Basic Information
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios
Title: Gatto, the Italian word for “cat”
Genre: Animated adventure with comedy and gangster-film elements
Director: Enrico Casarosa (Luca, La Luna)
Producer: Andrea Warren (Luca)
U.S. release date: March 5, 2027
Release format: Exclusively in theaters
Setting: Venice, Italy
New look from D23
Teaser Poster
Story
The story follows Nero, a scrappy black cat who has spent years navigating the canals, rooftops, and narrow streets of superstitious Venice. He eventually begins to question whether he has lived the right lives.
Nero is indebted to Rocco, the ruthless boss of the local feline underworld. Although Nero wants to leave his criminal life behind, he must first complete one final assignment: stealing a special violin decorated with a cat-shaped head.
The violin belongs to Maya, a young street musician. Meeting her forces Nero to confront a difficult moral choice, and the two form an unexpected friendship that may finally help him discover his true purpose.
According to footage and story details presented at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Rocco and his henchcats specialize in stealing cat-related works of art, including paintings, frescoes, and statues. Nero’s black fur makes him particularly useful because many superstitious Venetians believe that he brings bad luck and run away when they see him.
Teaser trailer
Characters
Nero
Nero is the film’s main character, a scrappy black stray cat with a questionable past. He has spent years working within Venice’s feline criminal underworld but is no longer certain that he wants to continue living this way. His name is a simple Italian reference to his appearance: nero means “black.”
Rocco
Rocco is the large and ruthless leader of the local feline mob. Nero owes him a debt and must carry out one final job on his behalf. The first teaser introduces Nero and Rocco during a humorous parody of a classic gangster interrogation scene.
Maya
Maya is a young street musician and the owner of the violin Nero has been ordered to steal. Music and a shared love of opera are expected to play an important role in the bond between Maya and Nero.
Saverio Piccionini
Saverio is a pigeon and Nero’s comedic sidekick, newly showcased at the 2026 D23 event. Enrico Casarosa reportedly voices the character himself. Saverio’s surname appears to play on the Italian word piccione, meaning “pigeon.
A Distinctive Painterly Visual Style
Although Gatto is a computer-animated feature, its CG imagery has been deliberately stylized to resemble hand-painted artwork and expressive sketches. It would therefore be inaccurate to describe the film as completely hand-drawn or literally painted frame by frame.
Casarosa explained that conventional realistic lighting affected the colors too strongly, so the artists developed separate shading passes that gave them greater control over the appearance of light and shadow. This helps the environments retain their carefully selected painterly colors under different lighting conditions.
The animation team has also developed an approach called Staccato. Some phases of a movement are deliberately sharp or briefly held before transitioning into smoother animation. This rhythm is particularly effective when depicting feline jumps, sudden stops, and quick reactions.
According to Casarosa, the team wants viewers to feel as if they are “walking into a painting.” Venice’s damp, weathered, repeatedly painted walls helped inspire this artistic direction. Don't miss any news - subscribe to our Facebook
