Pixar’s Pandemic Movies Are Finally Coming to Theaters – Here’s Why That Matters

The Big Picture

• Despite missing out on theatrical releases, Pixar’s pandemic films like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red have garnered critical acclaim and developed audiences on streaming platforms like Disney+.
• The decision to release these films directly to streaming may have been a strategic move by Disney to increase Disney+ subscribers and maximize revenue during the pandemic.
• With declining box office performance and admitted shortcomings in content quality, Disney hopes that re-releasing these Pixar films in theaters will not only generate box office revenue but also prove that positive messages in their films are not to blame for their troubles.

The COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020 may have halted the movie-going experience, but did not completely slow the production of content from the media powerhouse, Disney. It did, however, force the company to change its plans when it came to Pixar films like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red. These films were casualties of the direct-to-streaming release, missing out on the official theatrical runs that they deserved. Despite all three movies receiving high praise, these Pixar stories that would normally be instant classics are stuck at being underrated gems.

However, even with the ongoing pandemic, other animated Disney, non-Pixar films were being played in theaters at the time, such as Encanto and Raya and the Last Dragon. Despite missing out on the initial box office love, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red have garnered critical acclaim and developed audiences nonetheless. And after a fairly lackluster year (for Disney, at least), the studio could certainly afford to re-release three of Pixar’s most powerful stories in recent years.

Pandemic Pixar Films Were Only In Theaters in Locations That Do Not Have Disney+

The final Pixar film with a theatrical release before the pandemic’s start was Onward, and no other Pixar feature had an official run in theaters until Lightyear in June of 2022. The films in between went directly to Disney+ in most countries where the streaming service is not available, apparently in response to the pandemic. Luca and Turning Red had premieres, while Soul, in the early months of COVID-19, was put on streaming without much fanfare. Turning Red was even supposed to have a regular, theatrical release as late as 2021.

While the Pixar pandemic films did not have the theatrical runs that were originally planned, they undoubtedly told the most significant and moving stories in years. Despite the iconic animation studio being familiar with telling inspiring stories for people of all ages, these three pandemic films were specifically groundbreaking in all types of ways. Soul, the first Pixar film to feature a Black lead, follows a teacher and musician in a soul-stirring tribute to jazz and life itself. Luca is a coming-of-age story, following friends who feel like outsiders as they go on adventures in Genoa, Italy. Turning Red is centered around a young, Chinese-Canadian girl as a hereditary curse begins to take effect on her as she navigates her tween years. It was also the first Pixar feature to be entirely directed by a woman. All three films have received critical acclaim in the time following their releases on Disney+.

So, why did these films not get a place in theaters in the first place, especially when other Disney animated features did get the opportunity? In addition to the obvious risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been a few other reasons. First, the conglomerate may have known they had animation and storytelling gold and saw an opportunity to increase Disney+ subscribers. After all, Pixar has arguably had the most consistent success when it comes to filmmaking. If there was an opportunity to maintain streaming subscribers at the very least and make as much money from a pandemic film as possible, Disney’s greatest odds would be with their Pixar projects. However, taking the direct-to-streaming route seems to have affected a film’s popularity due to decreased promotion. Therefore, even with Academy Award-winning prospects, Pixar pandemic films ended up getting slightly lost in the shuffle.

Pixar Pandemic Films Deserve Theatrical Runs and Disney Needs Them

While the Pixar films finally getting their dues were officially released only a couple of years ago, Disney has begun to experience a decline. Between the releases of many mediocre series on Disney+ and a few box office flops, the media giant is struggling more than they have in a long time. 2023 will also be the first time the company did not produce a $1 billion movie in almost 10 years, not including the COVID-19 pandemic.

In recent statements from Disney CEO Bob Iger, he admitted the company’s shortcomings when it came to the studio’s content. After including reasons, such as putting quantity over quality in content for theaters and Disney+, Iger also found that including strong messages in recent films was regrettable. While cutting back on the constant flow of movies and TV shows to focus on creating better content may benefit the company, decidedly blaming part of Disney’s failure on its positive messaging is misguided. It is possible Iger would not be singing the same tune had films like Soul had the chance to be shown in theaters everywhere. However, they now have the opportunity. With Soul, Luca, and Turning Red finally hitting theaters for a long overdue run, hopefully, their box office performances will prove to the company that messages in their films are not one of the reasons for their troubles. For Disney, it is also most likely the hope that they can receive the box office revenue that they missed out on before while enjoying the money coming in from its presence on Disney+.

The same sentiment is deserved when it comes to the teams behind these films, overtly some of the most passion-filled projects both Disney and Pixar have produced in years. Turning Red, a refreshingly unique story of girlhood and family, was set up to be the company’s comeback to the big screen. Those who worked on the film, as well as members of the Luca staff, expressed disappointment in their hard work becoming simply “a title just on Disney Plus.” If messaging is on the list of concerns for Disney, there is a chance for these Pixar re-releases to prove them wrong. Hopefully, the love these films received on streaming will deservedly be replicated in theaters next year.

The first of the three Pixar releases, Soul, will be in theaters January 12, 2024.

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