Pixar has made some of the greatest animated films of all-time, including Toy Story… and Toy Story 2… and Toy Story 3… and Toy Story 4. WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and Monsters Inc. aren’t too shabby, either. But now the animation studio is turning the Luxo Jr-like spotlight towards television.
Win or Lose is Pixar’s first long-form original series (I’m guessing the pre-Disney acquisition Buzz Lightyear of Star Command doesn’t count because it was episodic?), and it’s coming to Disney Plus very soon. But how soon?
Here’s everything you need to know about Win or Lose, including plot details, the voice cast, and the release date.
Plot
Win or Lose follows a co-ed middle school softball team, the Pickles, in the week leading up to their championship game. Every episode is told from a different perspective. The players, their parents, and the umpires all get center stage, revealing “their funny, emotional, and always relatable point of view in a unique visual style,” according to the official logline.
The series is created, written, and directed by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who both worked on Toy Story 4. That’s where the idea of Win or Lose was formed. “Me and Carrie were officemates on Toy Story 4 and a lot of times we would come out of a meeting with different impressions of how that meeting went,” Yates told Cartoon Brew. “That was something that really fascinated us. It’s interesting that you can both be in the same room and experience something completely different.” Hobson added, “[We] wanted to explore the idea that everyone has a different perspective in life, so what if you could walk in someone else’s shoes?”
Hobson also talked about their love of animation as a medium.
“We just love working with our animators, because it’s about the performance, the feeling that you relate to them. We wanted to make sure that we had characters that could be expressive and that our animators could have fun with, and you feel like it’s a caricatured sincerity. So, it’s not just cartoony. It’s cartoony with intention.”
Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter called Win or Lose “a major, first-of-its-kind tentpole series, one that really showcases what I think makes our studio great: bold, imaginative storytelling; laugh-out-loud humor; and characters that we can all relate to.” I was in the building when Win or Lose debuted at D23 in 2022, and I was impressed by the footage I saw. It was funny and charming, which is what you want from a Pixar production. Well, that, and a scene that will make you uncontrollably weep.
Cast
The voice cast of Win or Lose is led by the always funny Will Forte as Coach Dan. There’s also Ian Chen (Fresh Off the Boat), Izaac Wang (Good Boys and Raya and the Last Dragon), Jo Firestone (Joe Pera Talks with You), Milan Ray (The Wonder Years), Josh Thomson (the Australian version of The Office), Erin Keif (Hello from the Magic Tavern), and Rosie Foss.
Release Date
Win or Lose comes to Disney+ on February 19, 2025. It’s unclear whether every episode will be released at once or spread out over the course of eight weeks.
Trailer
Check out the trailer for Win or Lose below.