Although the Toy Story and Cars franchises proved to be huge successes for Pixar, some may be wondering why WALL-E 2, never happened. Released in 2008, WALL-E is a sci-fi romance movie that follows the life of the lonely тιтular robot looking for companionship after he spends years living on a desolate Earth. While he finds what he is looking for in a probe droid called EVE, WALL-E also goes on an epic journey into space as he discovers that EVE was sent to Earth on a mission to bring humanity home.
WALL-E proved to be one of Pixar’s best movies. It was well-received by critics and the public. Not only did it go on to gross over $521 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo), it also earned five Academy Award nominations and won Best Animated Feature Film of the Year. Pixar could have commissioned a sequel since it’s clear that it had a strong fanbase. However, for some reason, Pixar has yet to release a sequel. Given that Pixar is home to many successful franchises, it may come as a surprise – but there is a specific reason.
Pixar Believes WALL-E Is A Finished Story
Pixar Decided Not To Force A Continuation
Although the world has seen a sequel to The Incredibles, Cars and Monsters Inc., there has yet to be one for WALL-E. While it does seem that the studio had considered making a sequel, Pixar president Jim Morris confirmed that they decided against WALL-E 2 as they believed it was “really a love story that had its beginning, middle and end” and couldn’t really find another story that could fit into that universe again (via CinemaBlend). However, that doesn’t mean that they won’t change their minds.
Could Pixar Change Their Minds About WALL-E 2?
Pixar Has Leaned Heavily On Sequels Lately
Given that the interview is several years old, there’s always a chance that the studio may decide to revisit a WALL-E sequel. While Pixar is always doing its best to make more original movies, some of them haven’t really performed that well at the box office recently with Inside Out 2‘s box office success coming after several failures. If the studio wants to get some of this profit back, they may just decide to revisit some of the old classics, especially following Inside Out 2‘s success.
It’s not like there wouldn’t be any ideas available for a sequel. As Morris suggested, WALLE-2 could show whether humanity was able to save the planet and make it inhabitable again. It could even follow EVE and the other droids from the Axiom spaceship as they try to adjust to their new environment. WALL-E 2 is still a possibility, but the writers would have to make sure that it doesn’t undermine the messages or the quality of the first.
WALL-E Is Perfect As A Standalone Film
WALL-E 2 Can Never Recapture The Original’s Magic
As much as Pixar may be tempted to return to WALL-E for a surefire success, the first movie remains one entry into their catalog that stands perfectly on its own. Pixar has received criticism in recent years for leaning on their proven hits and relying too much on sequels. This is especially true with the Toy Story movies. However, while Toy Story 3 felt like a fitting end for many fans, it is such a rich world with so many great characters that it wasn’t hard to see how a new Toy Story movie could work.
The movie took a risk in making itself a nearly silent movie for the first half, relying on the charm of WALL-E.
By comparison, WALL-E serves better as a single story about this central character. While there were interesting sci-fi concepts in WALL-E, it did not present a world that was especially new and fresh. The excitement of the movie came from spending time with WALL-E himself. The film took a risk in making itself a nearly silent movie for the first half, relying on the charm of WALL-E. While it was fun to then see his isolated life expanded with new interactions, it wouldn’t feel as special if done again.
WALL-E 2 cannot go back to recapture the feeling that this might just be the story of a lone robot cleaning up Earth of his own. Allowing the first movie to remain a standalone story preserves the success of such a bold character and should encourage Pixar to take similar risks in the future instead of simply making the next sequel.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, CinemaBlend
