Disney and Pixar Animation Studios are heading back to the Land of the Dead with the highly anticipated Coco 2.
The sequel was confirmed by Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, during the company’s annual shareholder meeting. He noted that the film is still in the early stages of development and not much has been revealed about the story yet. However, fans can expect Coco 2 to arrive in theatres in 2029.
Also, Coco 2 will see the return of key members from the original film’s creative team. Director Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina are coming back to work on the sequel, while Mark Nielsen will serve as the producer.
Bob Iger has shared that the sequel is expected to deliver the same mix of humor, adventure, and heart that made the first film so special.
In 2017, the original Coco was released and became a huge success worldwide. The story follows Miguel, a 12-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a musician despite his family’s ban on music. During the Day of the Dead, he accidentally travels to the Land of the Dead, where he finds out the truth about his family and follows his passion.
Anthony Gonzalez gave his voice to Miguel in the original film, while actors Edward James Olmos and Gael García Bernal were also part of the main voice cast.
The film was greatly loved by both audiences and critics and earned over $800 million at the box office. It also received major recognition, winning two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for Remember Me, along with a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Song and Best Animated Feature.
Along with Coco 2, Disney is also working on a new Coco-themed ride that is expected to open at Disney California Adventure. In recent years, Pixar has found great success with sequels to its popular films. Movies like Incredibles 2 and Inside Out 2 performed extremely well at the box office, with both breaking major records.
On the other hand, some of Pixar’s original films and spin-offs have not done as strongly as they should. Because of this, the studio is now focusing more on sequels, with projects like Incredibles 3 and Toy Story 5 already in their development stage, along with new films such as Hoppers and Elio.
Outside of Pixar, Disney is also focusing on major sequels. Films like Ice Age 6 are set to release in 2026, Frozen 3 in 2027, and a fourth Frozen movie is already planned. Bob Iger explained last year in an earnings call, “We’re leaning a little bit more into sequels and franchises. Given the environment, and given what it takes to get people out of their homes to see a film, doing that, leaning on franchises that are familiar, is actually a smart thing.”
The first Coco movie is available to watch now on Disney+.
