In a surprising move that seems to acknowledge Hollywood hasn't quite returned to normalcy, Disney has announced it will now be releasing Pixar's Turning Red exclusively on Disney+. Citing a "delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films," Disney decided it best to forego a traditional theatrical release for the CG-animated film. The move comes as the Omicron variant has cased a huge uptick in COVID-19 cases across the world.
Turning Red will now premiere worldwide exclusively on Disney+ on Friday, March 11. There will be no premium access fee associated with the film, meaning anyone who is a Disney+ subscriber will be able to watch it at no additional cost.
For some of Disney's new releases, such as Mulan, Raya and the Last Dragon and Black Widow, the company would charge a $30 Premium Access fee to watch it on Disney+ before it is regularly scheduled to be added to the service's library. Other films, like Soul and Luca, were free to watch on Disney+ immediately.
“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. “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.”
Pixar's Turning Red is a coming-of-age fantasy comedy about the chaos of adolescence and the struggles of being a being a teenager. The film follows Mei Lee, a confident and dorky 13-year-old who poofs into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited.
Turning Red stars Rosalie Chiang as 13-year-old Mei Lee and Sandra Oh as her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming. The film is directed by Academy Award winner Domee Shi (Pixar short "Bao"). Turning Red will be available worldwide on Disney+ starting March 11, 2022. In international markets where Disney+ is not yet available, the film will be released in theaters with premiere dates to be announced.