Pixar's Soul skipping theatrical release for Disney Plus-exclusive streaming

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Available to all Disney Plus subscribers at no extra cost

(Image credit: Pixar)

Disney has announced that the Pixar animated picture Soul will bypass a theatrical release and debut on Disney Plus Christmas Day. According to THR, Soul will be available to all Disney Plus subscribers at no additional cost, unlike Mulan, which made a similar move but charged subscribers $30 per viewing.

"We are thrilled to share Pixar's spectacular and moving Soul with audiences direct to Disney+ in December," said Disney CEO Bob Chapek in a press release. "A new original Pixar film is always a special occasion, and this truly heartwarming and humorous story about human connection and finding one's place in the world will be a treat for families to enjoy together this holiday season.

Soul comes from Pete Docter, who directed Pixar's Up and Inside Out, so it's safe to assume Soul will deal in relatively heavy themes and emotionally-charged narratives. Starring Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, and Questlove, the story centres around an aspiring jazz musician whose soul is separated from his body after an accident. Now in The Great Before, he needs to work with new souls in search of personalities before he can return to Earth.

"The world can be an exhausting and frustrating place – but it's also full of unexpected joys, even in seemingly mundane things," Docter said. "Soul investigates what's really important in our lives, a question we're all asking these days. I hope it will bring some humour and fun to people at a time when everyone can surely use that."

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Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.