With cinema attendance still threatened by the ongoing pandemic, the studio’s highly anticipated new 3D/CG animated feature will skip theaters and head directly to the streamer on March 11.
Disney+ has just announced that Pixar’s highly anticipated new 3D/CG animated film, Turning Red, previously set to hit theaters in March, will now skip cinemas and head directly to the streamer for an exclusive release on March 11.
Disney and Pixar’s #TurningRed will stream exclusively on #DisneyPlus beginning March 11. pic.twitter.com/QrOKVtkktY
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) January 7, 2022
This is third consecutive Pixar feature release pushed exclusively onto the streaming platform because of the ongoing pandemic, following in the footsteps of Soul and Luca. The Dan Scanlon-helmed Onward was the studio’s last film released in theaters; its March 6, 2020 debut unfortunately came just before the first pandemic shutdown, effectively ending it’s run in cinemas shortly thereafter.
“Disney Plus subscribers around the world enthusiastically embraced Pixar’s Academy Award-winning Soul and the critically-acclaimed Luca when they premiered exclusively on the service, and we look forward to bringing them Pixar’s next incredible feature film Turning Red,” said Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, in a statement. “Given the delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films, flexibility remains at the core of our distribution decisions as we prioritize delivering the unparalleled content of The Walt Disney Company to audiences around the world.”
In case you missed it, you can find AWN’s coverage of the film’s most recent trailer here: Don’t Get Too Excited! Check Out New ‘Turning Red’ Trailer and Poster.
Turning Red introduces Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and embracing the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voiced by Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And 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!
The film is helmed by Oscar-winning director Domee Shi (Bao) and produced by Lindsey Collins.
Source: Disney Media Relations
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
