Best of all, it is available to watch at home this week.
Pixar’s movies are, more often than not, going to get good-to-great reviews, while also practically guaranteed a huge box office return.
Which is why there were a few raised eyebrows when Disney decided to debut the last three Pixar movies directly on to their streaming platform, Disney+.
Sure, the pandemic meant that a cinema release wasn’t going to be easy (if possible at all), and putting huge and original Pixar movies on to the service is a great way to boost your subscription numbers.
Pixar’s last cinematic release was the fine-but-forgettable Onward, but since then, both 2020’s Soul and 2021’s Luca were either nominated for or won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
And the same can probably be expected for their brand new release Turning Red, which lands on Disney+ this week.
Telling the story of a young teenage girl who discovers she is magically transformed into a giant red panda every time she gets too excited – so kind of like a much more approachable version of the Hulk – the movie currently has a score of 84 on Metacritic, which makes it the joint-highest score (along with Toy Story 4) for a Pixar movie since 2015’s Inside Out.
That means, at the time of writing, critics have ranked it higher than Luca, Soul, Onward, Incredibles 2, Coco, Cars 3, Finding Dory and The Good Dinosaur.
Here’s what some of them had to say:
The Playlist – “One of the most unique and unforgettable movies in Pixar’s grand pantheon.”
BBC – “Even before the panda-monium begins, the film is a hilarious, life-affirming treat.”
ScreenRant – “There is no single frame of this film that isn’t maximising this story’s potential, its wit, humour, or charm. Every moment counts and transforms Turning Red into a visual feast.”
CNN – “Wherever one sees it, Turning Red delivers an exquisitely animated story that’s moving as well as funny – welcome evidence that creatively speaking, at least, Pixar hasn’t lost its golden touch.”
Polygon – “With a bright visual style and specific, evocative storytelling, Turning Red is an incredibly special addition to the Pixar canon, and one of its best films.”
Turning Red arrives on Disney+ on Friday, 11 March.
Clip via Disney Ireland
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