It was already predictable, now it's officially confirmed: Disney-Pixar's animated film SOUL is another movie disappearing from the theatrical release list. But the film is not postponed, but moves directly to the streaming service Disney +. Here, as in the US, it will be available exclusively in Germany on Christmas Day. Unlike MULAN, for which subscribers also had to pay an additional fee, SOUL can be watched right away by everyone who subscribes to Disney+.
Only in some international markets where Disney+ is not or not yet available will the film be exploited in theaters, release dates for these countries are yet to be announced. For theaters, the decision is another setback, but for The Walt Disney Company, it's an opportunity to make its own streaming service even more appealing. "We are thrilled to bring Pixar's spectacular and touching film SOUL directly to viewers on Disney+ in December," said Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. "A new Pixar film is always special and this truly warm and funny story about human relationships and how we find our place in the world is a cinematic highlight that families can now enjoy together over the holiday season."
In charge of SOUL is visionary filmmaker Peter Docter, who more than deservedly won Academy Awards® for his films EVERYTHING IS HEAD and TOP. Along with his co-director and writer Kemp Power, who previously served as screenwriter on One Night in Miami, Docter has created a film that critics are already hailing as one of the best Pixar films in years. All the sadder that this work won't make it to theaters worldwide. So what Docter says about the film is very fitting:
"The world can be a stressful and frustrating place - but it's also full of unexpected joys, even in things that are obviously mundane," said Docter, who is also chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios. "SOUL asks the question of what's really important in our lives, a question I think we're all asking ourselves right now. I hope the film brings viewers some joy and pleasure at a time when we could all use it."
The market situation over the past six months, due to the pandemic, is very difficult in many ways, but it also presents new opportunities for innovation in the approach to content exploitation. With over 60 million subscribers in its first year since launch, Disney+ is an ideal platform for families and fans to enjoy this unique Pixar film at home. Scheduled for a German theatrical release on November 26, SOUL was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival this May and will screen at numerous other festivals.
Although it's nice to see the film released later this year, it would have been important for our theaters to be able to show a potential crowd-pleaser. Let's hope such announcements remain an exception and don't become the rule.
And that's what "Soul" is all about:
What makes us human? How do we become ... "us?" Well, these are not questions that the slightly chaotic and stubborn soul called 22 asks herself. She doesn't like the personalities, or the interests, that people get before they arrive on Earth. And in general, she wants relatively little to do with all the Earth stuff. Until one day she meets Joe Gardner. Through a silly mishap, the aspiring jazz musician ends up just hours before his big gig in a fantastic, mystical place where all souls stay before they come to Earth. There, he must henceforth contend with the nine-toothed 22 at his side, who has never understood what's supposed to be so great about this human life. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 how great it is to be human, the two stumble from one mess to the next.
An article by Frankfurt-Tipp