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<\/a><\/p>\nIn a recent profile piece from The Wall Street Journal<\/a> all about Pixar\u2019s company culture and box office performance, we received our first unconfirmed mention of a new musical project from the animation studio. <\/p>\n The film is officially unannounced as of writing. The report suggests, through \u201cpeople familiar with the matter,\u201d that the new musical project is headed by Domee Shi, director of Pixar\u2019s recent streaming hit \u201cTurning Red\u201d and the fan-favorite animated short \u201cBao\u201d.<\/p>\n Further details about the musical remain unknown, but speaking on the concept broadly, Pixar\u2019s Senior Vice President of Development, Lindsey Collins, added:<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things that brought the initial group (behind the new musical) together here was a desire to rebel against the traditional Disney musical \u2026 This next generation grew up on Pixar and they\u2019re figuring out their version of rebellion.\u201d<\/p>\n Domee Shi is becoming one of Pixar\u2019s most prominent filmmakers in the studio\u2019s \u201cnext generation,\u201d as Collins describes. A Chinese-Canadian animator who joined Pixar Animation Studios in 2011, Shi first contributed as a storyboard artist on major films including \u201cInside Out\u201d, \u201cThe Good Dinosaur\u201d, and \u201cIncredibles 2\u201d. <\/p>\n Shi broke through as a director with the 2018 Pixar short film \u201cBao\u201d. Inspired by Shi\u2019s own relationship with her parents, the film combined humor, cultural specificity, and themes of family attachment. \u201cBao\u201d won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and marked the first Pixar short directed by a woman.<\/p>\n This success led to Shi directing her first feature film, \u201cTurning Red\u201d. The coming-of-age comedy follows a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl in Toronto who unexpectedly transforms into a giant red panda whenever her emotions run high. Like Bao, the film drew heavily from Shi\u2019s own adolescence and explored themes of identity, generational expectations, and teenage self-expression.<\/p>\n Pixar Revisiting Classics for Box Office Success \u2013 Remains Open to New Projects While \u201cTurning Red\u201d received strong critical reviews, its release during the COVID-19 pandemic meant its distribution was limited to streaming via Disney+, severely undercutting its potential theatrical box office impact.<\/p>\n The news of Shi\u2019s musical project comes as part of a broader profile piece on Pixar by The Wall Street Journal. Interviews with Pixar head Pete Docter and others at the studio broadly cover the inner-workings of Pixar, their company culture, and the changing factors that defined their early box office hits that contrast with their more recent box office disappointments.<\/p>\n Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter said the studio is rethinking its approach after years of struggling to launch new hit franchises. The change in thinking also reflects broader film industry pressures as original films have struggled to draw audiences to theaters while Disney increasingly relies on proven franchises to support its entertainment ecosystem. <\/p>\n A key example of this trend toward sequels is the reported development of \u201cMonsters, Inc. 3\u201d<\/a>, the first we\u2019ve heard of the project, mentioned in the same article. The potential third installment would join other upcoming sequels such as Toy Story 5, The Incredibles 3, and a follow-up to Coco 2.<\/p>\n What are your thoughts on a musical from Pixar? Do you think Domee Shi will pull off Pixar\u2019s first musical project successfully? Share your speculation with us on social media!<\/p>\n For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today<\/a> on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n