Is Pixar Making Any New Original Movies? Here’s What We Know

August 19, 20243 Mins Read

Published: August 19, 2024

Is Pixar Making Any New Original Movies? Here’s What We Know

By Movieguide® Contributor

Though there’s been much hubbub about Disney only focusing on sequels to improve Disney Pixar’s focus, it looks like follow-up films aren’t the only things in Pixar’s near future.

“Disney’s subsidiary Pixar is responsible for some of the most successful animated sequels of all time, but as Screen Rant learned at D23 2024: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the mega-studio is not going to simply turn Pixar into a sequel factory…” Screen Rant reported Aug. 11. “In addition to the upcoming sci-fi movie ELIO, Pixar will release another original movie in 2026 titled HOPPERS. Described as a body-swap comedy, HOPPERS will feature the voice talents of Jon Hamm, Bobby Moynihan and Piper Curda.”

HOPPERS features the story of Mabel, a girl who transfers her mind to a robot beaver in order to study animals.

ELIO is about a kid who’s accidentally beamed up to space. Aliens mistake him for a representative of Earth. He learns to build relationships with foreign beings, discovering his purpose in the meantime. The movie comes out June 13, 2025.

Movieguide reported why Disney launched its sequel strategy last year:

Returning to familiar — and proven — material might be the key to ending Pixar’s recent string of box office bad luck.

Variety reported that the studio’s most recent project, ELEMENTAL, “collapsed at the domestic box office with a $29.5 million opening, by far the worst debut in Pixar’s 28-year history.”

“After the relative box office disappointment of its latest animated film, ELEMENTAL, Pixar is understandably going to dip back into the sequel well with TOY STORY 5, but the D23 announcement of HOPPERS is important in the grand scheme of Disney’s overall animation slate,” Screen Rant continued.

While these new movies are on the horizon, Disney does still have a lot of sequels underway. MOANA 2 and MUFASA: THE LION KING will be released before the end of the year. ZOOTOPIA 2, TOY STORY 5, INCREDIBLES 3 and two FROZEN sequels are in progress. It’s also creating series sequels, like SOFIA THE FIRST: ROYAL MAGIC and a series based on INSIDE OUT.

“While some of its monster hits like the FROZEN, INSIDE OUT and TOY STORY franchises are still clearly reliable, Disney no longer has a monopoly at the box office for animated films,” Screen Rant assessed. “Illumination has proved to be just as capable of churning out a mega-franchise, and Dreamworks Animation has produced several high-grossing franchises in the last 10-15 years. It’s important that they continue to push the boundaries on animation to stay ahead of the pack, and Pixar is the greatest weapon Disney has at its disposal in that regard.”