Beloved Pixar films heading to theaters for very first time beginning this week

On By travis-schlepp

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Three critically acclaimed animated hits from Pixar are getting the big screen treatment for the first time since their at-home streaming releases.

Beginning this week at theaters across the country, Pixar films that were initially released only on Disney+ will have their silver screen moment giving fans a chance to experience the films in a theatrical and immersive environment for a limited time.

The first film fans can catch in theaters is “Soul,” the December 2020 comedy-drama film that tells the story of Joe Gardner, a jazz pianist on the brink of his big break who finds his world turned upside down after he falls down an open manhole cover while crossing a New York City street.

In “Soul,” a middle-school band teacher named Joe finds himself in The Great Before—a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. (Disney/Pixar)

“Soul” makes its theatrical debut on Jan. 12.

After Joe Gardner takes his bow, Mei Lee and her friends from “Turning Red” will get their chance to dazzle theatergoers.

The film was released in March 2022 and shows the journey of Mei as she’s forced to make the difficult choice of being the girl her mother hopes her to be or the person (or panda) she is inside.

In “Turning Red,” 13-year-old Meilin Lee is happy with her friends, school and, well, most of the time her family—until the day when she begins to “poof” into a giant red panda at decidedly inconvenient times. (Disney/Pixar)

“Turning Red” arrives in theaters on Feb. 9.

And last, but certainly not least, “Luca” is swimming ashore and into the projection room on March 22.

Set in the fictional town of Portorosso on the Italian Riviera, a sea monster named Luca befriends a boy named Alberto and the two make the dangerous and exciting journey onto the shore to experience life on land and all its risks and rewards. The film was released in June 2021.

“Luca” is a coming-of-age story about a boy and his newfound best friend experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. But their fun is threatened by a secret: they are sea monsters from another world. (Disney/Pixar)

All three films were originally intended to be released in theaters nationwide, but were delayed and eventually released exclusively on Disney+ due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pete Docter, chief creative officer of Pixar, said the decision to release the films in theaters was an easy one as the movies were “made to be seen on the big screen.”

“Every frame has been pored over by the artists and technicians here, and it’s a different experience,” Docter said in an interview with the Walt Disney Company. “Hopefully, people have seen them on Disney+, and we’re very thankful to have had that platform to release them because otherwise the pandemic would have put them on the shelf.”

Docter, who also directed “Soul,” says he hopes the films bring back friends and families to an experience they may have missed out on.

“We’re really excited for people to go back to theaters with their friends and see it together,” he said. “The scale and the community are all reasons to go.”

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