It’s a cat’s world, and we’re all living in it. After Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow put Latvian animation on the map with an Oscar win last year, Pixar is set to tell a feline tale of its own. Instead of a typical slice-of-life setting, or in the latter’s case, a road-trip-styled journey through a post-apocalyptic world deserted by humanity, Gatto will turn the adora-purr companions into mobsters in Venice.
The teaser trailer opens with a clowder of cats on the rooftop, before moving into a dimly-lit building, where a black called Nero — played by Marvel star Mark Ruffalo — and Laurence Fishburne‘s (The Matrix) tough-guy puffball interrogate a fellow feline about missing tuna. But cats, no matter how mean, are still cats, and the trio quickly get distracted by one of their greatest temptations: a dangling lightbulb. Oh, and keep an ear out for the familiar tunes of the iconic Godfather theme song.
“In Gatto, after years of manoeuvring the canal-ridden, superstitious city of Venice, Italy, Nero begins to question whether he’s lived the right lives,” reads the synopsis. “Indebted to Rocco, the local feline mob boss, Nero finds himself in a quandary and is forced to forge a truly unexpected friendship that may finally lead him to his purpose — unless Venice gets the better of him first.”
While only a brief glimpse, the witty humour and bold, hand-painted art style give a good idea of what to expect. Enrico Casarosa is directing Gatto and will reunite with producer Andrea Warren, following their previous collaboration on 2021’s Luca. The cat-led feature is also looking to keep the momentum going for the studio and bodes well for original animation, especially after Hoppers marked the biggest opening for a Pixar-animated original since Coco (2017).
Gatto heads to theatres on 5 March 2027.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
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