Pixar Fans Worried After Disney Sends Third Movie in a Row to Disney+

By Aaron Perine - January 8, 2022 12:54 pm EST

Pixar fans are worried after Disney pushed another animated feature to Disney+ this week. As the coronavirus pandemic stretches on, the company decided to make Turning Red available on the streaming platform instead of theaters. March 11th will be the day fans can see the movie at home. Some fans are thankful for the pivot, with the health situation being what it is. But, others seem to note the pattern of these big Pixar releases, like Soul and Luca, being tossed over to streaming. They point to the theater-only distinction that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: No Way Home carried. People online question why these animated releases won't get their day in the theater. Disney put out a statement along with the news.

"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'," Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said this week. "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."

Disney and Pixar’s #TurningRed will stream exclusively on #DisneyPlus beginning March 11. pic.twitter.com/CdVd7Pngta
— Pixar (@Pixar) January 7, 2022

Are you worried that Disney will push more Pixar movies to streaming? Let us know down in the comments below!

Some good nuance

More than one thing can be true at the same time. Yes, releasing films on Disney+ means more more eyes on it. But also, it’s sad these Pixar films didn’t get a chance to be viewed in theaters. Yes, its true not everyone feels comfortable going back to theaters, but also, some do.
— Alicia Stella (@AliciaStella) January 8, 2022

Encanto really did pop on Disney+

It sucks and all but man, does people love to just act like Disney is just the evilest of villains for putting a movie on streaming because it would be safer for audiences when we have Covid and Omicron going on. https://t.co/PaTApcyMWr
— Out of Context Simpsons Couch Gags (@OOCCouchGags) January 8, 2022

A different reading

And what's crazy about this whole Turning Red controversy is that this is something that other studios are doing, but don't get the same amount of hate. If you're mad at Disney for how they're treating Pixar, why aren't you mad at Sony for treating Sony Animation the same way?
— Mat Brunet (AniMat) (@AniMat505) January 8, 2022

Well then

if pixar only streams it's movies on disney+ and not in theaters anymore, I won't be complaining! I think that's the quality of where pixar has fallen too so I think it's fair! pic.twitter.com/gcGZJA7uuD
— shannon (@shannbon) January 8, 2022

People are not okay with it

Nah this isn’t okay at all. Pixar isn’t just one of the defining branches of Disney, but they’re being shoved under while their sister companies Marvel and Disney Animation get immediate theatrical releases. This is downright disrespectful. https://t.co/7pqXoRIgUf
— jake 🐈‍⬛ (@jakeandhispain) January 7, 2022

A more critical appraisal

Disney are clearly demonstrating which of their divisions they favour by tanking the releases of Fox films and dumping Pixar movies on Disney+ while prioritising theatrical releases of the MCU joints. It's sad, but the worst part is that it's not surprising at all
— Ross (@OneWingedKaiju) January 8, 2022

Completely get it

i understand like why we’re mad that the pixar red panda movie is getting a streaming only release while everything else is in theaters but nothing should be released in theaters rn especially not childrens movies
— lidh (@folkhorrors) January 8, 2022

Another take

This is good news tbh; Soul and Luca were watched and talked about by a ton of people, and Encanto didn't start getting buzz until its Disney Plus release. Streaming is not a death sentence for Pixar movies, it's the most easily accessible way for the most people to watch them https://t.co/1q6L0XdPgb
— Schaffrillas (@Schaffrillas) January 7, 2022