Pixar is planning to go back to 'normal' theatrical releases with 2022's 'Turning Red'

• Pixar is planning for "Turning Red" to be its first theatrical release post-pandemic, sources tell Insider.
• "The studio's hope is we go back to normal with 'Turning Red,'" said one source.
• Insider reported in April that Pixar staffers were frustrated their movies weren't in theaters.

Pixar is gearing up to release its next movie in theaters.

The beloved animation studio from Disney is planning to go back to a "normal" wide release with its 2022 movie "Turning Red," several sources familiar with the movie's production, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, exclusively told Insider.

"The studio's hope is we go back to normal with 'Turning Red,'" said one source, who noted that the safety of theatergoers is the biggest concern.

But with COVID-19 restrictions being dropped around the country, including most recently New York and California, optimism is building at Pixar and Disney that "Turning Red" will be seen on the big screen, sources say.

Neither Disney nor Pixar responded to Insider's request for comment.

Directed by Domee Shi, who was behind Pixar's Oscar-winning short "Bao," "Turning Red" follows a 13-year-old girl who turns into a red panda whenever she gets excited.

It's currently set for a March 11, 2022 release. The movie would mark the first time since the pandemic hit one of Pixar's movies gets a traditional release.

Back in April, Insider reported that some staff, even CCO Pete Docter (who is also the director of Oscar-winner "Soul"), were frustrated that their recent movies didn't get theatrical releases.

Many at the company believed "Luca" would be the first Pixar movie to go back to theaters, but in late March Disney announced the story following two boys who are really sea monsters in Italy would only be released on Disney+.

Though "Luca," which opens Friday, will play at one theater in California.

A Pixar movie hasn't shown on the big screen since "Onward" opened in March 2020 just before the pandemic hit. It became Pixar's lowest debut ever in terms of ticket sales, Forbes said, and eventually earned a little over $60 million at the domestic box office.

Due to the pandemic, Pixar's next film "Soul," centered on an aspiring jazz musician whose life was cut short, became the first Pixar movie in the company's 26-year history to not open in theaters.

Following "Turning Red," Pixar plans to release "Lightyear," the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, in June 2022.