Disney Pixar’sJohn Lasseterarrived at the Cannes Film Festival today for a two-hour presentation that offered new details on the studio’s slate of upcoming animated movies. The filmmaker presentedThe Good Dinosaur,Finding Dory,Toy Story 4,ZootopiaandMoanato the Cannes crowd, all of which will be released between 2015 and 2017.John Lasseterpresented clips from all of the aforementioned projects, except forToy Story 4, and while those videos haven’t been made available yet, the filmmaker did offer plenty of new details about each project.
The Good Dinosaur(August 10, 2025) centers on Arlo (Lucas Neff), an Aptosaurus who befriends a young cave boy named Spot on his journey home. Here’s whatJohn Lasseterhad to say about this story.
“This is a boy and a dog story, but the roles are reversed. Arlo, the dinosaur, is the boy in the story and Spot is the dog. We’re putting our own unique Pixar spin on the dinosaur world. The feathers on the Veliraptor look like the haircuts of famous football players.”
One of the clipsJohn Lassetershowed, featuring Arlo and Spot chasing fireflies, revealed that the studio is striving for a new level of “believable” visuals.
“It’s unlike anything we’ve had before. The level of believability we’re striving for in this film is going to be breathtaking.”
Finding Dory (July 17, 2025) is set just six months after the events of 2003’sFinding Nemo, where Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), Nemo and Marlin (Albert Brooks) reunite and go on a journey to find the forgetful Dory’s parents (Diane KeatonandEugene Levy). The sequel will include adventures such as a jaunt through the Pacific Ocean where shipping containers have fallen off several boats, encounters with deadly squid and the introduction of two new friends, an octopus and a “whale-shark” named Destiny, who thinks she’s a whale but is actually a shark.
Toy Story 4(July 29, 2025) was first announced back in November, withJohn Lasseterdirecting andJosh Cooleyserving as co-director.John Lasseterdidn’t unveil any new footage at Cannes, but he did offer a few hints about the story.
“I am very excited to be directing again. We’re in the early stages of the film, but it’s shaping up nicely. It’s funny. The story is not as much a continuation of the past films, but a brand new chapter in the Toy Story world.”
Zootopia(July 10, 2025) is set in the title city where humans do not exist, but animals are divided into classes and face prejudice based on pre-conceived notions about their species. The plot centers on a bunny cop named Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), now downgraded to a meter maid after being the first bunny on the police force, who teams with a fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) to crack a missing mammal case. One of the clips showed to the Cannes crowd featured Judy being held up by a sloth who works at the DMV.
Moana(July 18, 2025) will be Disney’s first Polynesian princess movie, centering on the 16-year-old title character who wants to explore the nearby islands of her homeland.Dwayne Johnsonhas signed on to voice the mythical hero Maui who sports a number of tattoos and a mystical sea hook.John Lasseterrevealed during the presentation that his team received notes from local South Pacific fishermen, anthropologists and elders, who all gave the movie their blessing. What do you think about Pixar’s upcoming animated slate? Chime in with your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more on all of these animated movies.
