Despite Encanto filming in cinemas shortly, the Pixar film Turning Red will be exclusive to Disney+. Here’s why Disney is preserving Pixar films for the streaming channel.
The world is slowly returning to normality. Cinematic releases are also following suit.
Spider-Man The Last of Us: There’s No Way Home brought people back to the theaters in a flurry, and it appeared that the days of streaming first releases were over, especially for the giant of entertainment Disney.
But, unfortunately, it’s not the case for just one particular part of the Disney empire. Next, Pixar production, Turning Red, has been confirmed for the Disney+ streaming release on March 11, 2022. However, there are no plans to be released in cinemas.

Omicron variant. It’s understandable given the widespread increase for Omicron. But, Disney has not even provided a dual cinema and streaming release, as it did with Black Widow. Instead, the film will be released on Netflix streaming. The timing doesn’t seem than a factor when considering that Turning Red isn’t the first Pixar film to be a no-show in theaters – the studio’s previous two films, Soul and Luca, were similarly impacted.
The announcement was a shock to several Pixar employees, as per Insider. A Pixar employee who was not named said, “We all thought ‘Turning Red’ was going to bring us back to big screens and everyone in Pixar was thrilled about it being this movie particularly. It was quite an experience.”
It’s even more shocking when you consider Disney released theatrically to Encanto, Raya, and The Last Dragon. The two films were made in the Walt Disney Animation Studios, an internal studio separate from Pixar. This raises the question of why Disney treats Pixar films differently than its other animation projects?

2021 was a great calendar year that was a massive success for Disney+. It hosted Marvel shows every week regularly and a new season for The Mandalorian and offered films that were not available for those who weren’t able to go to cinemas.
But 2022 could be a more difficult struggle in the battle for Disney+. Next year’s Marvel series isn’t due to launch until March. With an unpopular reception to The Book of Boba Fett and the rising cost of other platforms ahead, Disney is undoubtedly looking for ways to encourage users to remain.
In a statement to Variety, the media analyst from Exhibitor Relations, Jeff Bock, believes that Pixar movies can keep customers from becoming bored. He says, “They’ve done it with three movies in a row leads me to believe it’s helping.”
The article also notes that it’s much more costly for Disney to promote a film into theaters rather than putting its movie on the service of streaming, a typical film produced by Disney costing between $100 and $100 million to advertise.
With costs for marketing so high, films made for theatrical release must make profits back. However, according to the Washington Post points out, children with young children tend to avoid going to the theater when the virus is circulating.
Encanto collected $200 million in the world of cinemas before moving into Disney+ after just a month. For perspective, prior films of Walt Disney Animation Studios such as Moana and Coco achieved between $500 million to $800 million before the epidemic hit.

Forbes mentions that by delivering this kind of film to Disney+ early and making the movie available for free (rather than Premier Access), the average duration of the movie increased, which can help increase subscriptions and keep them. This additional engagement on the streaming service might be more valuable than Disney than the comparatively low box office revenue that the animated content is now raking in.
If that’s the case, this might not be Pixar’s fault. The forthcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios film, Strange World, may not even make it to the cinemas, mainly when Turning Red succeeds on Disney+.
The best part is that Nielsen states that Luca is the top streamed and watched a film in the US this year, though it’s worth noting that the study didn’t contain the titles of HBO Max. The film, however, did well against intense competition, which proves it’s not the only one with interest in Pixar streaming.
Soul received a similarly enthusiastic reception, and a source told Insider, “Disney was over the moon about the numbers,” on the first release of the film through Disney+. The release was primarily because of the time, several countries were under lockdown, and cinemas shut down.

Pixar films are also a benefit due to having the advantage of being evergreen movies. They’re a safe and relaxing film to watch, cuddling up on the couch. They don’t require an enormous IMAX screen or a ground-breaking sound system to enjoy as family-friendly films for rainy days.
Furthermore, except for the rare sequels, they don’t require any prior knowledge of other films to be appreciated. This cannot be said about new movies in the MCU and Star Wars, two of Disney+’s other main properties.
With classics like Toy Story, Monsters Inc., and Up, It is not surprising that Pixar remains a primary popular choice for streaming.
Films that stream on streaming have become rarer in 2022. Since HBO Max is now giving up the new releases on its movies, Disney is one of the few providers offering the possibility to stream a brand new film from home, which might entice users to remain subscribed.

What is this saying to the direction of Pixar in the world of Disney+? It is contingent on three things: the reception of Turning Red, the trend of subscribers using that platform, and the status of the cinemas during COVID.
The next Pixar film based on the book is Lightyear, a spin-off from the hugely loved Toy Story franchise. It’s currently scheduled to debut on June 17, 2022. However, the strategy for its release hasn’t been announced.
The film features Chris Evans in the top part and a plot that is action-packed with an action-packed solid story. This Pixar film is a good candidate for a theatrical run. But, if Disney+ finds further streaming results through Turning Red, the argument against making the film exclusively available on the service would be difficult to convince.