whelp.
Zootopia (2016) - Zootropolis for us Brits
I was a little taken aback by how vibrant and well-established the world of Zootopia turned out to be so early into the movie. With all this foundation laid down it would be a crying shame to bid the Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde duo adieu.
Lucky for us, during my research I found an interview that didn’t immediately snub the idea of a sequel! Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore were open to the idea, all they seemed concerned about was whether to make Judy and Nick an item. Romantic storylines in movies is corny and cripples narrative depth, please guys, just keep them friends!
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Ready for even more good news? Disney have announced that Wreck-It Ralph 2 is actually going to happen. It’ll be called Ralph Breaks the Internet and it has a release date for March 9, 2018. As a big fan of gaming I’m bouncing with excitement over this one and I’m glad that they went with the natural progression of arcade to online gaming. What next? Ralph Breaks Virtual Reality? Maybe I should copyright that...
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)
Whilst not as big of a barnstormer as some of the others on this list, Mr. Peabody & Sherman had some cool time travelling and a boy/dog relationship with some actual complexity and originality. They went back to the French Revolution, Ancient Egypt and Renaissance Florence so perhaps they could take a stab at the future next time?
Up (2009)
Up was a touching movie which tackled a not often-seen relationship and it resonated so strongly with so many of it’s viewers (especially in that flashback sequence. You know the one, *sob*) that it would almost be a shame to have a sequel because it would somehow sully the original.
Perhaps a follow-up could feature Russell who has grown up and is going on an adventure with his own kid/grandkid? Or maybe you could go where illustrator Arno Kiss went with his parody poster and have a sequel that sends the house subterranean - Journey to the Center of the Earth-style.
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Shout out to last week’s post, maybe we’ve just got Simpsons on the brain here at the studio… The Simpsons Movie was great because it made me feel like I was watching my favourite show back in its glory days. It revived some of the charm and wit that you’d see in the earlier, golden age of the show and distract you from the disappointing status of the modern tv series.
A sequel here might be a bit of a stretch though whilst the tv show is still running because the animators would have to be poached from the show whilst it’s still being made - one of the biggest issues that the production of The Simpsons Movie had to overcome.
Ratatouille (2007)
Ratatouille is an endearing underdog story of an unlikely hero’s triumph over the hand in life he’s been dealt to follow his dreams of becoming a chef. This could easily have a cracking sequel! A rival kitchen opens run by a guinea pig? No? Okay maybe this is why I’m writing a journal post instead of directing movies...
A Bug’s Life (1998)
Here it is, the movie that proved that Pixar’s debut (Toy Story) was no fluke. The concept here was so strong - it had a colony under siege by a terrifying swarm of grasshoppers, a lowly yet lovable ant hero and a circus troupe of bugs pretending to be fearless warriors. It made thousands of kids think twice about getting their magnifying glass out and roasting some creepy-crawlies.
With the return of the impressive vocal cast including Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, John Ratzenberger and more, they could give A Bug’s Life the Toy Story sequel treatment and smash it out of the park.
Catch us on Twitter @fudgeanimation or Facebook and let us know if there are any sequels you’d love to see or any you’re looking forward to seeing in the coming months! See you next week.
