Disney confirmed that its second-ever Pixar franchise will get its own trilogy, which will launch in the next few years. Despite Disney and Pixar seeing some success with original films over the last few decades, the studios have pivoted to expanding many of their hit stories with theatrical sequels.
Walt Disney Animation Studios' upcoming slate is littered with new entries in the Zootopia, Frozen, and Moana franchises, with a few originals sprinkled in. Pixar's releases are a bit more balanced with the stunning Gatto being among them, but even it is not immune to sequelitis.
Disney has seen to it that other animation studios under its umbrella are working on sequels, with 20th Century Animation recently unveiling its first look at the next Ice Age.
In spite of all of this, an animated trilogy has still remained rare under the Disney animated umbrella up until recently. This trend is set to change over with one of Pixar's most beloved franchises taking the lead in that effort.
During Disney's D23 Entertainment Showcase, Pixar CCO Pete Docter reconfirmed that a third Incredibles movie is in development, complete with a new look at the movie's characters. The movie is set to be released on June 16, 2028, and it will "[round] out the trilogy," according to Docter:
"'Incredibles 3' is coming 2028, in the summer, rounding of the trilogy. The Parr family and Frozone are back."
This will be only the second Pixar franchise to ever have three movies, joining Owen Wilson's Cars trilogy. Those three films were released in 2006, 2011, and 2017, showcasing Wilson's Lightning McQueen and his companions in a world of sentient cars.
While Toy Story was initially a trilogy as of 2010, it has since expanded to include two more movies released in 2019 and 2026. Reportedly, there are also early story ideas floating around for two new sequels, although those have not been officially confirmed.
Disney has been more open to pursuing sequels in recent years, with trilogies becoming more and more common from the studio. Ahead are ten other franchises under Disney's purview that are expected or confirmed to become trilogies:
Disney Franchises Expected To Become Trilogies
Moana
While the live-action Moana became one of this year's biggest flops, its animated predecessors are two of Disney's best-performing princess-centric movies ever. Starring Auli'i Cravalho, the story follows the young Moana as she learns to lead her island and people, forms a friendship with Dwayne Johnson's Maui (a demigod of the wind and sea), finds her place in the world, and eventually becomes a demigod herself.
Johnson confirmed that Moana 3 is in the works during a press conference for the live-action movie, setting up the story to be completed as a trilogy. While plot details have not been revealed, Moana is expected to have a confrontation with Nalo after the sequel's post-credits scene.
Zootopia
After the initial Zootopia movie was released in 2016, Zootopia 2 expanded on the story in 2025, both centering on Ginnifer Goodwin's Judy Hopps and Jason Bateman's Nick Wilde. This story explores the titular city and its population of anthropomorphic animals, with Judy working as a cop in the Zootopia Police Department and uncovering the city's long-held secrets (the second movie became one of the ten highest-grossing films ever as well).
Disney confirmed Zootopia 3 for development at D23 2026, setting the stage for this story's next chapter. This time, Judy and Nick will deal with the influx of birds in this saga, putting the spotlight on the avian side of nature for what could be the final piece of this trilogy.
Inside Out
Introduced in 2015, Inside Out took a look inside the mind of a young girl and her emotions, showing how she dealt with feelings like anger, disgust, joy, and more, all voiced by an A-list cast. The 2024 sequel introduced new players like anxiety, envy, and embarrassment into the mix, which led to this movie joining Zootopia 2 as one of cinema's 10 highest-grossing movies ever.
Based on how successful the first two movies were, Inside Out is expected to get a third movie before long. If confirmed, it would likely track Riley's growth from a middle-schooler to either a high-schooler or a college student, debuting even more emotions that tie more closely to adulthood.
Monsters Inc.
Monsters, Inc. first hit screens in 2001, showing John Goodman's James P. Sullivan ("Sully") and Billy Crystal's Mike Wazowski's wild adventure in Monstropolis when a human child ("Boo") threatens the safety of all monsters. Pixar then took a unique route by giving this movie a prequel in 2013, Monsters University, retconning Mike and Sully's origin stories and having them meet in college with a rivalry brewing between them.
In March 2026, reports emerged that Pixar is developing a third Monsters, Inc. movie, though this has not been officially confirmed. This film will likely be more of a true sequel, following Mike and Sully after they take over their company.
Princess Diaries
Disney brought Anne Hathaway into the spotlight alongside Julie Andrews in 2001's The Princess Diaries, which follows Mia Thermopolis' journey from an awkward high schooler to Princess of the fictional nation of Genovia. Three years later, the two teamed up again for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, in which Mia faced the tall order of marrying another royal to hold her position of power.
Further confirmed at D23, Hathaway announced that she will return for The Princess Diaries 3; however, Andrews confirmed that she is retired from acting and will not reprise her role. Crazy Rich Asians director Adele Lim will direct the new movie.
Hocus Pocus
Long after its 1993 debut, Hocus Pocus became a cult classic, centered on the Sanderson sisters' reign of terror over the town of Salem as they return to life 300 years after being hanged. In 2022, the sisters returned to action in Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+, interacting with a trio of teenagers who resurrect them; they seek ultimate power and wreak more havoc in Salem.
Less than a year later, Disney confirmed plans to develop Hocus Pocus 3 but did not announce any cast, director, writers, or release date. How the Sanderson sisters are brought back to life for a third time is unclear, but they will surely cause more chaos in Salem when they unite.
National Treasure
Nicolas Cage delivered one of his most beloved characters ever (Benjamin Franklin Gates) in 2004's National Treasure, in which he stole the Declaration of Independence to find a hidden map leading to a fortune hidden by the USA's founding fathers. 2007's National Treasure: Book of Secrets shows Gates traveling the world to clear his family's name, bringing his parents (played by Jon Voight and Helen Mirren) in as major supporters of his quest to find the United States President's secret diary.
After plenty of exciting but non-concrete updates, director Jon Turteltaub confirmed that National Treasure 3 is happening, likely with Cage returning to his role. As of writing, Disney has not announced the movie, and no plot details have been shared.
Maleficent
In 2014, Angelina Jolie took on the leading role in Maleficent, retelling the story of the powerful antagonist from 1959's Sleeping Beauty from her perspective and showing the events that hardened her heart and led her to curse Princess Aurora. The 2019 sequel (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) shows Maleficent celebrating Aurora's wedding to Prince Phillip before meeting Aurora's future mother-in-law, a conniving queen who wants to destroy the land's fairies, leading Maleficent to stop her.
Jolie publicly stated that she was attached to Maleficent 3, which was in development as of 2023, and writer Linda Woolverton was added in 2025 to pen the script. However, there has been no word on whether the movie will still be made or if it was shelved.
Black Panther
First coming to the big screen in 2018, Black Panther became one of the MCU's most successful solo movies, showing the late Chadwick Boseman's King T'Challa navigating a civil war in Wakanda and dealing with Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger. The 2022 sequel (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) focused on Letitia Wright's Shuri after Boseman's death, telling a story of grief as she handled an attack from Namor the Sub-Mariner and his people of Talokan.
Director Ryan Coogler will continue his work on the untitled Black Panther 3, which is set to hit theaters on December 15, 2028. Along with Wright's return and an undisclosed role for Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, David Jonsson will join the franchise as the adult version of T'Challa's son from Wakanda Forever's post-credits scene.
Rio
An animated franchise that has seen little word in recent years is Rio, a love story centering on Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway as blue macaws. According to a press kit for The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild from 2022, a threequel is reported to be in development.
Perhaps once Ice Age: Boiling Point is out the door, 20th Century Animation can turn its full attention back to Blu and Jewel's adventures in South America once again. With the two settling down with their family in the Amazon rainforest by the end of the second film, there is plenty of potential to further explore their lives there or see what happens should they be displaced from their newfound home.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
