Every Pixar Movie Sequel, Ranked According To IMDb

When it comes to animation, Pixar is the gold standard, especially in its heartfelt and sometimes shockingly mature narratives. But while competing studios like Dreamworks Animations will always plan for more sequels, Pixar is a lot more reluctant to do so.

However, in the rare event that a sequel does come out of the woodwork, they’re almost always as great and thought-provoking as the original movies. Even if fans have to wait for over 10 years for the long-awaited sequel, it just means that the studio has put more care and effort into it. Unless the franchise is Cars.

8 Cars 2 (2011) – 6.1

The original Cars movie is criminally underlooked when it comes to Pixar animations in general. It’s a simple movie about a group of sentient cars trying to repair a road. There’s a lot of heart to the 2006 film, but the sequel deflects any kind of soulfulness or that typical-Pixar emotion at every turn.

Cars 2 focuses more on Mater, who was the comic relief in the original movie, and the sequel leans hard on the character’s idiocy. What follows is a globe-trotting spectacle that’s fun, especially as it expands that Cars world, but it’s also complete comfort food, even when it comes to a kids’ film. The animation is shockingly photorealistic, but that’s only impressive for so long until the jokes start to grate on audiences.

7 Cars 3 (2017) – 6.7

Cars 3 learned from Cars 2’s mistakes, as Lightning McQueen is back in the lead role and Mater is back to being a supporting character. The result is a lot better than its predecessor. Not only that, but it completely flipped the second movie on its head, as it’s much more serious too.

Despite there not seeming to be any interest in the series from its creators other than as a moneymaker, Cars 3 has a surprisingly resonant story about aging. Pixar was back to doing what they do best. It’s still far from the perfect animation movie, and compared to the first Cars film, there’s still a lot to be desired, but it’s worth a watch.

6 Monsters University (2013) – 7.2

Monsters University isn’t just a sequel, but a prequel, and it was the right move on Pixar’s part, as Monsters Inc. had the most perfect ending possible and any sequel would have ruined it. The movie chronicles the time when Mike and Sully first met, and it’s full of callbacks to moments in college that everybody lived through.

Though it isn’t as heartfelt as the original film, it would have hit certain viewers on an emotional level. Those kids who grew up with the first movie would have been packing their bags and moving to college around the time that the 2013 movie was released.

5 Finding Dory (2016) – 7.3

Like Cars 2, Finding Dory focuses more on the supporting character of the first movie than the protagonist, but it works a whole lot better in the 2016 film. It’s always unbelievable when the exact same thing that happened in the first movie happens in the sequel (e.g. The Hangover), but Pixar pulled it off perfectly.

Finding Dory is so emotional, so impactful, and so original. Despite the 13-year gap between the first and second movie, the series doesn’t remotely feel stale, and it’s one of the more refreshing Pixar movies of the 2010s. It might not make audiences cry within the first 10 minutes like the first film, but not every movie needs to.

4 Incredibles 2 (2018) – 7.6

Incredibles 2 is the highest-grossing Pixar movie for a reason. It has everything, and between the jazzy music, the wonderful animation, and the return of the fan-favorite characters, the sequel was perfect for many. What’s fascinating about the Incredibles sequel is that even though it follows the original by 14 years, it picks off right where the first one left off, so much so that it even recreates the final scene of the 2004 flick. And that’s exactly what fans wanted.

It would have been interesting to see the superhero sequel see the kids as adults and how their relationship with their powers worked a decade and a half later. But it was so exciting seeing them in the thick of it with The Underminer. It also features more of Jack-Jack and his powers, which was a hit with audiences.

3 Toy Story 4 (2019) – 7.7

Many people thought the movie wasn’t necessary after Toy Story 3, but the four-quel served as a perfect epilogue to the events of the third film. It even wrapped up some loose ends that fans needed answers to, such as whatever it was that happened to Bo Peep after Toy Story 2.

The biggest criticism about Toy Story 4 is that it sidelined some of the best toys in the series. However, it also introduced so many new toys that fans want to see again, such as Duke Caboom, Forky, and Bunny and Ducky. And as is Toy Story tradition, the finale is somehow so heartbreaking but so touching at the same time.

2 Toy Story 2 (1999) – 7.9

After Toy Story, which completely changed and revolutionized the way that animated movies were made, there was no way that Pixar could have possibly followed up with a sequel that matched it.

But that’s exactly what the studio did, and even with the director being replaced during production, Toy Story 2 ended up being a more emotional rollercoaster, and it was more exciting too. It introduced new characters to the fold, such as Jesse and Bullseye, but the best of all was Zurg, who managed to act as both development in Buzz’s story arc and as a brilliant homage to Star Wars.

1 Toy Story 3 (2010) – 8.3

Toy Story 3 isn’t just the best Pixar sequel, but it’s one of the best sequels of all time, regardless of studio or genre. Even for Pixar, it had such a mature premise, and when all of the toys are holding hands in the incinerator, accepting their fate, it’s a scene that not even adults can handle.

Even the little moments, such as the toys playing poker in the vending machine and the love story between Barbie and Ken, are all classic moments. Toy Story 3 is funnier than most comedies, more entertaining than most family movies, and more emotional than most dramas.