Every Upcoming Pixar Movie You Need To Know About

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, it seemed as if Pixar could do no wrong. The animation studio, in league with Disney, pushed forward the idea of all-computer-animated feature films back in 1995 with the release of "Toy Story," gaining a lot of critical attention for its clever writing and penchant for heart-rending sentimentality. It wouldn't be until the release of "Cars 2" in 2011 that critics would begin to cool to the studio. And even still, "Cars 2" was a $559 million hit.

In the 2010s, Pixar began to skew further and further away from original ideas and lean heavier into sequels or prequels to its earlier hits. Indeed, of the 10 Pixar features released in that decade, six were part of an established franchise ("Cars 2," "Monsters University," "Finding Dory," "Cars 3," "Incredibles 2," and "Toy Story 4"). Some of these films were excellent, but the studio nevertheless seemed a few years beyond its creative peak.

The first half of the 2020s was a mixed bag for Pixar, offering a heterogenous mix of bombs, sequels, and unexpected hits. Its original films "Onward," "Soul," "Luca," and "Turning Red," all lost piles of money because of COVID lockdowns, while its "Toy Story"-adjacent "Lightyear" did poorly on its own merits. Only two of the studio's movies during this period were hits. 2023's "Elemental" had a soft opening but eventually became a juggernaut, while 2024's "Inside Out 2" now stands as the second highest-grossing animated film ever (currently outstripped only by "Ne Zha 2").

Pixar is now poised to lean even more heavily into sequels over the latter half of the decade, perhaps to earn back the cash lost on its COVID failures. As of this writing, five films have been announced for the studio's upcoming slate. Read on to learn their vital statistics and release dates.

"Elio" is due in theaters this summer, although it seems to have gotten relatively little advance advertising. The film is being directed by Pixar veterans Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina. Sharafian directed the short film "Burrow" for Pixar, Shi directed "Turning Red" and "Bao," and Molina co-directed "Coco." Rest assured, we are in capable hands.

"Elio" centers on the titular character (Yonas Kibreab), an 11-year-old boy who lives with his aunt (Zoe Saldaña) and is obsessed with aliens and space travel, longing to be abducted. Then, while in his bedroom tinkering with wires and widgets, Elio accidentally contacts an alien organization called the Communiverse and is beamed into their midst, assumed to be Earth's leader. (Elio thinks he's capable of the job, of course.) He then befriends a silkworm-like alien named Glordon, played by Remy Edgerly, who is running from his potential future as a killer soldier. Jamila Jamil and Brad Garrett play other aliens, while Shirley Henderson voices a character named OOOOO. The pronunciation of "OOOOO" has not yet been revealed.

The film, being an original sci-fi story, sounds refreshing coming from Pixar. For now, though, it remains to be seen if "Elio" can gain the same kind of traction enjoyed by the studio's 2010s hits, particularly since sci-fi and animation hasn't done well for either Disney or Pixar in the past. ("Lightyear," recall, was a dud.)

You can check out the "Elio" trailer here.

Another sci-fi film, "Hoppers" is Pixar's take on James Cameron's "Avatar." The movie is about a new miracle technology that allows humans to shunt their consciousnesses into elaborate robotic animals, allowing them to live among and communicate with the animal kingdom. The main character of "Hoppers" — the Jake Sully, if you will — is Mabel (Piper Curda), a young woman who is very much looking forward to using the consciousness-hopping technology. The film also stars Jon Hamm and Bobby Moynihan.

The title may be a little confusing, as the 1998 Pixar film "A Bug's Life" featured a villainous grasshopper named Hopper (Kevin Spacey). Rest assured, though, "Hoppers" has nothing to do with "A Bug's Life" and even less to do with Kevin Spacey. Unfortunately, little else is known about "Hoppers" at this point, save for what can be gleaned from the above concept art. We'll have to wait until 2026 to see what it's all about.

"Hoppers" is being written and directed by Daniel Chong, who previously directed "We Bare Bears: The Movie," based on the Cartoon Network TV series that he created. He's also an experienced story artist, having worked on films like "Bolt," "The Lorax," and "Free Birds," as well as Pixar's own "Cars 2" and "Inside Out." Chong is currently one of the central creative faces behind Pixar, having won an Annie Award for storyboarding "Toy Story of Terror." Although this is only Chong's second feature, he's deeply experienced.

With "Toy Story 5," Pixar seems to be pushing its luck. When "Toy Story 2" was announced, some audiences at the time were skeptical, wondering why the studio noted for its creativity was already making a sequel. That it turned out okay was a miracle. The same pre-release skepticism also surrounded "Toy Story 3," but that film ended up being one of the studio's best, featuring a cry moment for the ages. (I can't even think of 18-year-old Andy giving away his toys without feeling a little wistful.) It seemed like was a fine coda to the franchise. Then "Toy Story 4" was announced and everyone winced. Luckily, as before, that film turned out well, declaring Woody (Tom Hanks) to be lost ... and henceforth free. Toys, it seems, do get to retire. (It certainly helped that "Toy Story 4" was very funny.)

But what are we doing with "Toy Story 5?" I guess we'll see. The film is being directed by Andrew Stanton, the helmer of "Finding Nemo," "WALL-E," and "Finding Dory." He also directed the notorious super-bomb "John Carter" for Disney, still one of the single biggest money-losing films of all time. Stanton additionally co-wrote or worked on the story of the previous four "Toy Story" movies, so we're in good hands.

According to Pixar, "Toy Story 5" will see the plastic playthings of the previous four movies facing off against a new technological threat. Presumably, Buzz (Tim Allen), Woody, and Jessie (Joan Cusack) will have to capture their owner's attention after she buys a Nintendo Switch, a tablet, or similar video game system. Are video games sentient like toys in this universe? Will they converse with Wreck-It Ralph in this regard? Time will reveal all.

Only announced in March of 2025, "Coco 2" is — natch — the sequel to 2017's "Coco," a film about a young boy who, armed with the power of music, passes into the afterlife to meet Calaveras versions of his family. It's sweet and sentimental and features a very clever use of a song called "Remember Me." We here at /Film have already written as to why a follow-up to "Coco," a film about death, is a bad idea right out the gate. "Coco," however, was too big a hit for the bean-counters at Disney to not sequelize; it made over $814 million. It was also a critical success, becoming pretty much universally beloved. Another delightful detail: because the film is set in Mexico, "Coco" was released in some American cities with a Spanish language track.

"Coco" is already being adapted into a Broadway stage musical as well, as was announced back in 2023. Because it was only just announced, and its release date is so far off, little can be speculated about "Coco 2." We do know that it will be co-directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, the makers of the first "Coco." Molina's credentials are listed above in the description for "Elio." Unkrich also directed "Toy Story 3."

More updates will be made available as press releases warrant.

Announced back in August of 2024, "Incredibles 3" will be Brad Bird's second follow-up to his original spy-inflected superhero film. The setup of "The Incredibles" was similar to the one for Marvel's "Fantastic Four" comics; namely, what if a superhero team was also a bickering family? Unlike the Fantastic Four, though, the Incredibles actually had secret identities. They were also forced to keep their superheroics secret from the world and, in some cases, from each other. Bird has said that development on his sequel, "Incredibles 2," was incredibly rushed thanks to a last-minute reshuffling of Disney's release calendar. Bird, then, should be happy to have extra time to work on a third "Incredibles," so as to get the concept right. 

As of this writing, the film is merely in development, and no writer or director has been revealed. A story or a cast is also still far off, but it's likely that Pixar will re-hire previous stars Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, and Samuel L. Jackson. Even if Bird doesn't direct, it's safe to assume he'll at least come back to voice the superhero clothing designer Edna Mode. Sophia Bush may also return to play the aspiring superheroine Voyd.

It will be interesting to see if "Incredibles 3" is a success, given that superheroes are waning in popularity. Of course, we'll have to wait and see what it's about first. Maybe the futility of superheroes will be a theme of the movie.