Future-proof your watchlist: Pixar’s 2027 and beyond movies, all in one place

Right, if you thought Disney was going to turn up at D23 and just trot out sequels till the cows come home, surprise: Pixar is actually trying a bunch of new tricks over the next several years. New titles, genres they’ve not really touched before, a first-ever musical of all things, and yes, a handful of sequels the fans have been pestering them about for ages. They’ve lined up their film slate through to at least 2029, and frankly, it’s a much more interesting mix than I’d expected. Here’s what’s in the Pixar pipeline — release years, creative teams, plot details, and one or two mysteries still to be solved.

Pixar's next five films include their first musical, a Venice-set adventure with a cat mob, a cheeky family-friendly ghost story, and new instalments of Incredibles, Coco, and Monsters Inc.

2027: Gatto – Pixar Goes to Venice

First up, Gatto, landing in UK cinemas in March 2027. This is one for anyone who adored Luca — same director, Enrico Casarosa, and producer Andrea Warren are back for a very Italian-feeling story. The plot follows a scrappy stray called Nero, knocking about the streets of Venice as a gofer for the undisputed kingpin of cat crime, Rocco. Naturally, Nero gets fed up with dodgy errands and difficult choices, and the story becomes a classic 'is there more to life?' Pixar quest. Along the way, he makes a friend or two, and if past form is any guide, it’ll be visually stunning with a few emotional gut-punches thrown in.

• Gatto – Directed by Enrico Casarosa, produced by Andrea Warren, starring Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishburne. Out March 2027.
• Ghost Market – Co-directed by Trevor Jimenez and Jesse Andrews, produced by Becky Neiman-Cobb. Release planned for March 2028.
• Incredibles 3 – Directed by Peter Sohn, produced by Dana Murray and Brad Bird. Hits screens June 2028.
• Coco 2 – Directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, produced by Mark Nielsen, with Benjamin Bratt returning. Expected November 2029.
• Untitled Musical – Directed by Domee Shi. Date still TBC; plot and cast are a closely guarded secret.

2028: Ghost Market – Hungry Spirits and Scared Kids

This is a weird one. Ghost Market is Pixar’s first real toe-dip into anything resembling horror, but don’t go expecting any existential trauma. The D23 crowd got a teaser featuring a young lad vlogging along a creepy street, a bit self-aware and taking the mick out of scary movie conventions, until an actual ghost (apparently hungry?) shows up and chases him off. Not exactly Paranormal Activity, but probably the spookiest Pixar’s ever gotten.

The film’s in the hands of Trevor Jimenez – a supervising animator with credits on Soul and Finding Dory – and co-writer Jesse Andrews, who wrote Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and worked on Luca. There’s barely any info on the cast yet.

And here’s the best bit, straight from that D23 teaser, as the onscreen kid sums it up:

So it’s basically a movie about hungry ghosts. [A] lot of crazy stuff happens. It’s good, you’ll like it. So, it’s not like some of those ... some of those other scary movies where you’re like 'Well, gonna have nightmares about that for the rest of my life.' Oh no, it’s back! Uh, in theatres coming 2028!

2028: The Incredibles are Back… with the Kids in Charge

A proper 'about time' for Incredibles 3, due June 2028. Pixar’s confirmed the focus will fully shift to Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack, now that superheroes are legal again and the Parr kids are old enough to handle a bit more chaos. This outing sees them up against a new villain who’s more powerful than all of them combined — so less about the family’s midlife crises, more about the next generation of supes.

Peter Sohn is directing, fresh off Elemental, with Dana Murray and Brad Bird (director of the last two films) producing. Nothing specific yet on voice cast, but if tradition holds, expect most of the original family to return.

2029: Coco 2 – Day of the Dead, Redux

One sequel I wasn’t convinced would ever actually happen, but here we are: Coco 2, coming November 2029. The announcement was a bit thin on real detail, just enough to tease fans. Original directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina are back, plus Benjamin Bratt confirmed he’s voicing Ernesto de la Cruz again (not dead enough, apparently). The new story jumps ahead a few years — Miguel’s older, but still ends up in the Land of the Dead, dealing with Cruz’s vengeful comeback and relying on his ancestors again. Honestly, that’s about all Pixar’s letting slip for now.

Unannounced Dates: Monsters Inc. 3 and a Proper Musical

The third Monsters Inc. film is definitely happening — Pete Docter confirmed it in the press, though Pixar seems to be keeping its lips sealed on everything else: plot, timeframe, what characters are back, even whether it’s another prequel like Monsters University or a true sequel to Boo and Sully’s last moment in 2001. Zero info on directors or writers. Consider this one lost in development labyrinth for now.

On the more surprising end: Pixar is prepping their first ever musical, with Domee Shi (the filmmaker behind Turning Red) signed on to direct. Not a soul outside the studio knows what the plot is, who’s in it, or even when it’ll land. Wild this is their debut musical effort, given how many of their parent studio’s animated hits are built on singalongs. Here’s hoping they take some creative risks, not just slotting in 'song breaks' for the sake of it.