You are essentially saying characters are a gimmick. So anything outside of using real people as your characters is a gimmick?
Cars is nothing like The Incredibles which is nothing like Inside Out, which is nothing like Wall-E, which is nothing like Monsters Inc, which is nothing like Coco, etc...
There’s nuances but there are structural similarities like the relationships between characters Wreck it Ralph and Monsters Inc the relationship between the big guy and the little girl are near identical plot wise the girl is then upset by the actions of Ralph/ Sulley
I know Disney and Pixar are different studios but they still fall under disney
Finding Nemo they have to go rescue nemo from an aquarium follows a similar format to Toy Story Woody rescuing a toy which has been stolen…
Inside out has similarities to Monsters Inc in terms of the world that was built in a similar format with rules. The rules aren’t followed and a spanner gets thrown in the works from the regular routine and a perilous journey begins. It’s creative but they’re very similar.
I felt like UP was different in that it was more about the adventure and relationship between the boy, the old man and his house rather than the gimmick (which itself was simple but original ).
I feel like CGI animations are far more guilty of recycling tropes and plot devices.