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

(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."

Soul is one of the most exciting upcoming movies of 2020, and, while you wait for the movie to reach streaming this Christmas, why not check out the best movies on Disney Plus?


If you want to sound out Disney Plus before investing, don't forget to check out our Disney Plus review. You can also see how much it costs per month with our Disney Plus sign-up and Disney Plus bundles page.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.