At this year’s Annecy’s International Animation Film Festival, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios offered a series of surprises that thrilled festival goers.
Jared Bush, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ chief creative officer and director/writer of the upcoming “Zootopia 2,” made his first appearance in Annecy to debut new footage and images from the anticipated sequel of the beloved Oscar®-winning global hit film, which will be theatrically released this November.
Thunderous applause and bursts of laughter punctuated his presentation as footage screened featured returning characters Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin), Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman), and Mr. Big (voice of Maurice LaMarche), and new characters Gary De’Snake (voice of Ke Huy Quan), Nibbles (Fortune Feimster) and Dr. Fuzzby (voice of Quinta Brunson). The audience was particularly delighted when learning that French actor Jean Reno will lend his voice to a cameo role as an officer of the Zootopia Police Department. To celebrate the original film, “Zootopia” will be screened tonight under the stars on Le Pâquier.
Also within the presentation, Disney legendary director Ron Clements (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Moana”) was honored on stage with an induction into Annecy’s Walk of Fame. The celebration continued with a surprise announcement from Jared Bush revealing that Clements will return to Walt Disney Studios Animation in an advisory role.
Pixar kicked off their panel with the arrival of Pete Docter, Pixar Animation Studios’ chief creative officer, alongside “Elio” directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, and producer Mary Alice Drumm. The “Elio” filmmakers offered a brief preview of their summer movie full of heart, laughs and fantasy. The screening of 27 minutes of the movie enchanted festival goers, leaving them eager to discover the full scope of this brand-new adventure which will hit theatres next week.
The audience was then treated to an exclusive look at Pixar’s upcoming slate by Docter, who was honored with an induction into Annecy’s Walk of Fame. Highlights of the presentation included never-before-seen footage from Pixar’s March, 2026 release, “Hoppers,” screened exclusively for the Annecy audience along with a sneak peek at the first two minutes of the studio’s summer 2026 release, “Toy Story 5.”
Docter confirmed the return of Joan Cusack as Jessie in this next “Toy Story” chapter and announced exciting new characters as well. As the supervising animator on the original “Toy Story,” Docter then showcased rarely seen legacy footage from “Toy Story,” the first feature length computer animated film ever released, in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
Additionally, Docter announced a brand-new original project called “Gatto,” slated for summer 2027. From the filmmaking team behind “Luca,” director Enrico Casarosa and producer Andrea Warren, the new film returns to Italy, this time to Venice, where after years of maneuvering the canal-ridden, superstitious city, a black cat named Nero begins to question whether he’s lived the right lives. Indebted to a local feline mob boss, Nero finds himself in a quandary and is forced to forge a truly unexpected friendship that may finally lead him to his purpose—unless Venice gets the better of him first.
With these Disney and Pixar presentations, the studios reaffirmed their commitment to the Annecy International Animation Festival as a venue to deliver exclusive news and screenings to a global audience of animation fans.
