Pixar Pairs Originals ‘Ono Ghost Market,’ ‘Gatto,’ And Domee Shi Musical With ‘Monsters, Inc.,’ ‘Incredibles,’ ‘Coco’ Sequels

Pixar is doubling down on original storytelling following the breakout success of Hoppers, while keeping some familiar franchises in the pipeline, too.

During a recent overview of the studio’s upcoming slate with The Wall Street Journal, Pixar confirmed several projects in development based on new ideas. Among them is Ono Ghost Market, an original supernatural story inspired by Asian folklore and centered on a mysterious marketplace that connects the worlds of the living and the dead. The project was initially conceived as a streaming-native project before shifting to a theatrical one, perhaps signaling growing confidence in the more traditional distribution model that was abandoned entirely for a while during and had been trending only downward over the last handful of years.

Another notable project is the studio’s first full musical, directed by Turning Red filmmaker Domee Shi. Pixar films have often used music as a major part of the narrative process, but the studio has never built a feature entirely around musical storytelling. The project represents a stylistic shift for the animation powerhouse as it experiments with new formats.

Speaking of new formats, Pixar is also working on its first 2D-stylized CD feature, Gatto, originally announced during last year’s Annecy. Other previously announced projects include The Incredibles 3, dated for 2028 and directed by Elemental’s Peter Sohn, and a Coco sequel, which is expected sometime in 2029. And, of course, Toy Story 5 comes out later this year.

That mix of new ideas and returns to established IPs can also be seen in the newly-announced third Monsters, Inc. feature currently in development, marking the first theatrical return to the series since 2013’s prequel Monsters University.

The mixed lineup suggests a strategy that balances franchise familiarity with a renewed emphasis on original filmmaking. After years of leaning on sequels and spinoffs, Pixar will surely be hoping to ride the momentum from Hoppers to foreground new stories while still maintaining a foothold in its established IPs.