ANAHEIM, California – Pixar announced incredible news Friday at the D23 Fan Expo: The animation studio is producing “The Incredibles 3.”
Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, dropped the bombshell in front of 12,000 fans, the largest crowd ever at a Disney fan convention.
“As you can see, we have some ‘The Incredibles’ projects,” Docter said at the end of his presentation, before adding, “That’s right, we’re doing ‘The Incredibles 3.'”
Docter told the audience that Brad Bird, the writer and director of the Oscar-winning films “The Incredibles” and “Incredibles 2,” is working on the third film. He did not provide any further details or a release date for the project. But the audience at D23 was thrilled by the news.
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“Inside Out 2” this summer overtook “The Incredibles 2” as Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time and Disney Animation’s Frozen II as the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Pixar relies on “Hoppers” in the new animated film, the crew of “Toy Story 5” has to deal with sophisticated technology
Pixar also makes “Hoppers.”
Following the success of Inside Out 2, Docter introduced the brand new animated film Hoppers, which follows Mabel (Pipe Curder), a girl whose mind is transported into the body of a beaver thanks to groundbreaking technology.
“Hoppers” will be released in spring 2026. Mabel will meet King Beaver (voice: “SNL” star Bobby Moynihan) and the evil human mayor Jerry (voice: Jon Hamm).
Docter also announced that Adam Stanton, director of ““Finding Nemo” and writer of all “Toy Story” films, would write and direct “Toy Story 5”.
Stanton entered the stage and revealed the new villain to the toys iIn the fifth “Toy Story” film – technology. He released concept art showing a child staring at a tablet under a blanket while the toys look on sadly.
“The toy makers’ job gets exponentially harder when our toy crew is confronted with what kids are obsessed with today: electronics,” Stanton said. “There’s serious competition from cell phones and tablets everywhere. So this time, toys meet technology.”
Stanton added that a “significant problem” with the film was the technological threat posed by “50 renegade Buzz Lightyear commemorative action figures stuck in toy mode.”
“It’s going to be so funny,” Stanton added. “Toy Story 5” will be released in summer 2026.
“Inside Out” gets TV series “Dream Productions”
Docter spoke about Pixar’s first television series, called “Dream Productions,” which is inspired by the world of the “Inside Out” films. Set between the two “Inside Out” films, the series will show how Riley’s dreams become reality every night – within budget and time.
“It takes place between Inside Out 1 and Inside Out 2, so think of it as a sort of cutscene,” Doctor said.
“Avatar 3” has a title: “Fire and Ashes”
“Avatar” director James Cameron flew in from filming “Avatar 3” in New Zealand to give a speech about the Disney program to the D23 audience.
After bringing stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana on stage, Cameron said it was too early to show footage from the third film. But he officially announced the title “Avatar: Fire and Ashes.”
“The new film is not what you expect, but it’s definitely what you want,” Cameron added. “Fire and Ashes” will be released in December 2025.
The Rock dances before the presentation of the new trailer for “Vaiana 2”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (voice of Maui) and Auli’i Cravalho (as Moana) opened the D23 program with a big Polynesian-themed musical number, with Cravalho singing beautifully and Johnson dancing.
The box office hit revealed that there is a lot more to his role as a demigod in the new film, which hits theaters on November 27.
“Maui is singing again. And in keys that don’t even exist,” said Johnson, who sang the famous song “You’re Welcome” in “Moana.”
The crew of “Moana 2” has released a new trailer that focuses on a storyline in which Moana leaves the safety of her Hawaiian island.
“It’s about looking beyond the reef and having the courage to achieve more,” Johnson said.
