During a presentation at the Annecy Animation Festival in France, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter showed exclusive footage from “Elio” and “Hoppers,” announced the new original film “Gatto,” and confirmed Joan Cusack is returning as Jessie in “Toy Story 5.”
“Gatto”
“Luca” director Enrico Casarosa and producer Andrea Warren will bring “Gatto” to life in June 2027. Like “Luca,” this film is set in Casarosa’s home country of Italy. “Gatto” takes audiences to Venice, following a black cat named Nero who “begins to question whether he’s lived the right lives,” shares Variety.
Pixar said in a social media announcement, “Indebted to a feline mob boss, Nero finds himself forced to forge an unexpected friendship that may finally lead him to his purpose…”
“Hoppers”
Pixar has barely mentioned the original film “Hoppers” since announcing it last summer. Written and directed by Daniel Chong and produced by Nicole Paradis Grindle, the film sees a girl’s brain going into a robot beaver. Docter played the first footage of “Hoppers” at Annecy, but the clips have yet to be shared online.
The image shared by Pixar appears to be of the girl’s robot beaver and Bobby Moynihan’s beaver. Jon Hamm also stars as an anti-animal mayor. “Hoppers” is set for release on March 6, 2026.
A former Pixar artist reported last year that the “Hoppers” team was told to downplay the film’s environmental message.
“Toy Story 5”
Docter confirmed that Joan Cusack is returning to the “Toy Story” franchise as Jessie for “Toy Story 5,” sharing new concept art for the film that sees Jessie, Buzz, and Bullseye looking at a texting app on a frog computer tablet. Two minutes of the film were shown at Annecy.
“Toy Story 5” will be released on June 19, 2026. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return as Woody and Buzz Lightyear, respectively. Ernie Hudson will take over the role of Combat Carl from the late Carl Weathers. Conan O’Brien joins as new character Smarty Pants. The film sees the toys facing off against computer technology.
“Elio”
“Elio” directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi were joined by producer Mary Alice Drumm to present a 27-minute preview of “Elio,” which premiered at El Capitan Theatre this week and will be released in U.S. theaters on June 20, 2025. Watch an “Elio” trailer below.
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