With “Incredibles 2” coming out in June, the movie is proving, once again, that Pixar can delay a sequel almost a decade later and still get the masses to want to see the movie. The original “Incredibles” film came out in 2004, a 14-year break in between the two. For those who remember the film, people were expecting a faster sequel after the Underminer came out at the end of the film with the Parr family ready to get back into action.
It took 14 years to get this film’s sequel rolling. Why? Simply put, Pixar waits for the next generation to fall in love with its original movies as well. The company generally puts out films targeted at a younger age, 12 or 13 years old. That child, who, in this case, is now 26 or 27 years old, could potentially have a young child. When a parent could potentially get annoyed with their child’s repertoire of new movies, the parents will tend to show the “classics.” And today, those “classics” are starting to become the original classics, such as other Pixar films like “Finding Nemo,” “A Bug’s Life” and “WALL-E.”
As long as the next generation seems like a part of its films, Pixar will keep producing films relating to older ones. The cycle continues as long as the film remains relevant to the big movie scene.
Let’s look at the “Toy Story” series. The first film came out in 1995, and the second came out in 1999. That is not that big of a difference. But everyone remembers the extremely heart-throbbing “Toy Story 3” film in 2010, an 11-year difference. Now, nine years later, “Toy Story 4” is projected for 2019. Most children who fell in love with Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) were not even alive when the first “Toy Story” came around in 1995. But with “Toy Story 3” (and the coming-soon fourth movie), every child feels like they are part of the great series.
Pixar is great at prolonging its films. “Monsters Inc.,” the film where everybody enjoyed the comedic appearances of Sully (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), is a great example. No one expected a second film from that series. But “Monsters University,” the prequel that looked at the college life of the two characters, grabbed the attention of millions. As soon as the latter film emerged, it was as if it was only 2004, when a “normal” sequel would happen.
Generational gaps sometimes cause problems between families. Grandparents are still trying to figure out “the Facebooks,” while their grandchildren are moving onto the latest social media trends, like Snapchat and Instagram. Pixar is helping all of this with its extremely long spaces in between films. Perhaps pulling generations together is Pixar’s goal.
With “Incredibles 2,” Pixar has proven once again it is full of movie masterminds and can keep almost every movie relevant. All in all, “Incredibles 2” is probably the most awaited film of Pixar’s franchise just because of what that evil mole, the Underminer, said about nothing being beneath him and the Parr family ready to tackle evil once again.
Image from Disney•Pixar via YouTube.com