Oh, did you think you were done with Pixar’s new movies? Well, get ready for Gatto, because I have a feeling we’re going to love it. Or, at the very least, I am.
Pixar has been on an up-and-down streak the last few years in terms of their original films. While nothing can quite match the best Pixar films from the 2000s and early 2010s, there are still plenty of great options that have emerged over the last couple of years, notably Luca.
The film was a Disney+ exclusive, and it’s one that’s perfect for summer viewing, becoming a huge hit with fans. Now, we’re going to be getting another film from the same team behind that fun movie. Here is what we know so far about the upcoming Pixar film, Gatto.
What Is Gatto’s Release Date?
As of June 2025, there’s no set release date for Gatto. However, according to an announcement made at the 2025 Annecy Animation Festival in France this month (via Variety), it’s slated for release sometime in summer 2027.
This is standard for Pixar in general. While they’ve sometimes released their films at other times of the year, they often do so during the summer months. Many of their biggest hits – Toy Story 3, WALL-E, Inside Out, Up, etc, have been released during the season (with Up coming out at the very end of June). Even Elio recently came out in June 2025. Many of their other films release towards the end of the year.
Either way, this means it won’t be on any 2026 movie schedule. However, while we have to wait two years for Gatto, we can at least look forward to the upcoming Toy Story 5, which is scheduled for release in 2026.
What Is Gatto’s Cast?
At the time of writing this, there is no one set for the Gatto cast, which isn’t that surprising, since the movie was only just announced.
However, because this film will be led by the same people who made Luca, I would not be surprised if some of the voice actors from that film ended up appearing in this one.
For a reminder, some of the cast members were May Rudolph, Peter Sohn, Jim Gaffigan, Sandy Martin, Saverio Raimondo, and Marco Barricelli. I’m curious to know who will be voicing the cat, because that’s what I’m excited about.
What Is Gatto Going To Be About?
So, you’ve made it this far, and you’re probably wondering what this new movie is about. We have you covered, as a basic synopsis was released when the film was confirmed in the Variety article.
First off, this story returns us to Italy. So if you liked the landscape of Luca, then you’re going to enjoy Gatto. This time, it doesn’t take place in a fictional town – since Portorosso was a fake name, and it’s essentially an amalgamation of several Italian port cities.
This time, we’re going straight to Venice, an ancient city that I’m sure many of you know about. The movie follows the gatto in question – a black cat named Nero who loves the jazz scene of Venice and roams the streets, wondering if he’s lived the right life in comparison to others.
Like any cat, Nero doesn’t swim, but he loves the music of the city. However, he’s not in super great shape because he’s in debt to, of course, a feline mob boss. In order to escape terrible consequences, Nero ends up forming a reluctant alliance with a street artist named Maya, who takes him in – even if, at first, he does not want to be adopted.
With this partnership that forms, Nero might find what he’s meant to do in his life – other than run from the kitty mob, of course.
I just… can’t, but in a good way. As a cat-lover, this is something out of my wildest imagination because, of course, Pixar somehow found a way to include cats, the mob, and Italy all in the same movie. And I, for one, can’t wait.
The Director Of Luca Is Directing Gatto
As stated before, we also know that the team behind Luca will return for Gatto. This means that the director, Enrico Casarosa, will be back to direct.
The previous movie was actually Casarosa’s directorial debut, and considering the film received such a great fan reaction, it makes sense as to why he would be working on another fun Pixar original.
However, Casarosa has also been with Pixar for years. He worked as a story artist on many of the best Pixar movies, such as Ratatouille, Up, and my personal favorite, Coco. I trust his vision, having seen his previous work.
Gatto Will Blend Both 2D And CGI Animation
The last thing we know – and this is cool – is that Gatto is going to be unlike anything you have seen from Pixar. It’s going to seemingly combine both 2D animation and CGI animation, which is…insane.
The news was revealed through animation tests at the festival, where attendees got to see a “distinct, unique hand-painted look” that Pixar had never done before, which appeared to blend “2D hand paint textures” with the standard CGI animation we have all grown accustomed to from the company.
Um…yes. A thousand times yes on this. I think that many fans have been missing out on the 2D animation of the older Disney years – especially the kind of movies we could have seen during the Disney Renaissance. Everything really began to change with animation when Pixar took over with its cutting-edge style.
To see them infuse the two styles into something relatively new? That’s awesome. Disney Animation changed up their method a little with Wish, but I feel like this could be something new.
The animation landscape has undergone significant changes over the last few years, with critically acclaimed films from several different studios earning widespread praise.
Some examples are the Spider-Verse movies, the latest Studio Ghibli film, The Boy and the Heron, Guillermo del Toro‘s version of Pinocchio, and more. Heck, even Netflix’s latest release, KPop Demon Hunters, has a different kind of animation. Seeing Pixar move in that direction is fantastic, and I look forward to seeing what kind of interesting take they have on fresh new animation.
Gosh, this makes me want to marathon all the Pixar films just to prepare. I can’t wait, and I’m now counting down the days until I get to see this cute little black cat running from the mob, of all things. Can 2027 get here sooner?