We all know what a Pixar movie looks like. But that’s about to change. Just a few hours ago at the Annecy Animation Festival in France, Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer at Pixar, showcased some of their upcoming projects, and one of them made the entire audience gasp and cheer. It’s a film that no one outside the company knew about until Docter revealed this on stage:
“It’s another original film. It’s one we have never talked about until today. And it is coming to theaters in the summer of 2027. It is called Gatto. It’s about a cat and it’s directed by Enrico Casarosa, the guy who did Luca, and producer Andrea Warren.”
The film takes place in Venice, Italy and it is completely unlike the Pixar style we’ve all seen and loved in the past. For this project, Docter explained how they’re “looking to really capture the painterly texture of Venice while still preserving the depth and dimension that you’ve come to expect in a Pixar film, all in a way you’ve really never seen before, so it’s pretty fantastic.”
Trust me, the test footage was incredible. It had a hand-painted look that was mixed with modern CG animation. But it doesn’t matter how great a movie looks unless you care about the characters. Docter went on to tease what the movie is about:
“Venice, if you’ve been there, it’s like a living painting. There’s layer upon layer of history there. It’s inspired artists for generations. For most people, Venice is like a dream world, a place they can’t wait to visit. For our main character, it is not, because he is a black cat named Nero. For him, Venice is a nightmare. ”
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He elaborated on that, explaining why it’s a nightmare for the main character: “For one, it’s surrounded by canals, and he can’t swim. Then, it’s filled with superstitious people who think black cats are bad luck, and they’re always trying to do away with them. In fact, it’s so tough for Nero, that he has no choice but to align himself with the seedier side of cat society.” Docter went on to say:
“He soon finds himself indebted to a certain cat boss named Rocco. Now, the other aspect that makes Nero’s life difficult is that he loves music. When Nero discovers a street musician named Maya, he ends up held captive by more than just the music. He actually is captured by her and becomes a house cat. It’s not what he wanted, but Maya is an outsider in Venice too.”
Docter added, “She and Nero are really the two black cats of the movie, and their relationship is the heart of the film. There’s so much more to this movie. I can’t wait to share with you, but the film doesn’t come out until 2027.”
Based on the way Docter spoke, it seems like Nero is going to be torn between living on his own and with his new friendship with Maya, while also trying to evade Rocco. As someone who loves cats and Pixar, I really cannot wait to see more from Gatto.
Gatto is currently scheduled for release in the summer of 2027.
via Collider