Honestly, the vibe at Pixar has been a little tense lately. After a string of "is the magic gone?" headlines and some heavy restructuring, 2024 finally gave them a massive win with Inside Out 2. But looking at the new Pixar movies 2025 slate, it’s clear they aren't just playing it safe with sequels anymore. They’re getting weird again. And honestly? It’s about time.
The 2025 calendar for Pixar is actually a bit of a hybrid. We’ve got a massive, high-concept theatrical sci-fi adventure that feels like old-school Wall-E era ambition, plus a major pivot into long-form streaming series. If you've been keeping track, the studio is basically trying to prove they can still own the "original idea" space while feeding the Disney+ beast with familiar worlds.
Elio: The Big 2025 Theatrical Swing
If there is one movie that defines Pixar's 2025, it’s Elio. Originally supposed to hit theaters way back in March 2024, it got pushed nearly fifteen months because of the strikes and some internal creative fine-tuning. It’s now locked in for a June 20, 2025 release.
The story sounds like a fever dream in the best way. You've got an 11-year-old kid named Elio Solis—who is a bit of an indoor kid, a stargazer, and someone who doesn't quite "fit"—getting accidentally beamed up into space. The catch? The aliens think he’s the official Ambassador for Earth. Instead of correcting them, he just... goes with it.
Why Elio feels different
Most "kid in space" movies are about wonder and lasers. Elio seems more interested in the social anxiety of representing an entire planet when you can barely handle a middle school hallway.
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- The Voice Cast Swap: One interesting bit of behind-the-scenes drama was America Ferrera leaving the role of Elio's aunt, Olga. Zoe Saldaña stepped in to take over. Saldaña is basically the queen of sci-fi at this point (Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy), so she fits right in, but it’s a notable change for a character that is supposed to be Elio's grounded connection to Earth.
- The Visuals: Early footage shown at D23 and in trailers shows a "Communion of the Universe" that looks nothing like the sterile spaceships of Lightyear. It's colorful, chaotic, and looks like a psychedelic underwater reef, but in the vacuum of space.
The Streaming Shift: Win or Lose and Dream Productions
While Elio is the big cinema event, 2025 is actually the year Pixar officially becomes a "TV studio" too. We’ve had shorts and Cars on the Road before, but this is the first time they’re dropping full-scale original series with high production values.
Win or Lose (February 19, 2025)
This one has been "coming soon" for what feels like an eternity. It’s an episodic series about a middle school softball team heading to their championship game. The "hook" is that each episode tells the same week of events but from a different character’s perspective.
One episode might be in the art style of a gritty action movie because that’s how the coach (voiced by Will Forte) sees the world, while another might look like a bouncy, neon music video. It’s a huge technical experiment. If you like the "concept" episodes of shows like Community, this is basically that, but with Pixar’s $200 million-per-movie level of polish.
Dream Productions (Wait, is this still 2025?)
Technically, Dream Productions—the Inside Out spin-off—was fast-tracked to premiere in late December 2024. However, for most of the world, the conversation and the bulk of its "cultural life" is happening throughout the first half of 2025.
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It’s a "mockumentary" set between the first and second movies. Think The Office, but inside Riley’s brain. It focuses on the film studio that makes her dreams. It’s a clever way to keep the Inside Out brand alive without waiting four years for a third movie.
Looking Past 2025: The Sequel Surge
You can't talk about new Pixar movies 2025 without mentioning what they’re building toward. The studio's leadership has been pretty open about wanting a "one for them, one for us" rhythm—meaning one original movie followed by one big sequel.
| Movie Title | Estimated Release | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hoppers | March 6, 2026 | In Production |
| Toy Story 5 | June 19, 2026 | In Development |
| Incredibles 3 | 2027/2028 | Announced |
Hoppers is the next original on the list after Elio. It involves a girl who "hops" her consciousness into a robotic beaver to infiltrate the animal kingdom. It sounds absolutely unhinged, and honestly, that’s where Pixar usually does its best work.
Then, of course, there’s the elephant in the room: Toy Story 5. Andrew Stanton (the guy who directed Wall-E and Finding Nemo) is back in the director's chair for this one. The plot is reportedly about "Toys vs. Tech," with the gang facing off against the fact that kids today would rather stare at an iPad than play with a plastic cowboy. It’s a bit on the nose, but Stanton hasn't missed yet.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Pixar’s Current Slate
There’s this narrative that Pixar has "lost its way" or is just a sequel factory now. But if you look at the 2025/2026 roadmap, they’re actually producing more original IP than almost any other major animation house.
The real challenge isn't the ideas; it’s the theater-going habit. Since Disney started putting movies like Soul and Luca straight onto Disney+, it’s been hard to convince families to spend $80 on popcorn and tickets when they think they can just wait a month and see it on their couch. Inside Out 2 proved people will go to the theater if the movie feels like an "event." Pixar is betting that Elio has that same "must-see" energy.
What to Watch For in 2025:
- The "Elio" Reception: If Elio underperforms, expect Disney to lean even harder into Incredibles 3 and Finding Nemo sequels. This movie is a litmus test for original sci-fi in animation.
- Streaming Quality: If Win or Lose is a hit, we might see more original stories relegated to Disney+ while the big sequels stay in theaters.
- D23 Announcements: Keep an eye out for late summer 2025. That’s when we’ll likely get the first real footage of Hoppers and maybe a teaser for Toy Story 5.
If you’re a fan, the move is to catch Win or Lose in February to see how Pixar handles a TV budget—it’s supposedly a lot more experimental than their films. Then, make sure you see Elio on the biggest screen possible in June; the scale of the "alien parliament" scenes is designed for IMAX, not your phone.