With "Toy Story 5" now well behind us, Pixar seems ready to shake things up, and that's a welcome change.
The studio has released a trailer for "Gatto," a new original film from "Luca" director Enrico Casarosa that will be released in 2027. What really sets "Gatto" apart, however, is its style: this won't be Pixar's usual glossy CGI. Instead, the animation appears to be a hybrid of 3D CGI and digitally hand-painted textures.
The story follows a music-loving black cat in Venice who is fleeing the mob, ostracized by locals out of superstition, and running out of lives. He's already used up eight.
Yes, we're getting another animated film about a black cat hot on the heels of the Oscar-winning "Flow," but a fresh artistic direction from Pixar is worth taking note of. Of course, I wish "Gatto" were fully hand-painted, as was originally reported. Still, Pixar seems eager to explore new artistic territory, and it's about time.
After more than 30 years of making CGI films, Pixar appears to be changing things up. The studio has chosen to step away from its traditional style, and with any luck, this bold move will lead to something special. It certainly could use a win.
I've made my peace with Pixar: its golden age of releasing classic after classic is long gone. From 1995 to 2010, the studio could do no wrong, turning out one great film after another: "Toy Story," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc.," "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," "Cars," "Ratatouille," "WALL-E," "Up," and "Toy Story 3." What a run: 15 years, and the only sequels were those great "Toy Story" follow-ups.
Things started to get wobblier once Pixar decided to focus more on sequels, and its original films suffered creatively as well. Don't get me wrong, Pixar has released a few good original films since then ("Coco" and "Soul" spring to mind), but none has come close to the magic of its golden era.
"Gatto," featuring the voices of Mark Ruffalo, Laurence Fishburne, Enrico Casarosa, John Turturro, Jason Schwartzman, Isabella Rosellini, and Jason Mantzoukas, arrives in theaters on March 5, 2027.
Part of the reason a fourth 'Austin Powers' was never made is that Myers basically stepped away from the industry. After "The Love Guru" bombed in 2008, he all but disappeared from leading roles.