Pixar’s leadership transition takes effect January 4, 2027, while Pete Docter remains chief creative officer and Jonas Rivera moves into an expanded creative role.
Pixar Animation Studios is preparing for a major leadership change, with longtime president Jim Morris moving into an emeritus role and general manager Jonathan Garson set to become the studio’s next president. The change takes effect January 4, 2027, as Pixar adjusts its top management while keeping its creative leadership structure largely intact.
Garson will oversee Pixar’s production and operations, including producers, department heads and post-production. He will work alongside Pete Docter, who will remain chief creative officer and continue overseeing the creative direction of the Emeryville, California, animation studio.
Morris has led Pixar as president since 2014 and is only the second person to hold the position after studio co-founder Ed Catmull. He joined Pixar in 2005 and has spent more than two decades at the company, overseeing a period that included major commercial successes, award-winning films and significant changes in the animation business.
According to Pixar, feature films released during Morris’ 12 years as president have generated more than $12 billion at the worldwide box office. His tenure has included films such as Inside Out, Coco, Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, Inside Out 2 and Toy Story 5.
Morris Will Remain Involved at Pixar
Morris is not leaving Pixar immediately. In the president emeritus role, he will continue as an executive producer on Incredibles 3 and will work on mentoring, talent development and technology initiatives at Pixar and across Walt Disney Studios.
Animation World Network reported that Morris described the move as a step back from daily management after 52 years in the entertainment business and nearly four decades combined at Lucasfilm and Pixar. Before joining Pixar, he spent 17 years at Lucasfilm and held senior positions including general manager of Industrial Light & Magic and president of Lucas Digital.
At Pixar, Morris also worked directly as a producer. He produced WALL-E, which won the Academy Award for best animated feature, and he later served in senior production and management roles before becoming president.
Alan Bergman, chairman of Disney Entertainment, Studios, said the transition is intended to provide a smooth succession as Morris moves toward eventual retirement. Bergman praised Morris’ leadership and commitment to Pixar while expressing confidence in Garson’s ability to take over the studio’s business and production responsibilities.
Garson Brings Decades of Disney Experience
Garson has worked for Disney for more than 30 years and joined Pixar in 2010. He most recently served as Pixar’s general manager, overseeing the studio’s operations and working closely with its production leadership.
Before becoming general manager, Garson served as senior vice president of worldwide marketing and franchise at Pixar. His responsibilities included marketing, franchise planning, promotional content, consumer products, theme parks, archives, exhibitions and creative services.
Garson’s Disney career began years before his move to Pixar. He worked in several roles at The Walt Disney Studios, including franchise and product management, marketing and corporate synergy, giving him experience across both film operations and Disney’s broader consumer businesses.
Garson said he remembers seeing Toy Story for the first time without imagining that he would eventually help lead the company that made it. In his new position, he will be responsible for turning Pixar’s creative plans into finished productions while managing the studio’s day-to-day operations.
Jonas Rivera Takes Expanded Creative Role
Pixar is also changing the responsibilities of longtime producer Jonas Rivera. Rivera has been promoted from executive vice president of production to executive vice president of creative and will work alongside Docter in full-time creative oversight of Pixar’s films.
Rivera will oversee directors, creative vice presidents, development, casting and content advisement. Pixar also said Rivera and Docter will serve as executive producers on the studio’s films going forward, further linking Pixar’s development process with its senior creative leadership.
Rivera has been with Pixar since 1994, when he joined as the studio’s first production intern. He later produced Up, Inside Out and Toy Story 4, with Inside Out and Toy Story 4 winning Academy Awards for best animated feature. Up was also nominated for best picture.
The leadership changes leave Docter in place as chief creative officer while shifting more operational authority to Garson and more creative oversight to Rivera. That arrangement separates the studio’s day-to-day business and production management from its top creative supervision while keeping the executives who have worked together for years in senior roles.
Pixar has operated as part of Disney since Disney acquired the animation company in 2006. The studio’s management structure has evolved several times since then, but Pixar has continued to maintain its own production campus and creative leadership in Emeryville.
Pixar Prepares Its Next Film Slate
The leadership change follows a strong 2026 at the box office for Pixar. TheWrap reported that Hoppers approached $400 million worldwide, while Toy Story 5 surpassed $1.14 billion globally and became the highest-grossing entry in the Toy Story franchise.
The transition comes as Pixar moves toward a busy theatrical schedule. Its next original feature, Gatto, is directed by Luca filmmaker Enrico Casarosa and is scheduled to reach theaters on March 5, 2027. The film follows Nero, a black cat in Venice voiced by Mark Ruffalo, with Laurence Fishburne voicing feline mob boss Rocco.
Pixar’s Ghost Market is scheduled for March 2028. The studio lists Trevor Jimenez and Jesse Andrews as directors, with Becky Neiman-Cobb producing.
Incredibles 3 is set for June 16, 2028, with Elemental director Peter Sohn taking over directing duties. Brad Bird, who wrote and directed the first two Incredibles films, remains involved as a producer and writer, while Morris will continue on the project as an executive producer during his emeritus period.
The leadership handoff therefore arrives before several major releases and while Pixar continues balancing original films with established franchises. Garson will formally take over the presidency on January 4, while Morris, Docter and Rivera remain involved in shaping the studio’s next group of films.
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