For the first time in 10 years, 2014 will have no release from animation studios Pixar, but don’t despair the studio are hard at work with four new films scheduled for release in the coming years. But will any of them reach the pure genius of Up and Finding Nemo? Decide for yourself...

Pixar's UpPixar's 2009 smash hit 'Up'

'Inside Out'

Inside Out’ has been described by Pixar as ‘inventive’, which sounds like an understatement considering it's set in a little girl’s mind. Yes the ambitious film centres on a young girl named Riley who, after failing to make friends in a new city, has her emotions take over to help lead her through life.

The five emotions Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear and Sadness will be voiced by Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader and Phyllis Smith respectively. The screenplay has been written by Michael Arndt who is best known for 2006’s wonderful ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. He also has Pixar experience having written the ‘Toy Story 3’ script. ‘Monster’s Inc’ and ‘Up’ director Pete Docter will be taking on the unenviable task of bringing this quirky idea to the screen. Docter has described it as "one of the most challenging I've ever had to put together, because the film has to tell simultaneously what is happening to the girl and what is happening inside her mind."

Undoubedly this is a creative risk for Pixar, but if anyone can pull it off Docter can. The film sounds like an amazingly imaginative and creative endeavour even by Pixar’s standards. At the D23 Expo last summer Docter said, "What always excites me is finding a story that can only be done in animation," this then sounds like the perfect project and if he can pull it off it could be the next Toy Story. 'Inside Out' has a scheduled release date of June 2015.

Finding Dory

The long awaited sequel to the 2003 smash hit ‘Finding Nemo’, ‘Finding Dory’, will be making a splash on the big screen in June 2016, coinciding with Pixars 30th anniversary. Returning will be Ellen DeGeneres to provide the voice of the clownfish Dory, who is looking to reunite with her family. Along with the returning DeGeneres the film boasts an impressive list of stars lending their voices to the film, including Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy as Dory’s parents and Albert Brooks reprising his role as Nemo’s father.

Finding NemoFinding Nemo will get a sequel in 2016

The characters of Nemo and the rest of the tank gang are scheduled to return. Andrew Stanton is also returning to direct despite previously having a no-sequels policy, he told the Los Angeles Times in 2013 "There was polite inquiry from Disney (about a Finding Nemo sequel). I was always 'No sequels, no sequels.' But I had to get on board from a VP standpoint. (Sequels) are part of the necessity of our staying afloat, but we don't want to have to go there for those reasons. We want to go there creatively, so we said (to Disney), 'Can you give us the timeline about when we release them? Because we'd like to release something we actually want to make, and we might not come up with it the year you want it". The ending of ‘Finding Dory’ has apparently had a rework after producers viewed the documentary 'Blackfish' about the dangers of keeping orica whales in captivity. 

The Good Dinosaur

This film has been in development since 2009 but has faced numerous delays. It was originally scheduled for a November 2013 release but has been pushed back to 2015. The film’s premise is 'what if dinosaurs had never become extinct?' It follows Arlo, a teenaged dinosaur who tries to restore peace in his community and becomes friends with human boy named Spo. The orignal script was penned by Bob Peterson who was also the director. However in 2013 it was announced he’d left the project due to ‘story differences’. So far Pixar have not been able to replace Peterson but the movie is still in production and said to be on track of its November 2015 release date.

Untitled ‘Día de los Muertos’ Film

There’s very little known about this upcoming film, which has neither a title nor a release date, but it looks interesting. It will be the first film to be directed by Lee Unkrich since 2010’s ‘Toy Story 3’. All that is known so far is it will focus on a family and the traditional Mexican celebration of the ‘Day of the Dead’. This project has already run into some controversy after Disney tried to trademark ‘Día de los Muertos’ in preparation for the film, it eventually dropped the bid after online protests. We can’t imagine exactly what this movie will be like, but it’ll be interesting to see how Pixar manages to put a spin on this one.