We Need to Talk About Encanto’s Success, and What it Means for Pixar
- Eve Andrews
- Feb 23, 2022
- 4 min read
Ever since the theatrical release of Disney’s Encanto on November 24th 2021, everyone’s been talking about Bruno! In a colourful Columbian tale about war stories and intergenerational trauma, the deeper subjects explored in Encanto have caught the attention of fans across the globe. It has since become one of the most talked-about animated movies in the first months of 2022. However, the theatrical release of Encanto has likewise raised some questions in regards to Disney‘s current distribution strategies.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been a rough couple of years for cinema. The knock-on effect of Coronavirus has hit the industry hard, and movie making giants such as Disney and their sister studio, Pixar, have been no exception. With Pixar’s Soul released exclusively on Disney+ one year prior in October 2020, followed by Luca in June 2021, both were dubbed ‘Disney+ originals’ as a result - a new format that has certainly raised some eyebrows. However, given the circumstances, this new release method was ultimately met with understanding. However, with COVID finally showing signs of subsiding, the theatrical debut of Encanto suggested that further releases from both Disney and Pixar Studios would, at last, be returning to the old ways, simply with the addition of a Disney+ release at a later date.
And yet, on January 7th 2022, heads were turned by the announcement that the next upcoming Pixar movie, Turning Red, would skip its theatrical release and head straight to the Disney+ streaming service. Following this announcement, fans have noted a worrying disparity between Disney’s treatment of its own releases versus their distribution of Pixar films. While Encanto’s predecessor, Raya And The Last Dragon, was given a brief theatrical release, it was mainly distributed with home viewing in mind, once again in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, unlike the last two (and soon to be three) Pixar films, Raya And The Last Dragon could only be viewed via premier access for the first four months of its release - meaning audiences had to pay to see it. As far as films go, this feels far more respectable as opposed to simply dumping the content on the server.
This sudden lack of balance between Disney and Pixar’s distribution wasn’t felt by fans alone. Pixar employees have likewise been notably disheartened. Pixar CEO, Pete Docter, spoke on the issue when reflecting on the 2020 release of Soul in an interview with DiscussingFilm, saying, “I would be lying if I said we were thrilled about [it]”. He then went on to state: “I think there is something big and monumental about a theatrical release, going to these big buildings with a bunch of strangers to see it on the big screen. That’s the way we’ve made it; we finalised every frame on a big screen. So to kind of skip that and know that people are gonna be watching on their iPhones or whatever?”
So why is Disney doing this?
There is some speculation that Pixar movies are currently being used as business leverage, as a way to draw in new subscribers to the Disney+ streaming service. However, pushing Pixar aside all in the name of subscriber revenue is a move that is liable to do more harm than good. It’s no secret that Disney and Pixar have been drawing from one another creatively since the dawn of their partnership. One can tell simply by comparing the content that, in the last decade, Disney has drawn a shed load of inspiration from Pixar’s storytelling strategies - and it’s been a hit. And now, with the recent announcement regarding the release of Turning Red, it certainly seems as if Disney has swept up the Pixar format and are now purposely prioritising their own releases over theirs.
However, there are contrary arguments to suggest the theatrical success of Encanto spells good news for Pixar. While Encanto drew decent revenue from ticket sales during its brief theatrical release, it has well and truly flourished since its release on the Disney+ streaming service, with We Don’t Talk About Bruno claiming a number 1 Billboard spot a month after hitting the server. While this does suggest that Disney+ releases shouldn’t be inherently disadvantaged, it doesn’t erase the current disparity between the treatment of Pixar and Disney distributions. Encanto still had a theatrical release, and Raya And The Last Dragon was still only viewable via paid access for its first several months on the server. Neither courtesy has been afforded to the last two years worth of Pixar films.
Since the announcement that Turning Red will be heading straight to Disney+, concern has been brewing over the subsequent release of Lightyear, set to hit screens later this year in June. Lightyear, being the gorgeous, broad-scale spectacle of a movie that it is, as suggested by the trailers, the agreement that it deserves a proper, theatrical release is pretty unanimous. Being based on the Toy Story franchise, AKA one of Disney/ Pixar’s most lucrative properties, it certainly does stand more of a chance than the straight to streaming originals we’ve seen since 2020. However, with nothing confirmed as of yet, Pixar fans and filmmakers will just have to keep their fingers crossed.
While it is true that the success of Encanto could give Pixar a jumping-off point for future hits, the pattern that appears to be establishing itself is certainly concerning.
What are your thoughts? Do you think the straight to streaming format should be a welcome change? Or should these films be given the same theatrical releases afforded to their distributors? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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