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June 12th, 2009 - dir. Pete Docter
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This unconventional tale from the director of Monsters, Inc. is the story of a 70 year old man (inspired, it’s been said, by Disney animation legend Joe Grant) who teams up with an inexperienced wilderness ranger to fight “beasts and villains.” Whatever you say, Pete!

The following description appeared in a Time Magazine article in June 2007:

Pete Docter, the Pixar lifer who made Monsters, Inc., and co-director Bob Peterson are preparing this “coming-of-old-age story” about a seventysomething guy who lives in a house that “looks like your grandparents’ house smelled.” He befriends a clueless young Wilderness Ranger and gets into lots of alter kocker altercations. Says Pixar: “Our hero travels the globe, fights beasts and villains and eats dinner at 3:30 in the afternoon.”

Directed by Pete Docter. Co-Directed by Bob Peterson. Written by Bob Peterson. Produced by Jonas Rivera. Associate Produced by Denise Ream. Story Supervisor - Ronnie Del Carmen.

Toy Story 3
2010 - dir. Lee Unkrich
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John Lasseter confirmed to Rotten Tomatoes in November 2007 what everyone already knew - Pixar was going to make Toy Story 3. Ironically this is the project that broke the camel’s back when it came to Pixar’s relationship with former Disney head Michael Eisner. Eisner, trying to play hardball during Pixar’s contract renegotiations, maintained that Disney held the rights to all the characters from the Disney-Pixar co-productions and would make Toy Story 3 with our without Pixar. Eisner set up an entirely new internal animation studio, Circle 7, in Glendale to specifically make sequels to Pixar films starting with Toy Story 3.

All this changed with the Disney-Pixar merger in 2006 and the resulting management shakeup; Lasseter shut down Circle 7 and abandoned their work on TS3 (more on this story, and the plot of the abandoned sequel, can be found here). Pixar, who already had a concept of their own for the film, began development under director Lee Unkrich. Unkrich was on the original creative team for Toy Story and co-directed Toy Story 2; he also edited both films. The storyline for the new sequel is still unknown, but it’s targeted for a 2010 release. Based on a treatment by Andrew Stanton, the film will be scripted by writer Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine).

Directed by Lee Unkrich. Written by Michael Arndt. Executive Produced by John Lasseter. Produced by Darla K. Anderson. Associate Produced by Nicole Grindle. Music by Randy Newman.

Featuring Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear.

1906 (Live Action)
Release Date Unknown - dir. Brad Bird
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The Hollywood Reporter confirmed in March of 2008 that Brad Bird had signed to direct 1906, the long-rumored project that will mark Pixar’s first venture in the world of live action filmmaking. The film, based on the 2005 novel by James Dalessandro, will be co-produced by Disney/Pixar and Warner Brothers. Bird will re-write the screenplay, the current draft of which was written by John Logan. The project was described thus:

The story centers on a college student who begins to investigate the murder of his father, uncovering a web of deceit that has left the city vulnerable to the sort of fire that breaks out when the Great Earthquake of 1906 hits San Francisco.

Bird had previously explained the draw of the story to the Reporter:

“At the time, Chinatown was coexisting with the Barbary Coast, which was like the Wild Wild West, and at the same time Nob Hill had the upper class. It was a time between two centuries. You had horses and cars existing simultaneously. It’s just a volatile mix of things and then you throw in an earthquake. I mean, come on, if that doesn’t buy popcorn …”

Bird had been working on the film for several years prior to being pulled off the film to take over the director’s chair on Ratatouille. The film is Bird’s first live action project; it had been speculated previously that the film would be used to set up a live action division at Pixar.

Directed and Written by Brad Bird. Produced by Paula Weinstein. Executive Produced by John Walker.

John Carter of Mars (Animation-Live Action Hybrid)
Release Date Unknown - dir. Andrew Stanton

Untitled Animated Film
Release Date Unknown - dir. Gary Rydstrom

Confirmed here.

Crew: Gary Rydstrom - Director, Jim Capobianco, Kiel Murray - Development Story Editor

Untitled Animated Film
Release Date Unknown - dir. Brenda Chapman

Confirmed here.

Crew: Brenda Chapman - Director, Irene Mecchi

Untitled Animated Film
Release Date Unknown - dir. Brad Lewis