Disney/Pixar Announce Four-Year Animation Roster
April 10, 2008

The next four years in feature film animation look bright and colorful as Disney/Pixar have announced their upcoming release schedule through 2009 to 2012. Beginning in the Spring of 2009, the Disney/Pixar roster kicks off on May 29 with Monsters Inc director Peter Docter's Up, the first 3-D animated film from Pixar. Later in the year, Pixar will follow up with the October 2, 2009 release of the much talked about 3-D version of the gargantuan Pixar hit Toy Story before releasing The Princess and the Frog, this Christmas (2009), which will feature… well, singing frogs belting out Randy Newman tunes in New Orleans.

Following on the 3-D heels of Toy Story, Pixar will also be releasing Toy Story 2 in 3-D on February 12, 2010 while the company also announced that Toy Story 3 will be hitting theaters fourth months later on June 18, 2010 and will be directed by Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo helmer Lee Unkrich. Given the Toy Story revamps in 3-D, it looks like a smart move and great hype to keep Toy Story fresh in the minds of fans leading up to the third installment. Closing out 2010 at Christmas time will be the animated CGI fantasy fest Rapunzel, which will see well-known animator Glen Keane step behind the camera for the first time.

Two more animated offerings will come down the Pixar pike in 2011, most notably the highly anticipated newt, which will follow the social conscious and contentious exploits of the nearly extinct, last two blue-footed newts left on the planet. At the end of the year at Christmas 2011, Pixar will roll out their first fantasy epic in The Bear and the Bow set in the mythological world of Scotland starring the voice talents of Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly, and Emma Thompson.

Rounding out the newly announced Disney/Pixar roster will be Cars 2, the sequel to the popular 2006 NASCAR based hit, with Brad Bird at the helm, and King of the Elves, an animated translation of Philip K. Dick's lone fantasy short story.

Like we mentioned, the next four years in feature film animation look bright and colorful thanks to Disney Animation head and CCO John Lasseter and his band of merry Pixar-ites.