Pushed to Disney+ when released during the pandemic, three of Disney and Pixar’s animated features finally head to the big screen nationwide, offering fans their first chance to see them the way they were meant to be seen; tickets go on sale January 2.
Next year, Disney and Pixar’s Soul (2020), Luca (2021), and Turning Red (2022) are heading to the big screen nationwide for the first time ever. Pushed to Disney+ due to the pandemic, these three films will finally get the theatrical release they had always planned for. Tickets go on sale January 2, 2024, for the special engagement theatrical runs, which invite moviegoers to experience the Pixar films the way they were meant to be seen, ahead of the studio’s June 2024 theatrical release of Inside Out 2. Audiences will also be treated to a Pixar animated short film ahead of each of the features.
Soul opens in theaters January 12, 2024 (preceded by the SparkShort Burrow)
Pixar Animation Studios’ Oscar-winning animated feature Soul introduces Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks, and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22 (Tina Fey), who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.
Soul is directed by Academy Award winner Pete Docter (Inside Out, Up), co-directed by Kemp Powers (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, One Night in Miami) and produced by Academy Award winner Dana Murray, p.g.a. (Pixar short Lou).
Opening animated short:
In Burrow, a young rabbit embarks on a journey to dig the burrow of her dreams, despite not having a clue what she’s doing. Rather than reveal to her neighbors her imperfections, she digs herself deeper and deeper into trouble. After hitting (bed)rock bottom, she learns there is no shame in asking for help. Directed by Madeline Sharafian and produced by Mike Capbarat, Burrow is part of Pixar Animation Studios’ SparkShorts program.
Turning Red opens in theaters February 9, 2024 (preceded by the SparkShort Kitbull)
Disney and Pixar’s Oscar-nominated animated feature Turning Red introduces Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda!
Directed by Academy Award winner Domee Shi (Pixar short Bao) and produced by Lindsey Collins (Finding Dory).
Opening animated short:
Kitbull reveals an unlikely connection that sparks between two creatures: a fiercely independent stray kitten and a pit bull. Together, they experience friendship for the first time. The film is directed by Rosana Sullivan and produced by Kathryn Hendrickson.
Luca opens in theaters March 22, 2024 (preceded by Pixar’s For the Birds)
Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar’s Oscar-nominated original animated feature film Luca is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta, and endless scooter rides. Luca (Jacob Tremblay) shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), but all the fun is threatened by a deeply held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.
Luca is directed by Academy Award nominee Enrico Casarosa (La Luna) and produced by Andrea Warren (Lava, Cars 3).
Opening animated short:
In Pixar Animation Studios’ Academy Award-winning short film For the Birds, small birds mock a big bird who tries to join them on a telephone wire.
Written and directed by the late Ralph Eggleston and produced by Karen Dufilho-Rosen, For the Birds initially opened in front of Disney and Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. in 2001.
Source: Walt Disney Studios
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
