Incredibles 3 was finally announced at D23 in August 2024 after years of speculation, and the original franchise director has just been replaced with another excellent choice. The first two Incredibles movies are among the most highly ranked Pixar movies of all time, and there is a lot of pressure on the third installment to live up to their success. Bringing Brad Bird back to helm the third seemed like the obvious choice, although that is now confirmed not to be happening.

Pixar is in an interesting place. Following great success on streaming for Pixar during the COVID-19 pandemic, where several of their films were released straight to Disney+, there was some concern that the brand had been devalued. This was followed by the disappointing box office of Lightyear, which further attested to this fear. Fortunately, since then, Pixar has been able to release their highest-grossing movie ever, Inside Out 2, which they hope to follow up on in the coming years with promising sequels like Incredibles 3.

Peter Sohn & Brad Bird Have A Great Working Relationship

Including On The Incredibles Movies

Brad Bird is not going to be the director of Incredibles 3, and Pixar veteran Peter Sohn will be helming the film instead. The Hollywood Reporter notes that the decision to pick Sohn actually came directly from Bird himself, along with Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter. While only speculation is available concerning why Bird is not directing the film, there does not appear to be any bad blood. Bird is still writing Incredibles 3, and THR notes he is busy with pre-production on a film called Ray Gunn.

Sohn has worked on all kinds of films in the Pixar library over the years, but his first credit was on The Iron Giant as an additional animator. That was also his first collaboration with Bird, who directed the animated film. The two would go on to collaborate on all kinds of projects, with Sohn being a part of the Pixar Senior Creative Team, and even consulting on the story of Incredibles 2. Sohn has contributed in different ways to each one of Bird’s films with Pixar, suggesting the two have a good working relationship.

Peter Sohn’s Familiarity With Incredibles Is A Great Sign For Incredibles 3

Bird’s Vision Will Continue

Sohn worked as an animator on the first Incredibles and again as a story consultant on the second. As a part of Pixar’s core team, it makes sense for him to come in as the director of the new film. Bird came up in a similar way, working as an animator on films like The Plague Dogs before turning to helming his own animated projects. It seems that Bird’s vision for the new Incredibles will still be seen in the resulting film, but with an excellent, steady hand on the wheel in Sohn.

All of this bodes well for Incredibles 3. While Bird has made some great movies, the director’s interests seemed to have shifted to live-action. Following work on Tomorrowland and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the director returned to animation with Incredibles 2, which was satisfying enough, but is not considered among the best Pixar movies. While he clearly has a love for this family and great care for the project, it actually makes much more sense to leave Incredibles 3 in the hands of someone who seems to be even more dedicated to the medium of animation.

Peter Sohn’s Previous Movies Work Well With The Incredibles

He’s All About Family

Sohn worked in various roles at Pixar over the years before finally landing his own directing project in The Good Dinosaur. While the film was not among the highest-grossing successes for Disney, there was much to appreciate in the movie, which saw Arlo, a 10-year-old Apatosaurus, separated from his family during a storm. Over the course of the film, Arlo is driven by his love for his family in order to return to them. This journey is emotional, and the depth of the characters are strong examples of what Sohn could bring to Incredibles 3.

Even better, Sohn next directed Elemental, which had an incredible comeback at the box office after a slow start, becoming a decent hit for the studio. The details and visuals of the film, and how they were explored, were lauded as some of the most compelling that Pixar has looked at to date. Examining the familial dynamics as a fire element and a water element are drawn to each other romantically, the film explores interesting themes of love, attraction, differences between people, and intergenerational trauma.

All of this bodes well for Incredibles 3, which will delve further into the тιтular family. Like the Fantastic Four,who inspired them, the family in Incredibles are all defined not only by their powers, but by their relationships with one another. Sohn has explored these familial themes in his work, and they will surely be present in his exploration of the Parr family. In addition, his experience with insightful and creative worldbuilding, like in Elemental, could play a strong part in looking at different superpowers and abilities in a new context.

Incredibles 3’s Story Might Be More Clear With Peter Sohn Directing

Kids Are A Consistent Presence

One interesting trend within Sohn’s work is that the director tends to make films about younger characters. The Good Dinosaur focused on a 10-year-old dinosaur, while Elemental explored relationships between younger adults who lived with their parents. All of this, combined with the fact that Bob was the central character for the first film and Helen for the second, suggests that Incredibles 3 could focus its plot around the kids this time. This would be the right move for the series and could feel fresh.

Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack are great characters unto themselves, and could be explored more fully as characters in their own right in the new film. It is unclear if the sequel will take place long after Incredibles 2, especially as that second film picked up almost immediately after the first, but putting a gap in to allow the kids to age might be a good path forward. Having a new generation of younger heroes taking on the responsibilities of heroism in this world might be the best way to tell another unique Incredibles story.

Incredibles 3 will not be helmed by Brad Bird, which will certainly be disappointing to some, although their pick of Sohn may be an even better choice. Especially after the success of Elemental, Sohn has shown great creativity in crafting excellent and unique stories in animated spaces, and his style of storytelling might be perfect for an Incredibles sequel. While there is no release date yet, attaching talent like Sohn in this capacity suggests the film is well on its way in development.