The latest Pixar feature Luca has just been released to the public, but the acclaimed studio shows no signs of slowing with their upcoming slate of animated television series heading to Disney+, as Luca did. Their reputation for feature-length programming is unrivaled, but Disney has tapped them to produce short-form content that will draw subscribers to their streaming platform. In that spirit, and in staving off creative stagnation, the folks at Pixar have proven themselves equal to the task with an exciting array of programming from spinoffs to originals, from narrative to documentary, from serials to series. Add these to their feature plans, and there will be plenty for fans to anticipate for years to come.
Pixar changed animated filmmaking forever with the release of Toy Story in 1995, marking the first-ever feature-length CGI-animated film. Industry titan Disney had by then already inked a distribution deal with the fledgling studio, and in 2000 would produce Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, the first of several television series utilizing Pixar-created IP. Though the two companies would endure a rocky relationship, not in the least because of the marketing and distribution demands Disney placed on Pixar's creative executives, Pixar later embraced television programming, creating short-form content made for distribution through a variety of media, including broadcast channels. With the Disney+ platform rollout in 2019, Pixar became an integral part of Disney's online future, as the content demands of streaming services became part of Pixar's.
Pixar's library of four-quadrant content represented a major draw for consumers in the announcement of Disney's streaming service, Disney+. As criticism grew that the studio had begun to creatively stagnate, longtime Pixar brain-trust member Pete Docter assumed the role of Chief Creative Officer and announced plans for the future of the company, including short-form content to be distributed on the new Disney+ platform. The bite-sized Pixar Popcorn harkened back to the studio's roots of producing animated shorts, while also leveraging their extensive IP library by using characters and settings already familiar to viewers. Inside Pixar gave audiences an in-depth look at the behind-the-scenes process of creating a film at the Emeryville, CA studios. Forky Asks a Question made for another in a long line of Toy Story spinoffs, stretching all the way back to Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. And at Disney's most recent Investor Day event, Pixar revealed even more of their upcoming slate of content.
Monsters at Work
Quickly approaching its July 7th, 2021 premier, a spinoff of the 2001 film Monsters, Inc. marks the second long-form television series based on a Pixar property after Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. While Disney Television Animation handled much of the production, a speech at the D23 Expo from producers Bobs Gannaway and Ferrell Barron described the collaboration on the project as "unique and special," enlisting the help of both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios employees. Despite the movie being accused of being a rip-off, the show will reportedly examine the city of Monstropolis' transition from scream to laughter energy, as briefly touched upon in the conclusion of the 2001 film while introducing a new character Tyler Tuskmon (Ben Feldman), a recent graduate of Monsters University (of eponymous prequel fame). Many of the original voice cast are set to reprise their roles, including Billy Crystal, John Goodman, John Ratzenberger, and Bob Peterson. Other Monsters newcomers include Mindy Kaling (The Office, The Mindy Project) and Henry Winkler (Arrested Development, Barry).
Dug Days
Scheduled to be released in fall of 2021, this spinoff of the 2009 Pete Docter-directed and shockingly sad Pixar feature Up will reportedly follow Carl, Russell, and principally their loving canine companion Dug as they adjust to life in the suburbs. At the end of the film, the trio can be seen enjoying ice cream on a street corner, having returned to civilization in Charles Muntz's dirigible. Dug already featured in a spinoff of his own, as the animated short "Dug's Special Mission" showed the events immediately preceding Dug's first encounter with the two humans. It was included as a bonus feature on the Up DVD/Blu-Ray release, as well as in the compilation Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2 (2012). Bob Peterson and Ed Asner will reprise their respective roles as Dug and Carl, and Peterson, co-director on Up, will direct the series. The show will center on Dug as he reacts to the dangers of suburbia, "including puppies, fireworks, and of course - squirrel!" as described by Docter in the announcement.
Cars Series
In fall of 2022, Pixar plans to release a spinoff show that will follow Lightning McQueen and Mater as they travel across the United States on a road trip, as part of the underrated Cars franchise. With three Pixar-produced features already squeezed out of this franchise, and a collection of ancillary shorts and spinoff films, there are plenty of characters to revisit in this episodic series. According to USA Today, the show will reportedly integrate familiar faces from the films, and The DisInsider announced in June that characters from the world-expanding Disney-produced Planes films would make appearances as well.
Win or Lose
Lastly, the fabled production company breaks new ground with the first long-form television series to be produced by the coming-of-age movie veterans Pixar Animation Studios: Win or Lose. Set to release on Disney+ in fall of 2023, the show will follow a middle school softball team through their season, taking on the perspective of a different player each week, culminating in a championship game. Creators Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates cut their teeth as story artists on Toy Story 4 before taking the reins on this trailblazing production. Hobson, like many Pixar veterans, is a graduate of CalArts.
Aside from these upcoming television projects, Pixar's announcement at Disney's Investors Day yielded plenty of interesting feature concepts on the horizon. From a Toy Story prequel Lightyear (2022), which delves into the backstory of a young Buzz Lightyear with Chris Evans in the lead role, to Turning Red (2022), the feature directorial debut of Domee Shi (Bao), there's no shortage of hotly anticipated material awaiting Pixar fans in the coming months, and even years.
