Pixar unveils first ghost story, 'Ghost Market'
Pixar's "Ghost Market" is the studio's first ghost story: a hidden Oʻahu food market for spirits, directed by Trevor Jimenez and Jesse Andrews, in theaters spring 2028.
ENTERTAINMENT
8/18/20262 min read
Pixar is setting up shop on the other side. "Ghost Market" is Pixar's first-ever ghost story, an original supernatural adventure built around a hidden Hawaiian food spot with an unusual customer policy: the living aren't invited. Unfortunately for one unsuspecting teenager, that rule is about to get ghosted.
Revealed at D23 2026, "Ghost Market" is set to hit theaters in spring 2028. The story is centered on ʻOno Market, a plate-lunch shop tucked away on Oʻahu's North Shore that serves spirits who haven't yet moved on. Its existence is supposed to stay hidden from the living, until a boy named Kyle stumbles his way inside.
Kyle is a quick-talking teenager from Chicago on a family vacation in Hawaii. A late-night search for something to eat leads him to the market, and things get considerably stranger from there. Early details point to food, ghosts, and Kyle's family dynamics all playing into the story, though Pixar is keeping most of the plot under wraps for now.
Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter introduced the project at Disney's D23 presentation, where attendees got an early look at Kyle's first encounter with the supernatural establishment. It's Pixar's first feature built specifically around ghosts — a different lane from Coco's Land of the Dead and the afterlife detour in Soul.
Trevor Jimenez and Jesse Andrews are directing "Ghost Market," with Becky Neiman-Cobb producing. Jimenez is a longtime Pixar artist whose short film "Weekends" earned an Academy Award nomination; Andrews wrote the novel and screenplay for "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl." No voice cast has been announced yet.
The project has traveled almost as much as its protagonist. It was earlier reported as "Ono Ghost Market," a series in development for Disney+, before being reworked into a theatrical feature under its shortened title, with the spring 2028 release date attached.
Early reports also tied the supernatural marketplace to Asian folklore involving spirits and thin boundaries between the living and the dead. Disney hasn't specified which traditions will shape the finished film — a detail worth watching given the newly confirmed Oʻahu setting and the distinct cultural histories across Hawaii, Asia, and the wider Pacific.
Plenty is still unconfirmed about "Ghost Market," including the cast and the full shape of Kyle's supernatural predicament. But a secret restaurant for wayward spirits is already a strong hook.
"Ghost Market" lands as Pixar again mixes original stories with established franchises. Its upcoming slate includes Enrico Casarosa's hand-painted cat feature "Gatto," alongside sequels "Coco 2" and "Incredibles 3."
Images: Pixar | The Walt Disney Company