The Walt Disney Company has officially announced “Turning Red,” Pixar’s next release,” will be skipping theaters and be released directly to Disney+. The new move by Disney doesn’t come as a big shock as the company has made similar decisions in the past following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Pixar staff have come forward to share their disappointment.
The announcement came Friday that “Turning Red,” its third title since the pandemic, would be premiering exclusively on Disney+.
“Disney+ 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, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution in a statement to media.
“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,” the statement continued.
In an interview with Insider, an “anonymous staffer from the company” came forward, saying: “It’s safe to say that we’re all feeling extremely disappointed. We all thought ‘Turning Red’ would be our return to the big screen, and everyone at the studio was so excited about it being this film in particular. It was quite a blow.”
Another staffer came forward anonymously to Insider, saying: “Sucks, but I get it.”
It’s true that COVID-19 cases are in a resurgence around the world due to the new Omicron variant and, of course, Pixar staffers understand Disney’s concern.
“With Omicron infections so high, I haven’t heard anyone say the decision to pivot to streamings wrong,” said another anonymous staffer to Insider.
This isn’t the first film Pixar has released straight to Disney+ in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film company has also released “Soul” and “Luca” directly to the streaming service instead of a traditional theater release.
What are your thoughts on Pixar’s “Turning Red” skipping theaters in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and going straight to Disney+? Let us know in the comments!
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