Pixar Planning to Resume Normal Theatrical Releases with Turning Red

The road back to full theatrical releases has been a long one to be sure, but there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, as studios are hoping to get back to a real sense of normalcy sooner than later. For Pixar, that seems to be 2022, as sources have told Insider that the studio hopes to be back to a normal theatrical release and rollout with its upcoming film Turning Red. Those sources are familiar with the film’s production and said that the current plan is to do a normal rollout for the project so that the film can be seen on the big screen.

“The studio’s hope is we go back to normal with ‘Turning Red,’” said one source, and they also noted that the safety of theatergoers is the biggest concern. Obviously, if things change by then the plan can be adapted, but hopefully, we’ll all be watching Turning Red in a theater like we used to when it finally rolls out. Turning Red is currently set for a March 11th, 2022 debut.

Turning Red is the anticipated project from director Domee Shi, who wowed Pixar fans with the Oscar-winning and overall amazing short Bao as well as work on films like Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Toy Story 4. Turning Red follows a young 13-year-old girl named Mei, who is dealing with all the normal struggles of her teenage years and the body changes that come with it. That’s challenging for anyone, but things are even more chaotic for Mei.

That’s because Mei is dealing with something no other child has to, and that’s turning into a giant fluffy red panda when she gets too excited. As noted in the first look during Disney’s presentation, kids are excited…well, all the time, so this obviously introduces some challenges into Mei’s life. To be fair, being a panda is probably awesome, but you would like some control over the transformation I’m sure.

As for theaters, we are already seeing studios release some of their bigger films in theaters while also releasing an option for viewers to watch at home. For Disney, it’s been a premium offering where you pay $30 to rent the film and you need Disney+ access to do so, while Warner Bros. has released all of their films in theaters and on HBO Max, though in that case you don’t have to pay any additional fees, you just need HBO Max access.