Earlier this month, Pixar Animation Studios announced that three of their films will be heading to theaters everywhere to be viewed on the big screen. While this might not sound like the biggest of deals, this is quite a remarkable announcement as these three films debuted directly on Disney+, in lieu of a theatrical release.
Pixar’s Soul, Turning Red, and Luca will hit theaters early next year. Due to world events, the titles were denied their theatrical release, though they all had every intention of appearing on the big screen, with Soul only months away from release when the world shut down, and evidence that Turning Red was going to be a big screen return for the iconic animation studio – later giving that title to Lightyear, though we all kind of know how that played out.
With that in mind, there were moments when I was sitting at home watching these titles and thought, “gosh, if I can only see this on a big screen!” I will not show post clips of these, for some might not have watched these titles yet anyway, but I will describe with an image or two, and encourage everyone to go see these scenes for themselves (even if for the 100th time) in theaters everywhere when these films arrive:
- Soul will be coming to theaters on January 12
- Turning Red will be coming to theaters on February 9
- Luca will be coming to theaters on March 12
Also, if you have yet to watch these movies where they are currently available, be advised that there are minor spoilers ahead.
I have described Luca as refreshingly light compared to other Pixar fare. Where other titles (even on this list) are heavy on the emotion and the high-stakes, Luca is a fun Summer story about two outcasts hiding amongst everyone else in an Italian seaside town. Catch is, these two boys are actually sea monsters in disguise and this Italian seaside town is widely known for their fishing and adverse stance against sea monsters.
This idea comes to a head when the two boys – Luca and Alberto – are invited to dinner with their new human friend, Giulia, and her fisherman father. This scene, which plays with the space of the kitchen and dining table, is what I would like to see in a theater. It’s classic comedy fare as the boys are desperately trying to keep their secret, and with the idea that water and getting wet could expose them at the dinner table – you know, where they are DRINKING WATER – fighting like boys around an all-too suspicious cat named Machiavelli… It's classic cinema and should be on the screen of one. Sure, there is the climactic bike race for the coveted Vespa, but that’s a given isn’t it?
If we’re looking for a climactic moment on the big screen with these films hitting the theaters again though, that winning scene would go to Turning Red.
In the film, we discover that the women of young Mei Lin’s family have been given the ability to transform into Giant Red Pandas, something that happens at a young age. When Mei Lin realizes this about herself, it’s shortly before her and her friends want to go to the hottest concert of all time – 4TOWN! Too bad boy bands, her friends, and anything other than school work seems to be against her mother’s wishes, thus setting the events of this fantastic coming-of-age tale in motion, where we also learn that aside from their “Inner Pandas,” Mei Lin and her mother might have a lot more in common than we first thought.
(Peep that "Burrow" Easter Egg)
While there are plenty of visuals and fantastic moments that make for wonderful theatrical viewing – thinking of the scene in the Astral forest where Mei Lin encounters a younger version of her mother – it’s that plot-driving 4*TOWN concert we all want to see in the theater.
When Aaron Z., Aaron T., Jesse, Tae Young and Robaire take the stage at the SkyDome, it immediately transports us to the late 90s and early 00’s and the excitement of a show with one of the greatest soundtracks in latter day cinema history. Does the show get crashed by the biggest red panda that Toronto has ever seen? Sure. Do we want to see that with the amazing sound and big screen that our local cineplex can provide? We have since 2022.
While that may be the climax of Turning Red, personally, it’s a moment very early on Soul that I can’t wait to see in a theater.
Soul follows a middle-school band teacher who has a passion – nay – lifelong obsession with and dream to play jazz. However, right after that dream seems to be coming true after decades of pursuing it, one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to the astral world of The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth.
With a photorealistic setting of New York City combined with the ethereal handcrafted world of The Great Before, the visuals alone make this a feast for the eyes on a big screen. You also have the uniquely animated Counselors of The Great Before that will look great up there, and a beautiful sequence where the two worlds combine in a special “zone.” While that came very close to being my scene pick for this list, it’s actually that aforementioned misstep into The Great Before that makes my list.
It’s a very stylized sequence that after a bit of a prologue actually serves as the introduction of the film and keeps those who haven’t seen it guessing as to what is going on. From an audio standpoint, so far everything in the film we have heard is jazz or otherwise real-world music, and this sequence is filled with mystic sounds, effects, and music that will play beautifully on a multi-point surround system like only a theater could provide.
These are just single moments, but all three of these films in their entirety are worth viewing in a theater, so I highly encourage you to head out to your local cinema to check them out, even if you already have the physical copies or streaming platforms. Again:
- Soul will be coming to theaters on January 12
- Turning Red will be coming to theaters on February 9
- Luca will be coming to theaters on March 12