Pixar fans just got their most exciting look yet at the studio’s next original movie, and it doesn’t look like anything the animation giant has made before.
During the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Pixar treated attendees to the first finished footage from Gatto, the upcoming original feature from Luca director Enrico Casarosa. Between its painterly animation style, emotional story, and unforgettable feline characters, Gatto is quickly shaping up to be one of Pixar’s most ambitious films in years
Pixar showcased the first completed scenes from Gatto during its Annecy presentation, giving audiences an exclusive preview of the studio’s upcoming original film before its theatrical release on March 5, 2027. Directed by Enrico Casarosa, Gatto trades the colorful Italian Riviera of Luca for the winding canals and hidden alleyways of Venice, Italy.
The film follows Nero, a black street cat voiced by Mark Ruffalo, who has spent his life navigating a city filled with superstition. Considered bad luck by humans and burdened with one major problem, he can’t swim, Nero finds himself indebted to Rocco, a powerful British Shorthair crime boss voiced by Laurence Fishburne, who controls Venice’s underground feline world.
According to Casarosa, the story blends adventure, heart, humor, and a heist-inspired narrative as Nero searches for a new purpose. Along the way, he forms an unexpected friendship with Maya, a street musician whose life becomes intertwined with his own.
One of the biggest talking points from the Annecy presentation wasn’t just the story — it was the animation.
Gatto continues Pixar’s recent push toward more stylized visuals, combining computer animation with a hand-painted, brushstroke-inspired aesthetic that gives every frame the appearance of a living painting. The unique visual approach marks another major artistic evolution for the studio, following films like Elemental, Hoppers, and the upcoming Toy Story 5.
During the presentation, Casarosa also revealed that eagle-eyed Pixar fans may notice a familiar face among Rocco’s crew. One of the mob boss’s feline henchmen bears a striking resemblance to Machiavelli, the mischievous cat from Luca, serving as a fun nod to the director’s previous Pixar film.
Although the exclusive footage remains under wraps for the general public, early reactions from Annecy attendees praised both the film’s emotional storytelling and its striking visual identity, suggesting that Gatto could become one of Pixar’s most distinctive original films to date.
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