The lights dimmed in Annecy’s packed auditorium, and what began as a routine preview of the upcoming space adventure “Elio” transformed into something extraordinary. Disney-Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter had a surprise up his sleeve—one that would send shockwaves of excitement through the animation world’s most prestigious gathering.
“Welcome to the greatest festival in the world,” Docter beamed to the captivated crowd, before dropping a bombshell that nobody saw coming.
A Venetian Cat’s Tale: “Gatto” Prowls Into 2027
Meet Nero, a black cat with a peculiar problem: his tail loves music, but the rest of him can’t swim—a rather inconvenient trait when you’re living in Venice and owe a debt to the local feline mob boss. This is the delightfully quirky premise of “Gatto,” Pixar’s stunning new film set to grace theaters in summer 2027.
The masterpiece comes from the beloved creative duo behind “Luca”—director Enrico Casarosa and producer Andrea Warren—who are once again transporting audiences to Italy, this time to the floating city of Venice. But this isn’t your typical Pixar adventure. Nero’s journey of self-discovery takes an unexpected turn when he’s reluctantly adopted by Maya, a spirited street artist who becomes his unlikely companion in navigating both the mysterious underbelly of Venice and the deeper questions of purpose and belonging.
What truly electrified the Annecy audience wasn’t just the story—it was the revolutionary visual approach. Docter unveiled breathtaking animation tests showcasing Pixar’s first-ever hand-painted aesthetic, a stunning fusion of traditional 2D artistry with cutting-edge computer animation. The result? A visual feast that captures the rich, romantic colors of Venetian architecture while pushing the boundaries of what animated storytelling can achieve.
“Elio” Takes Flight Into the Communiverse
Before the “Gatto” revelation, filmmakers Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi treated the festival to an extensive 27-minute preview of “Elio”—and it was nothing short of spectacular. The audience journey began with an emotionally resonant opening that rivals “Inside Out” in its sensitivity, then exploded into the vibrant Communiverse, where young Elio finds himself mistakenly appointed as Earth’s galactic representative.
This isn’t just another space adventure. Production designer and Oscar winner Harley Jessup has crafted an alien ecosystem inspired by the mesmerizing world of deep-sea creatures and macrophotography. Picture quirky squids mingling with furry, elongated ostriches in an environment that feels both fantastical and surprisingly organic. The result is a universe that promises to capture children’s imaginations while satisfying adults’ hunger for visual innovation.
With Zoe Saldaña lending her Academy Award-winning voice to Aunt Olga, “Elio” is poised to become the next Pixar phenomenon when it launches globally next week.
Beavers, Tech, and Toys: The Future Pipeline Unveiled
The surprises didn’t end there. BAFTA Children’s Awards winner Daniel Chong (“We Bare Bears”) is bringing fresh environmental consciousness to animation with “Hoppers,” a girl-turns-beaver adventure that’s as visually striking as it is timely. Jon Hamm and Bobby Moynihan join Piper Curda in this tale of Mabel, a young environmentalist who literally becomes one with nature through robotic beaver technology to save her beloved pond from highway construction.
But perhaps the most nostalgic moment came with the “Toy Story 5” reveal. Thirty years after the original film revolutionized animation and launched Pixar into stardom, the franchise returns with a “Toys Meet Tech” premise that feels perfectly suited for our digital age. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack are back as Woody, Buzz, and Jessie, facing their most modern challenge yet: an eight-year-old Bonnie’s new tablet that threatens to redefine what it means to be a toy.
A Legacy Honored, A Future Promised
The emotional crescendo came when Docter, newly inducted into Annecy’s Walk of Fame, shared rare legacy footage from the original “Toy Story.” The film that started it all—the first feature-length computer-animated movie ever made—has since garnered 18 Academy Award nominations and four wins, including Best Animated Feature honors for both “Toy Story 3” and “Toy Story 4.”
As the presentation concluded, there was a palpable sense that history was repeating itself in the most beautiful way. Thirty years ago, “Toy Story” made its debut at Annecy, forever changing the landscape of animation. Today, with a slate that spans from Venetian cats to galactic adventures, from environmental heroism to digital-age toy stories, Pixar proved once again why it remains at the forefront of animated storytelling.
The magic that began three decades ago in this very festival continues to evolve, inspire, and remind us all that, indeed, we’ve got a friend in Pixar.
