Fans of classic Pixar movies can brace themselves for a new era of the studio, as they’re reportedly preparing to reboot two of their biggest movies: The Incredibles and Finding Nemo.
Asreportedby Bloomberg, the reboots are being considered as part of a strategy by Pixar president Jim Morris to revitalize the flagging animation juggernaut, which has been struggling after more than a decade of box office dominance.
The catalyst for these reboots was the dismal opening weekend for Elemental. While the film did open at #2 (only being beaten byThe Flash, which also opened that weekend), Elemental’s $30 million opening was the worst in Pixar’s history.
“We were all kind of gut-punched, and it was tough on morale,” Pixar president Jim Morris told Bloomberg about Elemental. “I thought it was a good film with a Pixar feel, so when it didn’t work, that was like, ‘Whoa.’ I was thinking, ‘Do people just not want to see the kind of film we make anymore? Is that done?’ ”
The solution, of course, is to abandon new IPs and return to the old ones that made Pixar the name it is. That led them to the decision to rebootsuperhero moviefranchise The Incredibles and underwater comedy Finding Nemo.
In a way, it makes sense. Five of the last six Pixar projects — Elemental, Turning Red, Luca, Soul, and Onward — were new properties, and all five have struggled to find an audience. (The sixth project, Toy Story pseudo-prequel Lightyear, fared better but was nowhere near the success of previous Pixar films.)
Compare that to the two films immediately preceding Onward: Toy Story 4 and The Incredibles 2. Both films performed well at the box office, crossing the mythical $1 billion threshold and becoming critical hits.
Related:
The lockdown had a lasting impact on the movie-going experience in general, and the audience has yet to find their way back. The economy has also ravaged the experience, making it more expensive and daunting than ever to take the whole family out to the cinema.
Christopher Baggett was a TV & Movies Writer on Dexerto’s US team and a comics expert, across DC Comics and Marvel. He also has bylines at ComicsBeat, Comic Book Resources, and The HomeWorld.
