Arts & Entertainment

Pixar “Turning” From Theatrical Release

A cardboard cutout for the movie "Turning Red" displayed at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on Monday, March 14. (Josh Hogan | The Corsair). Josh Hogan | Staff Writer

Disney and Pixar’s new coming-of-age animated film “Turning Red,” was slated to be Pixar’s first theatrical release since “Onward” in 2020. Throughout December 2021, COVID-19 Omicron cases were on the rise. In a January 2022 announcement, Disney cited this as cause that “Turning Red'' would no longer be a theatrical release, but instead keep its March 11 release date exclusively as a direct-to-streaming release on the Disney+ streaming platform.

Pixar Studios believed “Turning Red,” its twenty-fifth animated feature film, would be their’ smash hit return to the big screen after two years of being confined to streaming. Instead, the production is the third Pixar film, after “Soul” (2020) and “Luca” (2021), to be removed from theatrical release and reset for a streaming only Disney+ release.

The film was directed and co-written by Chinese-Canadian animator, director and screenwriter Domee Shi, who has worked on Pixar features such as “Inside Out,” “Incredibles 2” and “Toy Story 4.” Shi became the first woman to direct a Pixar short, “Bao,” for which she won the 2019 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. Shi is the first woman to have sole director's credit on a Pixar feature film.

“Turning Red'' was inspired by feelings from Shi’s own adolescence. The story looks into the life of a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl, Meilin Lee, voiced by Rosalie Chiang, who struggles between continuing to be a high achieving perfect child, obediently in line with the expectations and culture of her perfectionist mother, voiced by Sandra

Oh, versus letting herself dive into the Messy craziness of unpredictable adolescence. Her ancestors have mystical ties to the red panda and whenever Mei gets excited or stressed out she uncontrollably turns into a giant red panda.

Although it was a direct-to-stream Disney+ release, the film had a one week theatrical run at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre. “Turning Red'' lead voice actor, Rosalie Chiang, made an appearance during an El Capitan showing on March 14. About working with Pixar, 16-year-old Chiang said, “It's such a dream come true, it's such an amazing campus, it's so big and spacious and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”

Sharing what inspired her to start acting, Chiang said, “just watching Disney Channel and just watching TV and seeing all the other kids my age being really fun and energetic and having a good time on TV and that's what I wanted to do.”

Ludwig Göransson, composer for “Black Panther,” “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett” series, composed the film’s score. Billie Eilish and her brother, fellow singer-songwriter Finneas O’Connell, wrote three original songs that were performed by the film’s fictional boy band 4*Town, with two of the band members voiced by Jordan Fisher and Finneas.

Disney simultaneously released “Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red,” a documentary focusing on the film’s all-female creative team.

Although Disney cited COVID-19 health and safety concerns as their reason for pulling the film from theaters, Boxofficemojo.com, reported that the top four box office earners in December 2021, were “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Sing 2,” “Encanto,” and “Ghostbusters: Wafterlife,'' proving that audiences for animated and family-friendly films had returned to theaters.

Pixar may finally be granted its chance to return to the big screen, with plans to release the Toy Story spin-off prequel film, "Lightyear," the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, in June 2022.