Pixar's Soul To Skip Theaters, Head To Disney+ This Winter

Pixar's upcoming movie Soul is moving again, but it's not just changing dates. In addition to getting a new release date, Soul will change venues, too; Disney will release Soul on Disney+ just in time for Christmas.

Soul will launch on the streaming service on December 25. Unlike the recent Mulan, which asked a $30 premium, Pixar's latest animated film will launch at no additional cost to Disney+ subscribers. Soul, announced last summer, was initially set to launch this summer, but was later postponed to November 20 thanks to the pandemic.

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

Soul tells the story of jazz musician Joe (Jamie Foxx), whose big break is cut short when his soul becomes separated from his body. He wakes up in a dark place, heading toward the light, but escapes to a place called The Before, where he meets 22 (Tina Fey), a soul with no interest in inhabiting a body on Earth. Joe has to convince 22 of the joys of life while trying to make his way back to his body before it's too late.

"The world can be an exhausting and frustrating place--but it's also full of unexpected joys, even in seemingly mundane things," said co-director (and Pixar chief creative officer) Pete Docter. "Soul investigates what's really important in our lives, a question we're all asking these days. I hope it will bring humor and fun to people at a time when we can surely use that."

Soul is co-directed by Docter and Kemp Powers. This is Powers' freshman directorial effort, but Docter is a Pixar vet, with Monsters Inc., Up, and Inside Out in his portfolio. The two wrote the movie alongside Mike Jones. In addition to Foxx and Fey, the movie also features the voices of Quest Love, Daveed Diggs, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Richard Ayoade, and more.

Soul is the latest of many films to reschedule amid the ongoing pandemic, including recent shifts for Denis Villeneuve's Dune, Daniel Craig's final 007 outing in No Time to Die, and just about every Warner Bros. superhero film including The Batman and Shazam! 2, all of which have moved out to 2021 or later. Wonder Woman 1984 is currently the only big movie left on the release calendar for 2020.