Summary

  • Incredibles 3 is a highly anticipated movie, as fans want to see more adventures from the Parr family, who are tailor-made for the superhero genre.
  • The success of Incredibles 2 and Pixar's focus on sequels and franchises increase the likelihood of Incredibles 3 being made.
  • Incredibles 3 could feature a time jump and explore new storylines while still maintaining the core qualities that made the franchise successful. The release date is uncertain but could potentially be in the late 2020s.

Incredibles 3 is a Pixar movie many want to see, but will the threequel actually happen after the success of Incredibles 2? It took the animated studio 14 years to bring the Parr family back to the big screen with 2018's sequel. Whether it was worth that near-decade-and-a-half wait varies depending on the audience member, but most can agree that Incredibles 3 is a movie they want to see next. It is understandable since The Incredibles is probably Pixar's most tailor-made franchise by the nature of being based on serialized comic book heroes - characters who now power cinema's biggest shared universes - they feel ripe for more adventures.

Incredibles 2 certainly leaves the door open for more installments, and the franchise's box office success would understandably put Pixar in a position of wanting to do more. That could be the case even more as the studio has watched a handful of new movies, based on existing franchises and original ideas, flounder at the box office. Since Pixar is known for its notoriously long production process of animation and for canceling projects that don't meet their high expectations, there is a high bar that Incredibles 3 would have to meet. That might mean a longer wait attached to the new Pixar movie, if it ever happens at all.

The Incredibles 3 Latest News

incredibles 2 poster (1)

There has been no real Incredibles 3 news in the years since Incredibles 2 was released, but the likelihood of it happening does seem higher based on news related to Pixar. During an earnings call in February 2023, Disney's CEO Bob Iger announced plans for Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios to lean even more into sequels and franchises. This came with the announcement that Frozen 3, Zootopia 2, and Toy Story 5 were in development. Incredibles 3 might not have been mentioned, but the IP-driven nature of Hollywood, and Disney especially, increases the chances that the studio will push for another installment after Incredibles 2 made $1.2 billion.

The shift in Pixar's strategy again comes after Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 were their last proper sequels, and both movies made over $1 billion at the box office. The years since have been more difficult for Pixar financially as their attempt to concentrate more on original stories was hindered by the pandemic shutting down theaters and Disney making audiences used to seeing animated movies on Disney+. Considering Pixar's last six movies have collectively made less than Incredibles 2, the Parr family's return could be a huge boost to the studio. It's no surprise that Inside Out 2 has been announced as an upcoming Pixar movie in the interim.

How The Incredibles 2 Sets Up The Incredibles 3's Story

While The Incredibles had a major sequel tease, Incredibles 2 ends on a much more resolute note, albeit one that definitely allows more adventures in the future. The first sequel takes the thread of illegal superheroes forced into hiding and flips it, with the main plot dealing with an attempt to re-legitimize the Supers. This is the central debate of Incredibles 2 and the end has the costumed vigilantes legalized, their benefit to society finally understood by the world at large. That may remove a key constant backdrop to Incredibles that allowed it to push in on the family but it does set up a fresh and open status quo for any potential sequels.

In the end, the Parr family is back together, fighting villains as The Incredibles in the open. It's not overt setup, but this is nevertheless a blank slate for the franchise that allows for a different Incredibles 3 with less-restricted characters. The sequel would have the opportunity to build on Incredibles 2's after-credits tease that Underminer is still alive and at large. After having the tease of him at the end of the first movie lead to a battle at the start of the sequel, the villain did not have that large of a role to play beyond the opening sequence. Incredibles 2's Underminer tease could be a subtle indication of where Incredibles 3's story could go.

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The Underminer Survives Incredibles 2 - Will He Be In A Third Movie?
The Underminer survived his destructive encounter with the Parr family in The Incredible 2. Could the villain return for The Incredible 3?

What We Want In Incredibles 3

What Incredibles 3 needs most is a time jump. Getting to jump right into the Parr action makes getting Incredibles 2 going easier, but it also limits what the story's able to do; Dash and Violet written as adolescents is easy to pick up, but that in turn means their arcs have limited room to grow. Taking the characters forward, even by just a few years, would go some way to introduce natural development that a new narrative can then jump off: one of the kids leaving home and having to find their own way feels like the natural progression for a series about family.

On the flip side, what makes The Incredibles is the superheroics. Brad Bird made a conscious decision to avoid much of what's happened in the cinematic genre since the first movie, instead having the sequel hinge on the world he set up in 2004. While that avoids Incredibles 2 feeling like it's riding trends, it also means that one of the original's core qualities - that it was essentially a genre deconstruction a la Watchmen - is lost. By the time Incredibles 3 rolls around, the genre will be over two decades on from The Incredibles. The variance in tone and shared universes will be too ingrained not to explore.

Will The Incredibles 3 Ever Happen? What Brad Bird & Pixar Have Said

The Incredibles run from a fireball in the movie's poster

Of course, all of this Incredibles 3 speculation is moot unless Pixar actually makes it. And while the fact a second one exists and delivered one of Pixar's highest-grossing movies of all time, that is actually a question mark. Incredibles 2 came from a wave of sequels to some of Pixar's early greats - Finding Dory, Monsters University, Toy Story 4 - that appears to have come from a higher Disney mandate. While that appeared to be over as Pixar indicated the sequel glut was coming to a close, the Disney-owned animation studio is once again beginning to increase the number of sequels in development.

Director Brad Bird commented on the possibility of continuing the franchise in the days after Incredibles 2 was released, and he did not close the door on the idea of expanding this story. He told EW about characters and concepts that were designed for Incredibles 2 but cut during the process, and said "never say never" about seeing them in the future "whether it’s another Incredibles film, or something else." Brad Bird has not been confirmed to return to make Incredibles 3 yet, but it does seem like he is open to the idea.

Otherwise, Pixar has not officially commented on the status of Incredibles 3. It is notable that the franchise has not received any sort of expansion to this point through Disney+, as the streaming service has become a home for spinoffs and continuations of the Monsters, Inc., Up, and Toy Story franchises so far. There is no shortage of possibilities worth exploring, such as a Frozone Disney+ show, but the entire Incredibles franchise has been on ice since Incredibles 2. That could ultimately be a good sign for Incredibles 3's chances, as Pixar could be working on the sequel behind closed doors instead of spinoffs.

When Could Incredibles 3 Release?

The timeline for Incredibles 3's release could be similar to its predecessor. Incredibles 2 wasn't officially confirmed until March 2014, with Brad Bird starting the script soon after and stepping up to direct at some point in 2015. That's a four-year turnaround on the project, about average for animation, and it's worth noting that it was originally longer. Incredibles 2's initial release date was June 2019, with it brought forward a year after Toy Story 4 (then Pixar's 2018 release) needed redrafting. That means the plan was for a full five years of production.

Pixar currently has a handful of release dates on Disney's schedule for untitled animated movies: June 13, 2025, March 6, 2026, and June 19, 2026. If Incredibles 3 was going to hit any of those release dates, it would have needed to be announced in 2020 or 2021 based on Incredibles 2 timetable. However, considering Inside Out 2 was announced just two years ahead of its release date, perhaps Incredibles 3 will receive its official announcement in 2024 if it is meant to take the June 2026 date, which would be almost 8 years to the date after Incredibles 2.

However, that's only possible if there is an imminent green light coming for Incredibles 3. The new Incredibles would have a similar gap as there was between Cars 2 and Cars 3 (six years) or Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 (nine years). If - and as established it's still an if - it happens, Incredibles 3 probably won't dash its way into theaters until the late 2020s at its current trajectory.

Source: EW