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 toPixarfilms likeSoul,Luca, andTurning 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 asEncantoandRaya and the Last Dragon.Despite missing out on the initial box office love,Soul, Luca,andTurning Redhave garnered critical acclaim and developed audiences nonetheless. And after a fairlylackluster year (for Disney, at least), the studio could certainly afford to re-release three of Pixar’s most powerful stories in recent years.
After landing the gig of a lifetime, a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife.
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 wasOnward, and no other Pixar feature had an official run in theaters untilLightyearin June of 2022. The films in between went directly toDisney+in most countries where the streaming service is not available, apparently in response to the pandemic.LucaandTurning Redhad premieres, whileSoul, in the early months of COVID-19, was put on streaming without much fanfare.Turning Redwas even supposed to havea 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, thefirst Pixar film to feature a Black lead, follows a teacher and musician in a soul-stirring tribute to jazz and life itself.Lucais a coming-of-age story, following friends who feel like outsiders as they go on adventures in Genoa, Italy.Turning Redis 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 thefirst Pixar feature to be entirely directed by a woman. All three films have received critical acclaim in the time following their releases on Disney+.
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 moviein almost 10 years, not including the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent statements from Disney CEOBob 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 likeSoulhad the chance to be shown in theaters everywhere. However, they now have the opportunity. WithSoul,Luca,andTurning Redfinally hitting theaters for a long overdue run, hopefully, their box office performances will prove to the company thatmessages 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 theLucastaff, expressed disappointment in their hard workbecoming 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 August 21, 2025.
