When Toy Story 5 is released on June 19 (that’s the Friday after next), you’ll get a sneak preview of Pixar’s next animated feature, Gatto…but thanks to the magic of the Internet, you don’t have to wait that long. It’s live now!
This teaser answers a question people have had about the movie for months…its art style. Gatto was originally announced with a painted poster image of the title character on the streets of Venice, and it was assumed to be a production sketch until someone connected to the project said the movie really looked like that. With this teaser, we can confirm that it does. Even though it takes place in the dark, it’s clearly rendered to look scratchy and rough, like an Italian painting come to life.
Gatto is directed by Enrico Casarosa and produced by Andrea Warren, who were both behind Pixar’s previous feature Luca…also set in Italy. Their new yarn is about a black cat in Venice with a lack of luck. Nero, the “gatto” of the story, is in debt to feline mob boss Rocco and looking for a place to hide. He’s got a passion for music, so he’s allured to the melodies of Maya, a Venice street musician. Nero and Maya form a tight friendship, which they’ll need to deal with Nero’s problems.
Maya doesn’t appear in the trailer at all, but the walleyed Rocco does. With the teaser, Pixar revealed that Laurence Fishburne plays him, and that Mark Ruffalo is the voice of Nero himself. This pair are attempting to interrogate someone with connections to a tuna score, but it doesn’t go well, because…they’re cats. The subject quickly turns to the swinging light bulb above their heads, which grabs all of their attention.
Initially planned for release on June 18, 2027, Pixar’s Gatto has been moved up to a premiere date of March 5.
