The originals of each of the three movies brought in hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide in box office sales and helped solidify the Disney-Pixar collaboration as the apex of film animation.
And now fans are being rewarded for being patient, as
"Finding Nemo 2," "Monsters Inc. 2" and "Toy Story 4" have all been greenlighted and are in different stages of pre-production or production, according to recent reports.
On Tuesday, Deadline.com reported that
"Finding Nemo 2" -- which, like the original, is a collaboration between Pixar and Disney -- will be helmed by "John Carter" director Andrew Stanton.
Meanwhile, last year Tom Hanks (the voice behind the toy cowboy character Woody in the "Toy Story" films) said that "Toy Story 4" was being worked on, according to the BBC.That film would the latest installment in what has become one of the most successful franchises in animated film history.
According to DisneyMoviesList.com, "this project is currently still in development. We do know that Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton and Joan Cusack will be providing voice work," and "Toy Story 4" is expected to be released sometime in 2015. To the youngsters awaiting it's release, that probably sounds like infinite -- and beyond.
"Toy Story 3" made more than a billion dollars globally and earned Pixar and Disney an Oscar in the process.
"Monsters Inc. 2" is also on its way to being released, nearly guaranteeing hundreds of millions more in profits, as the original film was a huge hit in worldwide box offices, becoming the fourth-most successful Disney-Pixar joint release of all time.
The new film is officially called "Monsters University," and it appears that it is the furthest-along of the three films, as a trailer was released last month offering a sneak peak into the upcoming film.
The film is expected to be released on June 21, 2013, and it will star Billy Crystal and John Good man as voice actors, according to DisneyMoviesList.com.