The animators at Walt Disney Co's Pixar unit will explore dinosaurs and the inner workings of the human mind in two upcoming movies, studio executives told a gathering of fans on Saturday.

The films remain untitled and few details were unveiled. The dinosaur movie will tell a story that takes place if the asteroid missed the Earth and dinosaurs continued to live, said director Bob Peterson, who co-directed the previous Pixar release Up.

Peterson said he was inspired by animatronic dinosaurs he saw as a child during a visit to a world's fair. The movie is set for release in 2013.

Another film, set to hit theaters in 2014, will take audiences inside the human mind and attempt to answer questions such as why do songs get stuck in your head? said director Pete Docter, who directed Up and Pixar's Monsters Inc.

The filmmakers spoke to thousands of people gathered at the D23 Expo, a convention that draws Disney fans eager to learn about upcoming projects and hear from stars of the company's films and television shows.

The new films will follow Pixar's Brave, a fairy tale set in medieval Scotland that is due in theaters next summer, and Monsters University, a prequel to Monsters Inc, set for release in June 2013.

Pixar, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has produced acclaimed films including the Toy Story series, A Bug's Life and Finding Nemo. The studio has won 29 Academy Awards and its films have grossed $6.5 billion. This year, Pixar stumbled for the first time with critics who panned Cars 2, but the film earned box-office success with more than $476 million in ticket sales worldwide.