Pixar was once considered a groundbreaking animation studio, whose forward thinking led them to films such as Inside Out that nobody could’ve imagined. I think they fell into a comfortable rut of making surefire hit sequels, and lost a lot of that creative energy. But they seem poised to break some fresh ground with Gatto, a new film from Luca director Enrico Casarosa that will look like nothing Pixar has ever done before.
Gatto, about a music-loving black cat ostracized by the people of Venice because, well, black cats are bad luck, will have a totally different animation style than Pixar’s typical CGI. The film will be Pixar’s first hand-painted feaure film, and you can get a look at the gorgeous animation in a new teaser.
While the comparison isn’t perfect, Gatto does remind me of the phenomenal Loving Vincent, an animated film comprised of thousands of stunning oil-painted frames. If successful, I hope Pixar branches out and tries new stuff like this more often.
Gatto will feature voicework from Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishburne, and will hit theaters on March 5th 2027.
