Nemo and Dory are back – in Pixar’s new theatrical short “Loving Dory.”

“It’s a new chapter in Dory’s story, because she allows us to have fun,” said director Lou Hamou-Lhadj. This time, she will fall in love – with a plastic bag.

It wasn’t just about fish, however, as Pixar also brought “Gatto” to Annecy. 

Directed by Enrico Casarosa, it follows a black cat, Nero, who’s suddenly on his own in Venice – not to mention he’s running away from a cat mob boss. 

Casarosa is also behind “Luca.” “We are back in Italy,” he said while presenting first finished scenes. 

“Venice is our setting. We have a new, very immersive, painterly looks. We like the idea of walking into a painting. Imagine walking into a Van Gogh painting.”

“In Venice, there used to be tons of cats around the streets. They seemed to rule the place. We loved the idea of showing the secret life of cats of Venice. Nero has to fend for himself and he hasn’t had it easy, because he’s a black cat and everyone is superstitious. He also can’t swim.”

Then he meets Rocco, who “rules the feline underbelly.”

This gangster life is mixed with cat behavior, he said. 

“Rocco has been collecting art – cat art. Humans are scared of him, so Nero becomes Rocco’s favorite thief. But he gets to the point in his life when he wants out of this life of mischief and danger. As you can imagine, it’s hard to get out. ‘If you will do this last thing for me, I will let you go,’ says Rocco. It’s a violin.”

Nero agrees, and meets a talented street musician Maya. And a pigeon, “passionate member of the union of pigeon rights.” But the violin won’t be easy to steal – also because Maya is not superstitious. 

“As they start spending time together, they discover they have a lot in common – which threatens Nero’s mission. The big question is: Will he betray here or defy Rocco?”

The team worked hard to find a new look.

“We created an expressive Venice, both in an emotional way and immersive. It’s very textured. We look for that handcrafted feel. It’s a heightened version of Venice.”

The film is voiced by Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishbourne. Enrico Casarosa will actually voice goofy pigeon Saverio.