PIXAR’s upcoming release won’t ever see the inside of a theater, but that might be a good thing

PIXAR Animation Studios‘ upcoming release is reportedly not going to get the pomp and circumstance some in the studio were hoping for at theaters.

That’s because according to Disney, the film, titled Turning Red, will skip a theatrical release altogether, making a streaming-only debut only, despite the fact that it was slated for a pit stop at theaters before it joined the Disney+ neighborhood of streamable content.

Credit: PIXAR

Why the decision to skip the theater? Disney put out its own press release about the decision, and the short answer is this: the majority of films outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have not done exceptionally well at the box office in the midst of the COVID pandemic. With the rising number of cases currently, it’s likely PIXAR isn’t looking for its Turning Red film to change the course of events right now.

Because of this, PIXAR has chosen to release the feature directly to Disney+, following its predecessors, PIXAR’s Soul and Luca. Both did well on Disney+, meaning the decision could be a good thing for Turning Red. Favorable reception of the film on Disney+ becomes an even more probable outcome as COVID cases continue to rise, which has prompted many Americans to steer away from strict quarantining but to get back to avoiding crowded places like theaters. Because so much is unpredictable with the coronavirus pandemic, it could be that a direct-to-streaming approach will mean more revenue for PIXAR–and revenue seen more quickly since fans who are avoiding the theater won’t have to wait for a theatrical release one to two months after the box office release.

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Turning Red is the first PIXAR film to be released in 2022, paving the way for others, like the highly-anticipated fifth installment of the Toy Story franchise, Lightyear, set to make its box office debut in June.

Credit: PIXAR

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According to Disney and PIXAR, Turning Red is a coming-of-age animated film set in the early 2000s in Toronto, Canada. It’s the story of Meilin Lee, a 13-year-old girl with a huge admiration for a boy band. She’s also very conflicted; she wants to be the dutiful daughter she’s always been, but adolescence is wreaking havoc for her. For her, being 13 feels a bit chaotic.

Oh, and she routinely, uncontrollably just poofs into a giant red panda. So, there’s that.

Meilin Lee is going through a lot of changes all at once: in her relationships, in her body, in her interests, but if she gets too excited about anything, the unwelcome transformation takes place.

Credit: PIXAR

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The newest PIXAR film is directed by Academy Award-winner Domee Shi (PIXAR’s Bao short) and produced by Lindsey Collins. It was written by Shi and Julia Cho and features the voice talents of Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Hyein Park, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho, and James Hong. It is PIXAR’s 25th animated feature and the first to be solely directed by a woman.

You can stream Turning Red on Disney+ beginning March 11.