Pixar’s latest feature film won’t be headed to theaters. Instead, Turning Red is available for streaming on Disney+. While this was the norm for pandemic-era movies, all of Disney’s releases since last August— including Encanto, West Side Story, and Marvel’s Eternals — all had exclusive theatrical engagements before heading to the streaming platform. But Turning Red is skipping theaters and landing straight on Disney+, where you can watch it now.
Both of Pixar’s previous two releases, Soul and Luca, were released exclusively on Disney+, which perhaps explains why Turning Red is following the same model. The last movie the studio launched a movie directly to Disney+ was Jungle Cruise in July, and even then customers had to pay $30 for Premier Access. However, you don’t have to pay anything extra to watch Turning Red.
In countries where Disney+ is not yet available, including the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines, Turning Red will play in theaters. The movie will also have a one-week run at the historic El Capitan theater in Los Angeles starting Friday.
Directed by Domee Shi, Turning Red tells the story of 13-year-old Mei Lee(Rosalie Chiang), a Chinese-Canadian girl who finds herself turning into a giant red panda whenever she experiences a strong emotion such as anxiety or excitement. Sandra Oh voices Ming Lee, Mei’s overprotective mother. The voice cast also features Never Have I Ever‘s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Mei’s friend Priya, Wai Ching Ho as Mei’s grandmother, and James Hong as Mr. Gao, a local elder.
Turning Red has already received glowing reviews from critics, with a current aggregate score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. And if you are a Disney+ customer, you don’t have to wait any longer to stream Pixar’s latest triumph. Don’t have a subscription yet? You can sign up for Disney+ here.
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