Pixar made a major splash at the Annecy Animated Film Festival with the reveal of several new and upcoming projects.
Among the most buzzed-about announcements were two original features: Gatto, a stylish cat-mafia tale set in the canals of Venice and targeting a Summer 2027 release, and Hoppers, which is set to hit theaters in March 2026.
The studio also offered fresh updates on the long-delayed Elio and shared details on the return of fan-favorite franchises with Toy Story 5 arriving in Summer 2026 and Zootopia 2 (from Walt Disney Animation Studios) in development as well.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney shifted several Pixar titles, including Soul, Luca, and Turning Red, directly to Disney+, a move that sparked debate about whether Pixar’s films were losing their theatrical prestige.
While streaming expanded accessibility, it also blurred the line between event cinema and digital content.
In response to those concerns, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter has since reaffirmed the studio's renewed focus on theatrical releases, emphasizing the importance of the big-screen experience for Pixar’s storytelling.
With this fresh lineup, Pixar appears poised to balance bold original ideas with proven favorites, all while keeping theaters at the heart of its future.
Speaking to The DisInsider, Docter stated that their data supports the notion that a theatrical release leads to better viewership on Disney+.
"Yes. I think the world will probably continue to evolve regardless, but for right now, that is the plan," said Docter on releasing Pixar films theatrically, first. "So far, what we found is the interest in the theater kind of translates to even more interest on Disney Plus, and that may be unique to the Disney, Pixar environment. So theatrical is, is where they’re all going first."
Docter was also asked about whether Pixar would be upping its number of theatrical releases in the coming years.
"Yes, at one point, we were at three every two – three films every two years. So this year, Elio. Next year, [Hoppers and Toy Story 5], so it’ll hopefully continue like that into the future," the studio head answered.
Additionally, Disney CEO Bob Iger seems to be focusing on lowering the overhead costs for Disney+ as the company is reducing the amount of original content it makes for the streaming platform.
When Disney+ first launched under previous CEO Bob Chapek, the focus was heavily on rapid subscriber growth to compete with established players like Netflix.
However, since Bob Iger's return to power, the priority has decisively shifted to achieving profitability for Disney+'s direct-to-consumer (DTC) segment. He has openly stated that they made "a lot of content that is not necessarily driving sub growth" and that producing and marketing so much content was negatively impacting the bottom line.