Every Upcoming Pixar Movie, Ranked by Our Excitement (& Toy Story's Billions Can't Win This One)

With this past summer’s Elio, Pixar Animation Studios has produced 29 feature films since its very first feature-length movie, Toy Story, 30 years ago. This studio has an expansive library of movies that’s set to expand heavily before the end of the decade. As of this writing, five Pixar Animation Studios releases have been announced for imminent release. They largely consist of sequels to some of the most beloved Pixar titles, but the good news is that the studio also has a couple of original features in there to ensure the legacy of non-sequel Pixar productions like Ratatouille and WALL-E is intact.

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Which of these upcoming Pixar projects, though, sound especially enticing and which sound like they have the potential to be the next Good Dinosaur or Cars 2? Below, explore a ranking of the next five Pixar movies, sorted by which ones we’re most excited about.

5. Coco 2

Coco is one of Pixar’s greatest treats, a vibrantly colorful and emotionally powerful musical ode to family. It’s also a title that ended as a very self-contained production (heck, the titular character passed away in Coco’s final moments). Going back for more Land of the Dead shenanigans may feel a little cynical (especially given the increasing presence of Coco at Disney’s various theme parks), but there is still a rich world here to explore.

Given how much of Coco’s poignancy was tied to it being a standalone experience, the worst fear, of course, is that Coco 2 ends up diluting the first movie’s impact. But then, everyone said that about Inside Out 2, and look how that turned out. That film’s massive box office in 2024 means Pixar is unlikely to quit its sequel obsession anytime soon, and all cynicism aside, Inside Out 2 was a legitimately great story. If Coco 2 doesn’t work as well, let’s just hope Pixar is willing to learn when to let original films stay as one-off experiences.

4. Incredibles 3

Now set for a 2028 debut, Incredibles 3 will be the first Incredibles movie not directed by Brad Bird, which loses it some points from the outset. Instead, Elemental and Good Dinosaur helmer Peter Sohn will take over directorial duties (Bird is still penning the script for this threequel).

If the MCU has taught us anything, it’s that superhero universes can thrive. And the Incredibles universe is ripe enough for further expansion enough to suggest Incredibles 3 will have a good shot. It is important to note that Incredibles 2 was a noticeable step down from its predecessor in quality: just as Cars 2 and Monsters University were. But at least Cars 3 pulled it back. It’s still hard not to think an Incredibles 3 not directed by Brad Bird is a harder sell to purists though. Not that the kids will care.

3. Toy Story 5

Credit where credit is due: Toy Story 4 defied expectations that its very existence would sully the outstanding Toy Story 3’s legacy. In stark contrast to the cynicism, it actually stands as a moving epilogue to the Toy Story saga, even if it doesn’t quite reach the very high bar of the other three. That’s very much a case of being damned by association with near-perfection, though.

Going back to the Toy Story well for Toy Story 5 and its narrative about kids being obsessed with digital gizmos and another “Buzz goes bad” subplot doesn’t sound like a recipe for even another Toy Story 4-level success, but stranger things have happened. And anyone with a child knows that the transition from real toys to screens is an important thing to accept as part of the actual toy story. Also in its favor, elevating Joan Cusack’s Jessie to a principal character is a wise move for Toy Story 5, but it’s hard to get excited for something so obviously undoing a great ending. Again.

2. Gatto

Luca director Enrico Casarosa is preparing another animated comedy set in Italy with June 2027’s Gatto. The proposed project concerns a black cat up to his shoulders in debt to a kitty mob boss. Pushed against the wall, this Venice critter must make an impossible, life-altering bond.

No other details (like its cast) have been revealed about the project, but an initial piece of concept art for Gatto suggests a movie as colorful as Luca was. Gatto will also apparently have a unique, painterly animation style radically different from the typical Pixar visual aesthetic. This studio shaking up Pixar’s typical approach alone sounds like a reason to make Gatto a must-see.

1. Hoppers

What’s already promising about Hoppers is how its weirdo premise, concerning a teenager getting her mind transplanted into a robotic beaver to thwart a corporate-sponsored ecological disaster, harkens back to the 2000s, when Pixar turned inexplicable concepts like “a rat that cooks” or “robots falling in love” into cinematic magic. Better yet, the first Hoppers trailer displayed a unique sense of humor compared to other Pixar movies, very much evocative of the dry, dialogue-oriented humor of writer/director Daniel Chong’s We Bare Bears TV show.

It’s doubtful Hoppers will dethrone Hundreds of Beavers as the funniest beaver-centric movie of the 2020s, but, right now, it’s the upcoming Pixar movie with the most potential to be something special. Here’s the trailer: