Pixar: Original Films Are Tough, But Not 'Toy Story 27'

Pixar veteran Pete Docter recently addressed the challenges the studio is currently facing in developing fresh films and franchises, as their latest release, Elio, struggles to gain traction at the box office.

Docter emphasized that Pixar must "discover what audiences want before they even realize it." Failing to do so, he warned, would mean simply giving viewers "more of what they already know"—resulting in a cycle of endless sequels and repetitive content.

"We'd be making Toy Story 27," Docter remarked during his appearance at Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Summit, just before the new film’s premiere.

In the United States, Elio earned only $20.8 million during its opening weekend, marking the lowest debut in Pixar’s history. The film faced stiff competition from new releases like 28 Years Later and the recent live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon.

Internationally, Elio has brought in an additional $14 million, bringing its current global total to $34.8 million—significantly below the film’s $150 million production budget, a figure that does not even include marketing expenses.

"It's a difficult period, and our only option is to continue making movies that we genuinely believe in," Docter reflected. "Creating a film that doesn’t earn money requires just as much effort as one that does. And you can’t always predict the outcome—sometimes everything just comes together perfectly."

While Elio has been well-received by critics, it hasn’t captured the level of audience interest Pixar had hoped for. This stands in stark contrast to the studio’s previous film, Inside Out 2, which exceeded box office expectations and became Disney’s highest-grossing release ever, earning $1.69 billion globally.

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Beyond the performance of individual films, broader trends are also at play—lingering audience hesitation following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing expectation that animated movies will quickly become available on streaming services.

To manage these risks, Docter explained that Pixar is adopting a balanced approach: roughly one original film followed by a sequel to a past hit. As planned, Toy Story 5 is scheduled for release in 2026. While it may not be the fictional Toy Story 27 that Docter joked about, it does extend a beloved franchise that many felt had reached a satisfying conclusion with Toy Story 3—especially after the lukewarm reception of the Buzz Lightyear spin-off, Lightyear.

Looking forward, Pixar’s upcoming slate reflects Docter’s vision—a blend of original stories and familiar sequels. In addition to Toy Story 5, next year will introduce Hoppers, a comedy about a human-animal body swap, followed by the feline-focused Gatto in 2027. These will be succeeded by Incredibles 3 in 2028 and Coco 2 in 2029.