Pixar, Please Give Us More Movies Like COCO

By the time I was wiping my tears away at the end of Coco, Pixar’s latest gift to the world of animated films, I was already considering where it might land in my personal Pixar movie rankings. For now, the list goes:

1. Finding Nemo
2. Inside Out
3. Wall-E
4. Toy Story 3
5. Ratatouille

I’m not sure if Coco will end up in my top 5, among these all-time greats, but it’s a testament to just how good the film is that I even have to ask the question. I’ll have to see it a couple more times to figure out exactly where it will end up, but after the disappointment of having to put up with another Cars movie this summer – and Finding Dory before that – I was thrilled to get an original story that lived up to the promise of Pixar’s legendary past. My enthusiasm was rewarded in full. Coco is funny, sweet, and perfectly plotted. Its every twist and turn feels both inevitable and surprising – the mark of a story well told. Oh, and it’s got some Up-level emotional heft to it, so bring the tissues.

Coco is, in other words, exactly the kind of movie that gave Pixar its reputation as the standard in animated film making. Unfortunately, it’s the kind of movie they make less and less frequently these days. More than half of the movies Pixar has released since 2010 are sequels, and there are more to come. The Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 will see release in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Of course, not all sequels are bad (some, like Toy Story 3, are fantastic), but Pixar has typically been at their best when introducing an entirely fresh concept to audiences.

I want to give Pixar the benefit of the doubt, since they’ve done so much great work, but it’s hard not to be cynical. Yes, you could argue that these sequels are bringing back to the screen beloved characters that audiences want to see more of and share with their children. The original Toy Story came out when I was nine, and watching my kids follow the exploits of Woody, Buzz, and the gang is pretty cool. But Cars 3? Was anybody above the age of 10 really clamoring for more Tow Mater? And no, Larry the Cable Guy doesn’t count.

Now, apparently, Pixar President Jim Morris has said that, beyond Toy Story 4, there are no current plans for more sequels, and that all the stories being developed at the moment are originals. I hope that’s true, although I’m not sure that Disney will be able to resist the prospect of all the merchandising money that a sequel guarantees.

I hope, of course, that I’m wrong, and that Pixar’s recent habit of sprinkling original stories in amongst sequels will give way to a period of entirely new tales that provide audiences the chance to see fresh characters, like Coco’s Miguel and Hector and Dante, who can become beloved favorites in the way that so many others have through the years, whether or not they've helped sell a few thousand more pieces of merchandise.