Incredibles 3 and Lilo & Stitch 2 get release dates confirmed – but fans have a while to wait
The films won't be landing on our screens until 2028...
Disney has revealed when fans can expect The Incredibles 3 and Lilo & Stitch 2 to land on our screens. A live-action Lilo & Stitch sequel will be released on 26 May 2028, followed by the third Incredibles instalment on 16 June, it was announced during Disney’s annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday (18 March). Plot details remain under wraps for Lilo & Stitch 2, which was announced back in June 2025. However, we do know that it'll be penned by Chris Sanders, who co-directed the 2002 movie and voiced Stitch, and reprised his role in the 2025 update. The first live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch came out in May 2025 and was a huge success, earning over $1.03 billion at the global box office. While the 2025 version was largely considered to be a faithful recreation of the 2002 movie, there were a few changes, including a less violent and destructive Stitch. View Green Video on the source website Speaking about the reasons behind this change, director Dean Fleischer Camp explaining why previously told Radio Times: "Things such as Stitch's level of destruction and violence... like, violent is too strong a word, but violence in general, can play very funny in animation." He continued: "You can imagine a very funny car wreck on a highway, but I would challenge any live-action director to do that with real cars and real people, because you're just worried. "And so, you know, we spent a lot of time trying to figure out how do we preserve the essential Stitchiness of Stitch and the destruction and the fun of the movie, while also navigating around those pitfalls?" Incredibles 3, the long-awaited third movie in The Incredibles franchise, was announced back in 2024. While story details are yet to be revealed for the new entry, it has been revealed that it will be directed by Peter Sohn (Elemental), marking the first instalment without franchise veteran Brad Bird at the helm. However, Bird will remain involved as a screenwriter and producer. The first Incredibles movie was a smash hit at the box office back in 2004, earning $630 million worldwide. Incredibles 2 went on to double that, pulling in $1.24 billion at the worldwide box office. Lilo & Stitch 2 will hit cinemas on 26 May, 2028, while Incredibles 3 will land in cinemas on 16 June, 2028. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Hoppers review: Pixar's latest is a beautifully judged, adorably animated gem
It's funny, lovely and appealingly righteous.
Following the slightly underwhelming Elio, Pixar is back with a bang with the beautifully judged, adorably animated Hoppers. Directed by We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong and featuring a sparkling script courtesy of Jesse Andrews (Luca, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Hoppers blends body-swap chaos with an empowering message about co-existence. We first meet our heroine Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Lila Liu) as a rebellious moppet liberating classroom pets from her Beaverton elementary school, before watching her grow into an alienated 19-year-old environmentalist (Piper Curda), whose activism causes her to neglect her college studies. Mabel’s love for nature is inspired by her beloved grandmother (Karen Huie) who, before her death, taught Mabel how to slow down and soak up her surroundings, instilling in her a particular love for a nearby glade, where animals of all kinds live in blissful harmony, centred around the activities of a colony of beavers. Unfortunately, Beaverton’s arrogant and ambitious mayor Jerry (a hilarious Jon Hamm) has plans to bulldoze the glade to build a freeway, which he boasts should save people about four minutes of journey time. Mabel is the lone voice of opposition and smells a rat when she realises the animal population have already vacated the area, making this previously protected space fair game for developers. In order to stop construction, Mabel must get the beavers (a keystone species who play a critical role in maintaining the environment’s ecosystem) to return. Although her attempts to encourage them back fail, she finds another, entirely unexpected option when she discovers that her biology professor Dr Sam (Kathy Najimy) has been conducting secret experiments, during which her and her colleagues ‘hop’ into robotic animals in order to get up close to the relevant species and better understand them. Hopping into the body of a lifelike robot beaver, Mabel is able to communicate with and befriend a real beaver, the gregarious local leader of the mammal kingdom, King George (Bobby Moynihan). George teaches her the pond rules and agrees to call a meeting of the council of other royal rulers to help save the glade – a group which includes the formidable Insect Queen (Meryl Streep no less), and her spoilt caterpillar son (Dave Franco). View Green Video on the source website With the reintroduction of beavers into the UK gathering pace, as seen in David Attenborough's stunning recent documentary Wild London, it’s the perfect time for kids to learn about and appreciate the wonder of nature’s engineers, and Pixar’s take on these creatures is as cute and characterful as you’d imagine. Curda’s wild-haired, well-designed outsider Mabel makes an admirable focal point; she’s anti-establishment and environmentally minded enough to be interesting, but with a valuable lesson about opening her heart and having faith in humanity to learn along the way. Hoppers boasts a meaty, moderately complicated story which encourages engagement without ever becoming too muddled or baffling (although the very young might need the odd explanation). Meanwhile, as the human population come under threat themselves, the ante is effectively upped without feeling too frightening, with things getting enjoyably bonkers when an apex predator assassin is introduced. Despite the inclusion of sci-fi and thriller elements (Jaws, Avatar and Back to the Future are amongst the apparent inspirations), the film never loses sight of the more down-to-earth story at its core. It’s not quite up there with Pixar’s finest, but this warm, extremely witty and wonderfully entertaining film is sure to delight the whole family, whilst spreading a positive message about living side-by-side with nature and not judging our fellow humans too harshly. It’s funny, lovely and appealingly righteous, boasting a big-hearted hopefulness that’s just what we need. Hoppers is released in UK cinemas on Friday 6 March 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Incredibles 3 director revealed – first in franchise not helmed by Brad Bird
Another Pixar talent will be taking the reins on the new sequel.
There's a new director in town when it comes to the future of The Incredibles, one of the jewels in Pixar's blockbuster crown. It's now been announced that Peter Sohn will be taking up directing duties on the much-anticipated third film, taking over from Brad Bird who directed and wrote the first two films in the animated franchise. Although Bird won't be directing this third movie, he is reported to be writing the film so we can expect the usual humour, action and heartfelt storytelling as in The Incredibles and its sequel, Incredibles 2. Sohn is no stranger to a major motion picture, though, having directed Elemental, the hit 2023 movie which explored some profound themes of identity and diversity through the medium of a romcom between a fire and water element. He also took charge of 2015's The Good Dinosaur, which told the story of a young dinosaur who goes on a journey to return home alongside a mischievous caveboy. Sohn has also worked on various Pixar films throughout his career including Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, WALL-E and the previous two Incredibles films in different roles, including voice acting. In fact, Bird himself has been a mentor to Sohn with Sohn having worked on every animated film of Bird's up until this year's Ray Gunn. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sohn was "specifically chosen to carry The Incredibles torch by Bird and Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter". Read more: Sydney Sweeney details major body transformation for boxing biopic – gaining 30lbs for role Gerard Butler says it would have been "weird" to see someone else play Stoick in How to Train Your Dragon As for what Incredibles 3 will be about, we don't yet know but the first film – which was released back in 2004 – followed the family of superheroes as they attempted to conceal their powers from the government but were confronted by a fan-turned-villain, who wanted to take the family down. Released some time later, Incredibles 2 landed on the big screen in 2018 with Helen (Holly Hunter) taking centre stage as the superhero tasked with winning the public over. The film saw Bob (Craig T Nelson) take on a stay-at-home dad role but eventually, the family came together to take down the villain. <a id="menur1bhe" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/select-profile" href="https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/1236178/564546/9358?subId1=radiotimes-2278655&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fen-gb%2Fselect-profile" target="_blank" rel="sponsored" aria-label="Link Get four months Disney Plus for £1.99 a month">Get four months of Disney Plus for £1.99 a month The film left off on order being restored as the "supers" regained their legal status and they could finally stop living in secret. Of course, things left off on a suitably action-packed note as the family donned their masks once more when they spot a nearby police chase, so we can likely anticipate another major villain on the horizon in this third instalment. Disney officially announced a third film at the D23 Expo event in August 2024 but as of now, plot and cast details remain thin on the ground. The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 are available to stream on Disney Plus. Right now Disney Plus is running a limited-time deal where you can get <a id="menur1bh8" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/select-profile" href="https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/1236178/564546/9358?subId1=radiotimes-2278655&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fen-gb%2Fselect-profile" target="_blank" rel="sponsored" aria-label="Link four months for just £1.99 a month">four months for just £1.99 a month. Sign up today or check out our <a id="menur1bhb" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/technology/technology-deals/disney-plus-june-deal/" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/technology/technology-deals/disney-plus-june-deal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Link Disney Plus deal">Disney Plus deal page to find out more. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Coco 2: Release date speculation and latest news
Pixar is transporting us back to one of its most beloved and vibrant worlds. That’s right, folks: a sequel to 2017’s award-winning film Coco is confirmed to be in the works. The news was unveiled by Disney CEO Bob Iger during the studio’s annual shareholder meeting, in which he said of the upcoming project: "While the film is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humour, heart and adventure." He continued: "And we can’t wait to share more soon.” The 2017 movie introduced fans to Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez), a 12-year-old aspiring musician who travels to the Land of the Dead in search of the one relative who can help him achieve his dream. Read on for everything we know so far about when Coco 2 is expected to land in cinemas. Coco 2 release date speculation While we do know that the film is set for theatrical release in 2029, we don't have an exact release date. While the four-year wait is obviously disappointing for fans, it’s not unusual for Pixar projects to announce projects years in advance. Pixar's last three films – Lightyear, Elemental and Inside Out 2 – plus its next film – Elio – have all had June release dates, so if we were to speculate when we might see Coco 2 in cinemas, June 2029 seems like a good guess. Who could be in the Coco 2 cast of voice actors? The voice actors for Coco 2 have not yet been announced, but Anthony Gonzalez could well reprise his role as Miguel if the sequel follows on from the original film. Other voice actors who could reprise their roles include: Gael García Bernal as Héctor Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto de la Cruz Alanna Ubach as Mamá Imelda Renée Victor as Abuelita Jaime Camil as Papá Sofía Espinosa as Mamá Gabriel Iglesias as Clerk Luis Valdez as Tío Berto Selene Luna as Tía Rosita Herbert Siguenza as Tío Oscar and Tío Felipe Dyana Ortelli as Tía Victoria Alfonso Arau as Papá Julio Lombardo Boyar as Mariachi Cheech Marin Corrections as Officer Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Frida Kahlo Edward James as Olmos Chicharrón One voice actor who won't be returning is Ana Ofelia Murguía, who played Miguel's great-grandmother Mamá Coco, following the star's death in 2023. Back in 2017, Coco producer Darla K Anderson explained to Digital Spy why they decided to name the film after the character. "We kept gravitating back towards the name Coco," she explained, before continuing: "It's a little bit mysterious, it's got a warmth to it, it's got lots of different meanings, but mostly we liked the idea that it's named after the great-grandmother who's the matriarch of the family and spans the generations and connects everything together. We really hung on to that." While the cast is yet to be announced, many of the crew from the original film will reunite for the sequel, with director Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina back on board. Mark Nielsen (Toy Story 4, Inside Out 2) will produce. It’s unclear how Unkrich and Molina will continue the story, or whether the sequel will revolve around Miguel or focus on another protagonist from the intricately built world we saw in the original, so fans will have to wait and see! Is there a trailer for Coco 2? No, it's far too early for any footage yet, given that production is yet to kick off. But watch this space! Coco is available to stream on Disney Plus. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Inside Out 2 passes major box office milestone - sets new record
Pixar has over 1 billion reasons to be joyful - but that's only part of the story.
As the icing on the cake of what has been a stellar box office run, Inside Out 2 has just hit another milestone and broken another record. The Pixar sequel, which was released in cinemas earlier this summer and received positive reviews, had already surpassed the $1 billion mark some time ago, and shot up the list of the highest grossing films of all time. However, now it has also managed to surpass $1 billion at the international box office alone, excluding its domestic US haul. In doing so, it has become the first and only animated film to achieve this feat. There is one slight caveat - 2019's The Lion King, which is almost entirely CGI, also managed this five years ago. However, because Disney categorised that film as live-action, Inside Out 2 technically achieves the title. In grossing more than $1 billion at the international box office, Inside Out 2 joins a list now comprised of 12 films. Others which feature on the list include Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, Titanic and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Read more: Inside Out 2 director reveals emotions which were cut from final film A Simple Favor director Paul Feig gives major update on sequel The list is rounded out by Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Jurassic World, The Lion King, Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious. Inside Out 2 is currently the highest-grossing film of the year globally, and overtook Frozen II as the highest-grossing animated film in history earlier in its box office run. Fans will be able to return to the world of Inside Out in new spin-off Disney Plus series Dream Productions, which will send us back into the mind of teenager Riley, but will focus on the part of brain where her nightly dreams are conjured up. Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter said: "I just want to start by thanking all of you for going to theatres and making Inside Out 2 the number one animated film of all time. We are so proud that this film has connected with so many people. "And if you love the film as much as we do, I've got some great news: emotions will be in the air for a little while, as we are excited to announce a brand new Disney Plus series, inspired by the world of Inside Out, called Dream Productions." He continued: "It's a series we've been working on for a little while and it's set between Inside Out 1 and 2, so think of it as an in-between-quel. It's a show set in the studio where Riley's dreams are made every night, on time and on budget." View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
How to watch Inside Out 2: When is it coming to Disney Plus?
Following its speculator run at the box office, Inside Out 2 now has an official home release date. The film, which RadioTimes.com gave an impressive four-star rating and described as "an inventive and assured delight", has amassed $1.62 billion at the global box office 10th weekend of release, becoming the top-grossing Pixar movie and the biggest animated release of all time. The Pixar blockbuster is set to land on 4k Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD next month. And that’s not the only exciting news: the home-viewing format will feature a range of additional features, including a brand-new opening and exclusive deleted scenes. "In this alternate opening, a now 13-year-old Riley awkwardly fumbles her way through an original song she wrote for a school audition," the official description reads. Wondering how you can watch Inside Out 2? Read on for everything you need to know, including whether it's available to stream on Disney Plus. How to watch Inside Out 2 Inside Out 2 is out now in cinemas. Building off a strong IP and following glowing reviews, box office projections are suggesting this will be a return to form for Pixar. When can I watch Inside Out 2 at home? The film is set to arrive on 4k Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on 30th September, meaning there isn't that long to wait at all! When is Inside Out 2 coming to Disney Plus? It is not yet known when Inside Out 2 is coming to Disney Plus, but it won’t be for at least 100 days after the start of its theatrical run, as it has been given an exclusive cinema release window by Disney and Pixar. Speaking to Time, Pixar’s Pete Docter explained: "That’s how long we had for Elemental. When that movie came out, we all said, 'Oh, no, that didn’t open the way we thought it should!' "But as time went on, it just had legs. I don’t know if the marketing was wrong, the space was too crowded, or people thought it didn’t look interesting. But word of mouth made people go check it out. "I think that would not have happened if we came out three weeks later on Disney Plus." With this in mind, don’t expect to dive into Inside Out 2 from the comfort of your own home until at least late September. Get three months of Disney Plus for just £1.99 a month in this new limited-time offer. Who stars in Inside Out 2? Pixar’s latest outing brings new emotions for our main character Riley to deal with as she enters her teenage years, including Ayo Edebiri’s Envy and Maya Hawke's Anxiety. However, you may have noticed a couple of missing voices, with Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling not returning to their roles, while Guilt, Jealousy and Shame have all been dropped from the emotional line-up. Speaking on the decision to cut certain emotions, director Kelsey Mann said: "It's all about, like, are they right for telling this story? Are there too many? "Because the main one was always Anxiety. And I wanted other ones to show up, too. But they had to not trump it or not have to, like, take over the film, or distract so much – they need to help support her story and what she's going through." Fear not, though, as a stacked cast including Parks and Recreation’s Amy Poehler and Arrested Development’s Tony Hale are on hand to ensure this hits home as much as the original outing. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Inside Out 2 tops box office as numbers confirmed for biggest opening of 2024
It's the Pixar sequel that just keeps giving!
Opening weekends can really make or break a film and so, it's a good thing that the audiences turned out in their hoards for the release of Inside Out 2 this past weekend. The anticipated sequel to Inside Out racked up an impressive £11,307,593 at the UK & Ireland box office, which accounted for 71% of all ticket sales across the three-day weekend. And you're right in thinking those figures are staggering, as Inside Out 2 has achieved the biggest box office opening since Barbie. The film also generated the biggest ever Saturday in the UK and Ireland for any Pixar film, which is a staggering feat when you think of all the Pixar classics over the years including the likes of Up, Ratatouille and The Incredibles, to name a few. In fact, Inside Out 2 had the third biggest opening weekend for a Pixar film, coming in behind Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4. So, it's safe to say that the new movie is going down a storm with audiences young and old. On a wider scale, the sequel opened to an estimated $295.0 million over the weekend, which makes it the highest global animated opening of all time. The film has achieved some pretty stellar reviews so far, with RadioTimes.com bestowing it with an impressive four stars and saying that the film takes place against "an endlessly inventive backdrop of out-there imaginings of the inner workings of a young girl’s mind, rich in colour, texture and a steady stream of sight gags." The film's official synopsis reads: "Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as Headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions. "Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment show up." Read more: Pixar creative chief addresses whether sequels or originals are priority Inside Out 2 director reveals emotions which were cut from final film The voice cast of the film is also equally as grand, with the likes of Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman and Liza Lapira all voicing characters as well as Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith and Ayo Edebiri. The rest of the cast also includes Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paul Walter Hauser and Yvette Nicole Brown. The familiar characters from the original film are joined by new emotions Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui as Riley becomes a teenager. However, there are some omissions from the second run, with director Kelsey Man revealing he chose to cut Guilt, Jealousy and Shame from Inside Out 2. Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about this, Mann said: "It's all about, like, are they right for telling this story? Are there too many? "Because the main one was always Anxiety. And I wanted other ones to show up, too. But they had to not trump it or not have to, like, take over the film, or distract so much – they need to help support her story and what she's going through." Inside Out 2 was released in UK cinemas on Friday 14th June, with the first Inside Out film available on Disney+. Sign up to Disney+ from £4.99 a month. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Inside Out 2 review: No need for fear or anxiety, Pixar's sequel is a joy
Riley may be changing but the studio's latest film remains an inventive and assured delight.
As we left 12-year-old Riley in the closing minutes of the first Inside Out, the colourful characters representing the emotions in her head took delivery of an upgraded console and were wondering what the shiny new button marked “puberty” meant. No surprises, then, where this next instalment leads us. After several captivating films portraying the dynamics of family, Pixar now set sail on the (for them) comparatively uncharted, choppy waters of teenage torment and peer pressure. It’s not a wholesale detour into the acid-tongued arena of, say, Tina Fey’s Mean Girls; there are elements of that, but the studio’s longstanding core values remain intact, the phrases “belief system” and “sense of self” cropping up early on to describe corners of Riley’s maturing, often conflicted noggin. The major changes are at the controls, where familiar faces from the original movie (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust) continue to potter along, shepherding their charge through life, until all hell breaks lose, practically overnight. Enter a new, more complex crew, comprising Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui, the latter first seen reclining on a chaise longue and barely looking up from her mobile phone. Their arrival coincides with a full-scale remodelling of the now teenage brain, heralded by the unforgiving swing of a construction wrecking ball (a nod, perhaps, to former sweet-natured child star turned edgy pop vixen Miley Cyrus), before Joy and company are banished to darker recesses. Meanwhile, Riley heads off to a residential ice hockey camp, and Joy (again, superbly voiced by Amy Poehler) is perturbed by her replacements’ plan for the girl to all but ghost her hitherto best friends and hang out with a cooler, slightly older clique. Consequently, she must find her way back to the console to redress the balance; an obstacle-strewn voyage to relocate Riley’s aforementioned sense of self, requiring the outcasts to befriend forgotten childhood memories, hitch a ride on a slice of pizza floating along a stream of consciousness, the whole kaboodle. It’s a journey and jeopardy situation which pretty much mimics the first film, and although all five of that story’s chief emotions are along for the ride, the key relationship is still between Joy and Phyllis Smith’s Sadness (essentially a variation of the actress’s hangdog character in the American version of The Office). They’re a delight throughout, and an even more rounded comic pairing than last time. “Have I ever steered you wrong before?” asks the perennially upbeat Joy at one point. “Yes,” deadpans Sadness. “Many times.” View Green Video on the source website As ever, Pixar’s across-the-board appeal is on point, although the film’s youngest viewers may not fully grasp the threat the newcomers pose, while mums and dads of a certain age are likely to shudder with recognition at the behaviour of, especially, Anxiety and Ennui. In that respect, parts of IO2 can be read as an ad hoc parenting manual (as could Finding Nemo), while Riley’s story follows an arc of finding a place to fit in an ever-changing world (think Toy Story, WALL-E or Coco). Arguably more so than the sequel-spawning Toy Story, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles or Cars, the initial premise of Inside Out was always ripe for continuing chapters, such are the seismic shifts of a youngster navigating a path towards inevitable adolescence. Riley is now, to all intents and purposes, nine characters in one, a crowded playing field littered with contradictions and confusion that first-time director but longtime Pixar creative Kelsey Mann and his co-writers landscape with assurance, empathy and wit. It all takes place against an endlessly inventive backdrop of out-there imaginings of the inner workings of a young girl’s mind, rich in colour, texture and a steady stream of sight gags. Not that you have to be 13 and female to identify with the perils of this particular evolving personality, and if you can’t find something that speaks to your own experiences, as either a kid or a parent, you probably need your own head examined. Read more: Pixar creative chief addresses whether sequels or originals are priority Toy Story named best Pixar movie of all time by RadioTimes.com readers Inside Out 2 is released in UK cinemas on Friday 14th June, with the first Inside Out movie available on Disney+. Sign up to Disney+ from £4.99 a month. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Inside Out 2: Release date, voice cast and latest news for Pixar sequel
Pixar is returning to the world of one of its biggest hits this summer.
It’s been quite some time since Pixar Studios scored a hit at the box office. While the beloved animation studio has continued to release some great films, such as Turning Red and Luca, the response to efforts such as Lightyear and Elemental has been fairly muted, certainly a far cry from the acclaim that greeted the likes of Oscar-winning films including Ratatouille, Up and Toy Story 3. But with a sequel to 2015’s Inside Out, one of Pixar's biggest hits, on the horizon, the animation studio will no doubt be hoping that their luck will be about to change – and that the follow-up will replicate the success of the first movie both critically and commercially. Inside Out 2 will take viewers inside the mind of now 13-year-old Riley (Kensington Tallman) just as Headquarters undergoes a demolition, meaning there are plenty of new emotions. Pixar recently released a trailer for the sequel, and it’s clear that Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) aren't sure how to cope when Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) rear their heads. But when can fans expect to see the new film? And who will star in the voice cast? Read on for everything you need to know about Inside Out 2. Inside Out 2 release date An early summer release has been confirmed for this one, with the film arriving in cinemas around the world on Friday 14th June 2024. That's pretty much exactly nine years after the original Inside Out film debuted. It was announced that Inside Out 2 was in development during the D23 Studio Showcase in September 2022. Pixar then tweeted the announcement and confirmed a Summer 2024 release window. Inside Out 2 voice cast: Who is returning? A number of familiar names are back from the first film, with Amy Poehler once again providing the voice for Joy and Phyllis Smith and Lewis Black back as Sadness and Anger, respectively. However, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader – who previously voiced Disgust and Fear – are not reprising their roles, allegedly due to a pay dispute. Those parts will instead be voiced by Liza Lapira and Tony Hale. Meanwhile, among the stars to portray new emotions are Stranger Things actress Maya Hawke as Anxiety, The Bear's Ayo Edebiri as Envy, French star Adèle Exarchopoulos as Ennui, Black Bird's Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment and veteran star June Squibb as Nostalgia. As for human characters, Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan return as Riley's parents, while the teenager is this time played by Kensington Tallman, who takes over from Kaitlyn Dias. Inside Out 2 plot The film will once again take place mainly inside the head of protagonist Riley, who is now a teenager and dealing with some previously unfamiliar emotions – which, of course, means plenty of new characters. The official synopsis reads: "Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new emotions! "Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who've long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren't sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she's not alone." Inside Out 2 trailer The first trailer for the sequel was released in March 2024, and gave fans a first glimpse of Anxiety and some of the other new emotions now taking up space in Riley's head – you can watch it in full below: View oEmbed on the source website A final trailer landed in June 2024, and it gives fans a look at the range of emotions Riley will be experiencing as she reaches adolescence, including anxiety. Watch below: View oEmbed on the source website Inside Out 2 will be released on Friday 14th June 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
How to watch the Pixar movies in order - Full chronological timeline and Pixar Theory order
There are two ways you can watch the Pixar movies in order.
With the latest Pixar release, Elemental, there is now a new order in which to watch the cherished animated films depending on your preference. To help you decide, we have our guide on how to watch the Pixar movies in order with a full chronological timeline, and the Pixar Theory order. There is no true chronological order per se, so unless you want to watch contained series such as Toy Story or Monsters Inc and University, your best option to make your way through decades of animated features is to watch them in the order that they were released. There is another way, though, which is the Pixar Theory. Popularised by Jon Negroni, it isn’t an officially sanctioned timeline, but the methodology behind it is compelling - and certain Easter eggs cropping up in the films lend credence to its viability. With the upcoming Elio hinted at in the latest release, Elemental, the trend seems to continue - so we’ll be taking a look at all 27 released films and what order to watch them in according to the Pixar Theory. Disney Plus has the full collection of films on the platform (bar Elemental until 13th September). What order should you watch the Pixar movies? If we assume for a second that the Pixar Cinematic Universe is real, then you can watch the movies in a certain order to back the idea up. There are puzzles, clues and little hints dotted about to back the theory. There are a few ideas floating about around how the films are linked, but the Pixar Theory is the most popular. The basic idea is Elemental predates all life and The Good Dinosaur sets up the universe when an asteroid narrowly misses Earth and the dinosaurs survive. Earth is then controlled by dinosaurs, then humans, then machines and then intelligent animals. The films build on each era in the timeline. The Pixar Theory movie order If you want to watch this order we've listed the films (spoiler-free) below. Elemental (2023) The Good Dinosaur (2015) Brave (2012) Luca (2021) The Incredibles (2004) Incredibles 2 (2018) Lightyear (2022) Toy Story (1995) Toy Story 2 (1999) Finding Red (2022) Finding Nemo (2003) Finding Dory (2016) Ratatouille (2007) Toy Story 3 (2010) Toy Story 4 (2019) Up (2009) Inside Out (2015) Coco (2017) Soul (2020) Cars (2006) Cars 2 (2011) Cars 3 (2017) Wall-E (2008) A Bug's Life (1998) Onward (2020) Monsters University (2013) Monsters Inc (2001) There are a few issues with this order, of course. First, Riley is seen visiting the Marine Life Institute in Finding Dory, so there's an argument for watching Inside Out before Finding Dory. There is also the question of the most recent Elemental. Two theories exist on how it might fit into the Pixar Theory timeline. One is that it takes place well after the events of Monsters Inc, and the other places it before even The Good Dinosaur - to a time before organic life, when only the elements were present. Connecting Elemental to the timeline is the inclusion of a Pizza Planet truck, but the jury is still out over whether the delivery chain is an epoch-spanning business predating humanity or outliving it. However, we've opted to place Elemental at the beginning, as we believe the theory that the Elements predate life makes the most sense. Pixar Movie order of release Here's a quick look at all of the Pixar films in order of release. Toy Story (1995) A Bug's Life (1998) Toy Story 2 (1999) Monsters Inc (2001) Finding Nemo (2003) The Incredibles (2004) Cars (2006) Ratatouille (2007) Wall-E (2008) Up (2009) Toy Story 3 (2010) Cars 2 (2011) Brave (2012) Monsters University (2013) Inside Out (2015) The Good Dinosaur (2015) Finding Dory (2016) Cars 3 (2017) Coco (2017) Incredibles 2 (2018) Toy Story 4 (2019) Onward (2020) Soul (2020) Luca (2021) Finding Red (2022) Lightyear (2022) Elemental (2023) Below we have more detailed entries for each of the films. Toy Story (1995) Not only Pixar's first full-length effort but the first entirely computer-animated feature film, Toy Story still holds up as one of the best animated films ever made. While those who saw the film as kids will be approaching their 30s now, generation after generation has fallen for the charms of Buzz, Woody and co, with the franchise still going strong with a critically-acclaimed third sequel in 2019. It also marks the first appearance of the Pizza Planet truck and Luxo Ball - which have driven Easter Egg hunters wild by appearing in nearly every Pixar film so far... A Bug's Life (1998) Famous for competing with the similarly-themed Antz at the 1998 box office, A Bug's Life has arguably stood the test of time better as part of Pixar's legendary catalogue. The story sees misfit ant Flik recruit circus troupe bugs to fight greedy grasshoppers, and developed Pixar's formula of exploring the secret life of everyday objects and animals. It's also one of the few worlds yet to be revisited for a sequel - better late than never Pixar? Toy Story 2 (1999) An animated sequel!? Universal can't stop pumping out Minion movies these days, but back in the 90s animated sequels were strictly regulated to cheap and cheerful direct-to-video Disney films. Leave it to Pixar to not only make a fully-fledged theatrically-released follow up, but one which is widely regarded to improve on the original. Monsters, Inc (2001) A groundbreaking technical achievement given Sulley's two million animated hairs, Monsters Inc introduced us to the endlessly iconic duo of Mike and Sulley as they uncover a conspiracy after befriending adorable child Boo. Keep your eyes peeled - you might just spot the trailer from A Bug's Life, as well as some very familiar toys... Finding Nemo (2003) Still the best-selling DVD of all-time, in the early 2000s the world went crazy for meek clownfish, vegetarian sharks, and a certain amnesiac voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. The dentist's office is a treasure trove of Pixar references - look out for a Buzz toy, a Mr. Incredible comic, and one of Boo's drawings. The Incredibles (2004) Released just as the superhero craze was starting up, The Incredibles eschewed using comic book characters in favour of creating their own super-powered family. And what a move it was - the film was a critical and commercial smash, and even now is one of the best superhero films ever made. Cars (2006) One of Pixar's biggest franchises - if mostly due to toy sales - Cars stars Owen Wilson as an anthropomorphic car attempting to win the Piston Cup. If you subscribe to the Pixar Theory, this film takes place after humans have left a polluted Earth - an important plot point further down this list... Ratatouille (2007) Somehow managing to make rats seem cute and relatable, the cleverly named Ratatouille follows rodent Remy as he pursues his unlikely dream to run an award-winning restaurant. Appropriately enough French Incredibles villain Bomb Voyage can be glimpsed in this movie - keep a close eye on the newspapers and mimes... WALL-E (2008) Having explored the secret lives and feelings of everything on Earth, Pixar turns to space and manages to somehow melt hearts with a rusty-old trash compacter - and criticise consumerism, waste management, and obesity while it's at it. WALL-E follows a robot left to clean up an uninhabitable Earth who accidentally saves humanity while pursuing a love interest - but the real miracle is keeping kids entertained with barely any dialogue in the first half-hour. WALL-E's corporate creators Buy N Large pop all over the Pixar universe - from Buzz's batteries to a racing track in Cars 3 - and some theorise they are behind a lot of events in the Pixar universe... Up (2009) Infamous for having one of the most heartbreaking opening ten minutes ever, Up tells the story of an elderly widower who ties thousands of balloons to his house to travel to South America, only to accidentally bring a young boy with him. Up holds the rare distinction for an animated film of being nominated for the Best Picture Oscar - and if that doesn't convince you, the film also has talking dogs. Toy Story 3 (2010) Pixar took a big risk by developing a sequel to their most beloved franchise over a decade later - but it's a risk that paid off big time. With owner Andy off to college, the toys face an uncertain future and are donated to a nursery - resulting in one of the greatest threequels of all time, and a perfect end to the franchise (well, so we thought). It's also chock full of Easter Eggs - it's hinted that Andy knows Carl from Up, and children who look suspiciously like Boo and Darla... Cars 2 (2011) A rare critical misfire from Pixar, there's still plenty to like in this sequel - including Mater traveling to good ol' Blighty to spoof Bond films with a little help from Michael Caine. It also suggests that Earth was recently cleaned by robots - wonder who that could be... Brave (2012) Pixar changes tactic and goes Game of Thrones in this fantasy adventure, which sees reluctant princess Merida fight to save her mother from a beastly curse. Look out for the carvings of Sulley in the witch's cottage - some theorise the witch is even Boo from Monsters Inc all grown up... Monster University (2013) The studio's first prequel, Monster University takes us back Mike and Sulley's student days when the two didn't exactly see eye to eye. There are Easter Eggs galore in this one, from cameos from the first film to the mandatory Pizza Planet truck to personal references to the director's childhood. Inside Out (2015) Given that this one is about sentient human emotions, it's only appropriate that Pixar brings the feels. Inside Out follows a young girl called Riley - specifically, the five personified emotions in her head - as she struggles to adjust moving house. Monsters Inc fans will lap this one up - it suggests why laughter is more powerful than screams, and there are theories Bing Bong is actually Riley's memories of her childhood monster... Read our full review. The Good Dinosaur (2015) Pixar goes back their farthest yet with The Good Dinosaur, an alternate history adventure where the dinosaurs weren't wiped out and a shy Apatosaurus forms an unlikely friendship with a caveboy. However, this isn't the first time you'll have seen these characters - a toy Apatasaurus can be seen in a child's bedroom in Monsters University, and Forrest Woodbush appears in a memory in Inside Out. Finding Dory (2016) A long-awaited sequel, Finding Dory rightfully shifted the focus to the first film's breakout star as she searches for her long-lost parents. Look out for Riley visiting the Marine Life Institute, as well as several references to Pixar's short film Lava. Read our full review. Cars 3 (2017) Going back to the racing roots of the original, this threequel sees Pixar wrangle emotion out of cars as an older Lightning McQueen attempts to prove himself against high tech race cars at the tail (exhaust?) end of his career. Cruz mentions steering around crabs on a beach - prompting some to theorise that these they eventually mutate into the monsters of Monsters Inc... Coco (2017) Mexico's highest-grossing film, Coco proves that Pixar can even make a charming heart-wrenching tale about skeletons of all things. Coco follows a music-obsessed boy who is transported to the Land of the Dead and must learn to appreciate his (extended!) family in order to get home. Look out for Toy Story's Sid at the talent contest - looking a lot less alive than usual... Incredibles 2 (2018) While there's plenty of superheroic shenanigans in this ridiculously lucrative sequel, Pixar knows to keep the focus firmly on family once again as the Parrs struggle to balance crime-fighting with parenting breakout star Jack-Jack. Look out for the Chinese takeaway boxes the family use at the beginning of the movie - they've been popping up in Pixar films since A Bug's Life. Read our full review. Toy Story 4 (2019) The sequel we never thought we'd get or knew we needed, Pixar somehow did the impossible and justified a return to the beloved characters after the perfect ending of Toy Story 3. The child-friendly animation sees a sentient spork have an existential crisis - yes you read that right - while Woody reconsiders his life after reconnecting with a lost love. Of course there are a few Easter Eggs sprinkled in - including a painting of the dogs from Up playing poker, which can be seen in the poster above. Onward (2020) Pixar's Elf-brother-duo offering was one of the many affected by the coronavirus pandemic, barely getting two weeks in theatres before making an early debut on VOD. It's well worth catching up with, however - Pixar hilariously sends up the fantasy genre, all while mixing in their trademark emotion as two elves try to bring back their late dad. Look closely at the pixies in the petrol station - they're holding Tripledent gum, the same brand with that theme song in Inside Out. While Soul come after Onward in release date terms, there's a reference to it in the movie so we can argue Onward comes after Soul. Read our Full Review. Soul (2020) Soul tells the story of Joe Gardner, a middle-aged jazz musician who is still waiting for his break while he struggles as a school band teacher. When his break finally comes he falls down a manhole and "dies" sending him to his afterlife, which he sneaks out of into the "great before". He meets 22, a soul who can't find their "spark" which every soul needs to go to Earth. There are a ton of Pixar references to place us in a timeline here, the Pizza Planet Truck is in the "great before" when they go to explore the interests 22 might have in the "Hall of Everything". There are more general Pixar references (A113, Luxo ball) but there's a more specific movie reference on the subway. There's the joke in Monsters Inc when a hazardous material is brought back through the door to call "2319" we see those numbers on the side of the subway car. There's also a rat dragging a pizza slice who looks like Remi, but we think this is more for the Pizza Rat meme. If we really want to date Soul there's a poster for "Brang" which was the startup that drew Riley's dad to San Francisco in Inside Out (2015). Read our full review. Luca (2021) Pixar went for a more modest approach with this tale of two sea monsters who become friends and venture out of the water into the human world. The pair are able to look human as long as they don't get wet. The movie has references to a couple of Pixar classic Easter eggs - Luca takes a train ticket with A113 on it to Genova, the Luxo ball is seen on a roof and there's a few Disney movie references with the fountain in the piazza taken from Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. While that movie was released in 1954 placing it a lot earlier than the other Pixar movies it's harder to place Luca in the canon. Juliette has a stuffed Donald Duck on her bed and 'Le Avventure di Pinocchio' by Carol Collodi, which inspired the Disney 1940 movie, is in her room. However, there's also a later reference to the 2017 Coco. The boat that drives past Luca at the start is called Elena, a nod to Abuelita, whose name was Elena. Importantly, there's the Pizza Planet truck... so it's after Toy Story. Read our full review. Turning Red (2022) Turning Red focuses on Meilin Lee, a thirteen-year-old Chinese-Canadian caught between her strict mother, adolescence and the fact that when she experiences intense emotion she turns into a giant red panda. The first Pixar film to be directed by a woman, the movie draws on many of the personal experiences of Domee Shi as an immigrant growing up in a different country to her parents. Read our full review. Lightyear (2022) The origin story and inspiration for Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear, Buzz in this outing is a full-blooded human whose foolhardy antics maroon a human deep-space colony on Tikana Prime, a planet rife with danger. Ashamed of his actions, Buzz vows to get the ship off the planet with a new fuel source for the crashed vessel but each time he tests it, four years pass. The process is repeated until a new danger emerges, Zurg and his minions. Read our full review. Elemental (2023) Elemental surrounds Ember Lumen, daughter of Fireland natives Bernie and Cinder and the trials she faces trying to convince her father that she can take over the family shop, the Fireplace. Ember’s literal fiery tempers makes it difficult for her to get on with others – especially those of different Elements. When entrusted to look after the shop one day, a fiery outburst sees her bursting the waterpipes, causing Wade Ripple, a very emotional city inspector to materialise and immediately take notice of a host of violations. With the threat of closure looming over the shop, Ember manages to convince Wade to help her reverse the decision and the pair go on an adventure across Elemental City, meeting many of its residents across its different quarters. Read our full review. Where can I watch the Pixar films? As Pixar is owned by Disney, all the Pixar films are available to watch on Disney Plus - with the exception of latest release Elemental until 13th September 2023. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year now. Elemental is available from video on demand stores such as Amazon, Sky Store, Google Play and Apple TV. Upcoming Pixar movies The next upcoming Pixar film is Elio, slated for release on 1st March 2024. We've got the trailer for your viewing pleasure just below. View oEmbed on the source website Elio is a one-eyed eleven-year-old boy who is something of an underdog, but after accidentally making contact with aliens in the Communiverse, Elio is thrust to the highest echelons of responsibility as an accidental ambassador for Earth. Having been beamed up by the Communiverse, Elio finds himself brushing shoulders with and befriending bizarre alien life forms. Elio will go on a journey of self-discovery to find his true purpose whilst navigating trials that will test his confidence and prove Uh-Earth's worth to the Communiverse. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Frozen 3 and Toy Story 5 in the works at Disney – fans react
Animated sequels for Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia have now been announced.
Animated movie fans, gather round because a slew of new sequels have just been announced. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced several big news films for fans during the company’s earnings call for the year-end 2022 quarter on Wednesday 8th February, with the main takeaway being the fact that sequels for Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia are in development. He announced: “Today I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia. “We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivalled brands and franchises.” The happy news for movie fans came after some more sour news from Disney, which also announced a whopping $5.5 billion savings push, impacting the entire company, and 7,000 jobs being cut. Long-time Toy Story fans may be surprised about the news after its four previous wildly successful films, but it's excellent news all the same. Toy Story 4 was a huge global hit and grossed $1.07 billion in 2019, while the other popular films followed suit with Frozen 2 at $1.45 billion in 2019 and Zootopia at $1.02 billion in 2016. Read more: How is Lightyear connected to Toy Story? Lightyear review: Pixar's Toy Story spin-off is fun but throwaway Most recently, Toy Story fans got to see new spin-off Lightyear, which came out in 2022 but underperformed at the box office compared to the original movies. Of course, Frozen has amassed a loyal army of followers since the first movie debuted back in 2013 and it's only seemed to grow in popularity since. The franchise has also branched out into Broadway and West End musicals, TV specials, books and more. Frozen star Kristen Bell previously joked about the possibility of a third movie when she appeared on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show in the US but said that she had "zero authority" and instead maintained that she would definitely make herself available for any future Frozen movies. With any big film announcement (especially when we're talking about major Disney franchises), there's always bound to be mixed reactions but many fans have flocked to Twitter to reveal their excitement over the new movies. View oEmbed on the source website Some do feel as though our stuffed animals, potato heads and other toys should be left alone for now, though. View oEmbed on the source website Many fans are very excited for Frozen and Zootopia sequels but Toy Story? Not as much. View oEmbed on the source website One Twitter user also stated that the Toy Story franchise "should have ended with Toy Story 3", while another said that the new film should have "new toys, new characters, new stories to potentially expand that brand". Another fan happily stated that they'll "be watching each one" of the new movies. As for what the new sequels will be about, we can only wait and see what beloved characters will be returning and what new challenges they'll be facing. Something tells us that Frozen III may very well be supplying us with more catchy, memorable songs, Zootopia 2 with more laughable moments and Toy Story 5 with some more fun-loving toys to be mildly obsessed over. We can't wait! View Green Video on the source website Check out what else is on with our TV Guide, or visit our Movies hub for more news and features. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.
Lightyear review: Pixar's Toy Story spin-off is fun but throwaway
The new film doesn't quite go to infinity and beyond – but is still an enjoyable sci-fi adventure.
At the beginning of Lightyear – Pixar's new Toy Story spin-off movie – some text flashes up on screen informing us that the film we're about to watch had been Andy's personal favourite back in 1995, the very picture that encouraged him to buy his beloved Buzz Lightyear toy all those years ago. While this is unquestionably a more coherent introduction than Chris Evans' much-mocked statement when the project was initially announced – "This isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on" – it also means the film is setting itself rather an ambitious target: for it to really be considered a success on its own terms, Lightyear has to convincingly seem like it could be the favourite film of at least a portion of its young target audience. To truly answer whether it succeeds on those grounds you'd probably be better off asking a group of pre-teens, but my personal opinion is that it falls short. It's a fun and often amusing time at the movies no doubt, with some well-executed set pieces and consistently pretty visuals – but it doesn't have the invention or emotional heft of some of Pixar's better efforts, and winds up feeling relatively throwaway as a result. It doesn't help that the story itself is a little too convoluted for its own good. There are several false starts before we're eventually launched into the main thrust of the action, which sees Buzz team up with a ragtag bunch of characters – including the granddaughter of his former colleague and an escaped convict whose criminal past is kept deliberately ambiguous – as they hatch a plan to finally escape a planet he'd crash-landed on several years ago. View oEmbed on the source website Before we get there, there are some good moments – a montage that sees Buzz repeatedly age four years at a time due to time dilation, with echoes of Interstellar, is a particular highlight – but the set-up is all a little stop-start and prevents the film from gaining much momentum in its opening stages. Thankfully, when it eventually does get going it's hard not to fall for its charms – and as an exciting sci-fi comedy adventure it undoubtedly hits the mark, with plenty of engaging action scenes and one or two surprising revelations later down the line. Towards its conclusion, the mission puts the team directly in the path of Buzz's sworn enemy Emperor Zurg, voiced here by James Brolin, who leaves the title character with a moral dilemma that will pose some interesting questions for the young audience, as any science-fiction tale worth its salt should. Pixar movies have always been especially brilliant at creating lovable and hilarious characters, and Lightyear once again excels in this department. Sox, a robotic cat assigned to Buzz towards the beginning of the film, is sure to be the breakout star, providing the bulk of the laughs and often helping the gang in their time of need. (In fact, Sox is such a great character that you wonder why the most sought-after toy in the Toy Story universe was Buzz and not him.) Mo Morrison – another comic relief character voiced by Taika Waititi – is slightly less successful, but on the whole, the group dynamic between the central heroes works well, and there are some great moments between Buzz and Izzy Hawthorne, the young upstart played by Keke Palmer. The voice performances across the board are also generally well done – it's to Chris Evans' credit that you never feel like you're simply listening to Captain America in the main role – and several of the space backdrops are genuinely stunning to look at, with Pixar's animators doing a stellar job of creating an enjoyable intergalactic world for its audience to get lost in. Where the film isn't quite so successful – and perhaps this is nitpicking – is that it feels very much like a film made in the early 2020s rather than one that was released in the 1990s, which is when it would have roughly come out according to the Toy Story timeline. This is where a little more invention might have been welcome – leaning into a more retro aesthetic would have added another dimension to a film that for all its charms does feel a little inconsequential when all is said and done. Still, even if it doesn't quite go to infinity and beyond, this is an enjoyable addition to the Pixar canon – which includes more of the well-meaning life messages we've come to expect from the animation studio and enough good moments to keep its target audience firmly entertained throughout. Lightyear is released in UK cinemas on Friday 17th June 2022. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide, or visit our Movies hub for more news and features. The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
The Pixar film features the voices of Rosalia Chang, Sandra Oh and James Hong.
Pixar’s new animated movie Turning Red has made its debut on Disney Plus. The film tells a tale of teenage angst, revolving around the struggles of teenage girl Mei Lee (Rosalia Chiang) who, whenever she’s feeling stressed, morphs into a giant red panda – a metaphor for puberty. Talking about the film's remarkable subject matter, which is a landmark in representation for Pixar, Chiang told The Independent in an interview: “Sometimes puberty is treated as a taboo subject. In reality, everyone goes through that – every single person." “It’s normalised,” added Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), the voice of Mei’s mother Ming, “and even in its confusing way, I think, celebrated.” With Never Have I Ever's Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Blade Runner's James Hong rounding out the cast, Turning Red is a star-studded spectacular – while the British version even features a cameo from The Voice UK coach Anne-Marie. Turning Red features a fictional boy band 4*Town and original songs created by Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS. But while FINNEAS appears as a character in Turning Red, sadly Eilish does not appear in the film in cartoon form. Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of Turning Red – Pixar's latest family comedy. Rosalie Chiang plays Meilin 'Mei' Lee Who is Meilin 'Mei' Lee? Mei is a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl who discovers that she turns into a red panda whenever feeling any strong emotion. Where have I seen Rosalie Chiang before? Turning Red is the first motion picture Rosalie Chiang has appeared in, however she did take on a role in the TV series Clique Wars. Sandra Oh plays Ming Lee Who is Ming Lee? Ming Lee is Mei's overprotective, overbearing mother. Where have I seen Sandra Oh before? Sandra Oh is best known for starring as Eve Polastri in Killing Eve and Cristina Yang in Grey's Anatomy. The Golden Globe winner has also appeared in The Chair, Invincible, The Princess Diaries, Mulan II, Raya and the Last Dragon, American Crime and American Dad. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan plays Priya Who is Priya? Priya is Mei's Indo-Canadian friend and an excitable teenager – even if her deadpan voice and expressions may say otherwise. Where have I seen Maitreyi Ramakrishnan before? Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a Canadian actor who is best known for starring as Devi Vishwakumar in Netflix's Never Have I Ever. She is also the voice of Zipp Storm in the My Little Pony TV series and is set to star in upcoming film The Netherfield Girls. Ava Morse plays Miriam Who is Miriam? Miriam is Mei's tall friend with braces. Where have I seen Ava Morse before? Ava Morse is a young American actor who has appeared in Chicago PD, Ron's Gone Wrong and Somebody Somewhere. Hyein Park plays Abby Who is Abby? Abby is Mei's Korean Canadian friend. Where have I seen Hyein Park before? Turning Red is Hyein Park's first acting role, however she has worked as a storyboard artist on films like Toy Story 4, Soul, 22 vs. Earth, Max Steel: Team Turbo and Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie. Orion Lee plays Jin Lee Who is Jin Lee? Jin Lee is Mei's father. Where have I seen Orion Lee before? Orion Lee is best known for his roles in Critical and Skyfall but has also appeared in Silent Witness, Run, DCI Banks, Informer, Chimerica, Warrior and Zack Snyder's Justice League. Addie Chandler plays Devon Who is Devon? Devon is Mei's secret crush. Where have I see Addie Chandler before? Addie Chandler has appeared in American Horror Story, We Bare Bears, Harvey Beaks, Barbie Dreamtopia and Colin in Black & White. Wai Ching Ho plays Grandma Who is Grandma? Grandma is Mei's grandmother. Where have I seen Wai Ching Ho before? Wai Ching Ho is best known for playing Marvel character Madam Gao in Daredevil, Iron Fist and The Defenders. She has also appeared in Orange Is the New Black, Fresh Off the Boat, New Amsterdam, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Hustlers and The Sorcerer's Apprentice. James Hong plays Mr Gao Where have I seen James Hong before? James Hong is best known for starring in shows such as The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, Perry Mason, Hawaii Five-O, The Man from UNCLE and his roles in Wayne's World 2, Balls of Fury, Blade Runner, Mulan, Kung Fu Panda, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Star Wars: Visions. Additional cast members include Jordan Fisher (To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You), Josh Levi (Friday Night Lights), Topher Ngo, singer-songwriter Finneas O'Connell and Grayson Villanueva (Modern Family) play members of the boyband 4*Town, while pop star Anne-Marie makes a cameo as Lauren in the UK version of the film. Tristan Allerick Chen plays Tyler Who is Tyler? Tyler is Mei's classmate Where have I seen Tristan Allerick Chen before? Tristan Allerick Chen has appeared in WandaVision, The Kominsky Method, Ron's Gone Wrong, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Barbarian and the Troll. Read more on Turning Red: Turning Red review - An energetic puberty metaphor with plenty of personality How Turning Red’s visual style mimics the mind of a teenager Turning Red is streaming now on Disney Plus. Visit our Movies hub for more news and features and find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
How Pixar's Turning Red recreated early 2000s – with Billie Eilish's help
The film takes place in 2002 – and features all sorts of boybands, jelly bracelets, and Tamagotchis.
Like many great Pixar movies before it, brand new feature Turning Red tells a universal story rooted in the specific, exploring puberty from the perspective of a Chinese Canadian tweenager in the early 2000s. The film – which has now been released exclusively on Disney Plus – goes to great pains to recreate that specific setting, with director Domee Shi inspired by her own experiences growing up. "It was really fun," she explained to RadioTimes.com when asked about bringing the period to life. "I mean, I have nostalgia and fondness for the early 2000s, and I feel like it's actually coming back now. I feel like teens now embrace the early 2000s once again. "I just love how that era was so like... it's the beginning of the internet, that y2k kind of aesthetic. You would burn CDs for your friends and like mix CDs for your friends, you know, try to mate your Tamagotchis together. "That was like a thing I remember. That technology was like just coming in. But it wasn't like everybody was on social media at the time. I just felt like that was just a really rich period to kind of tell this story." "And especially at that age, like if you told it now there's no way to tell it without talking about social media and the influence of that," added producer Lindsey Collins. "So to tell it kind of pre-that, that kind of introduction allowed it to be a simpler and more relational story, right? "It's like, what matters to her are her friends and her family, not what everybody else in the world has to say. So I think that allowed it to be kind of a simpler and more kind of intimate portrayal of what it is to be 13." At a press event prior to the launch of the film, the creative team outlined some of the things they did to make that setting come across – from Mei's denim skirt to her obsession with fictional boyband 4*Town to the presence of flip phones, CDs and jelly bracelets. But one other key area in which the time period was brought to life was in the music, with prolific film composer and music producer Ludwig Goransson brought in to score the film. "In addition to his prowess in movie scores, he's also a music producer who has worked with, you know, Childish Gambino, Justin Timberlake, Adele, Lizzo, to name just a few," Collins explained. "So he brought this perfect mix of traditional score and also a deep early 2000s pop knowledge to the movie." And he wasn't the only prominent musician to play a big role in the finished film – pop sensation Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell also wrote songs for the film. And although Eilish would only have been an infant at the time the film was set, Collins said she was a perfect fit. "When we started thinking about songwriters who could capture the early 2000s sound and bring something fresh to it, Billie's name came up," she explained. "And after further research with the Disney music team, we had a better sense of Finneas and Billie and their influences, their style, and figured why not start with our dream choice?" Read more on Turning Red: Turning Red review - An energetic puberty metaphor with plenty of personality How Turning Red’s visual style mimics the mind of a teenager Turning Red is out now on Disney Plus. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Visit our Movies hub for more news and features and find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
How Turning Red’s visual style mimics the mind of a teenager
The creative team behind the new Pixar feature explain how they created the film's unique look.
In pitching and creating the new Pixar film Turning Red, director Domee Shi had a very particular visual style in mind from the very beginning. "I think the term we used a lot in meetings was 'Asian tween fever dream'," she explained in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "When we first started working on it, we really wanted the style to feel different. We wanted it to feel like our protagonist, like Mei Lee, like what would the world look like if it was from the eyes of this spunky, confident, dorky, larger-than-life tween girl?" On those terms, the film certainly succeeds. Turning Red brilliantly mimics the mind of its teenage protagonist, using a variety of different animation styles and techniques to create a loud, frantic energy that very much lets the audience believe they're seeing the world from Mei Lee's perspective. In order to get there, Shi explained, the creative team sought influences in a number of different directions. "We're inspired a lot by anime, but also by Western animation too," she said. "Like classic Warner Brothers and Disney and just, you can see that in how slapstick and goofy the characters act and behave in certain scenes. "But we really pushed the colours and the lighting of this world to really make it feel fresh and pastelly and vibrant – just like our main character." "Edgar Wright was also a big influence," added producer Lindsey Collins. "In the sense of like, how he would utilise camera, and, you know, his cutting pattern and stuff like that. That just felt so kind of active and stylised." "Definitely," Shi agreed. "We looked at a lot of like, how does live-action stylise the look of their movies? So we looked a lot at Edgar Wright, we looked at Wes Anderson. It was just, yeah, how do we push it, you know?" Speaking more specifically about the colours and lighting used for the film, production designer Rona Liu told RadioTimes.com and other press: "When planning for the progression of colour and lighting for the entire film, we're always looking to Mei and how her emotional state is tracking throughout the film. "Around the centre-line of the graph is where Mei feels calmer and more balanced, and she's feeling really confident. And any time we move above or below the centre-line, that's where we give ourselves the permission to go crazy with camera, colour, and light. Domee always described the vibe of this film as an Asian teenage fever dream, and I feel like we just captured all of that." Read more on Turning Red: Turning Red review - An energetic puberty metaphor with plenty of personality How Pixar's Turning Red recreated early 2000s – with Billie Eilish's help Turning Red is now available to watch on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year. Visit our Movies hub for more news and features and find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Sandra Oh explains why she was “very moved” by Turning Red scene
The Killing Eve star picked out a moment from the new Pixar film that particularly struck her.
Killing Eve star Sandra Oh has explained why one scene in new animated Pixar feature Turning Red left her feeling "very, very moved". In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, Oh – who plays the mother of main character Mei Lee in the film – explained that the moments that stood out most to her were those that explored the Chinese Canadian heritage of the central characters, something which she felt director Domee Shi handled particularly well. "I think Domee approaches it in such a good way," she explained. "Because it has to do with how culture is not static, traditions have to change. "It's important to know your history, but that's... one of my favourite scenes actually is an image of Mei as a panda trying to leave the temple and all her parents and all her aunties trying to keep her in. "I was very, very moved by that. You know, as a child of immigrants, you are constantly having this kind of pull between love and filial duty, and then your own independence. But that's what it is – one to become an independent adult, but two, that's how you actually move and you change culture." Oh stars alongside relative newcomer Rosalie Chiang in the film, while the Turning Red cast also includes Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Hyein Park, and Orion Lee. Speaking recently to RadioTimes.com, Chiang praised Pixar's ability to craft compelling stories that don't feature out-and-out villains. "I think it's important to always empathise with the other person, the other side," she said. "And I think Pixar has this incredible talent at telling stories without villains. "There's no villain in the story. And because there is no villains between parent and child, it's just complicated, different opinions, they clash, it's inevitable." Read more on Turning Red: Turning Red review - An energetic puberty metaphor with plenty of personality How Turning Red’s visual style mimics the mind of a teenager What age rating is Turning Red? How Pixar's Turning Red recreated early 2000s – with Billie Eilish's help Turning Red is available to watch on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year. Visit our Movies hub for more news and features and find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Disney's upcoming animated movie Turning Red is coming straight to Disney Plus.
Pixar’s new animated movie Turning Red is landing on Disney Plus this week. Turning Red tells a tale of teenage angst, revolving around the struggles of teenage girl Mei Lee (Rosalie Chang). Whenever Mei feels uncomfortable, she “poofs” into a giant red panda, in what is a metaphor for the reality for young girls as they’re hit with big mental and physical changes growing up. Chang previously opened up about how she relates to her character. "I went through puberty throughout this film," she said. "I mean, I was 12 when I started it, and I'm now 16. This film is unapologetic about tackling puberty. It's not trying to hide, it's not trying to be wishy washy. It just says it straight up." She added: "It's a really taboo subject, even though everyone goes through it." The Turning Red voice cast also features Killing Eve's Sandra Oh as Mei’s mother, Ming, and Orien Lee as Mei’s dad, Jin. Oh has said she jumped at the chance to voice a character for Turning Red. "I was just so happy there was a film about it," the star told the BBC. "Storytelling wise, I don't think we really mention it enough, so to be a part of a film that embraced puberty was important to me." So, when will the movie Turning Red be coming out on Disney Plus in the UK? Read on for all the latest streaming information. Is Turning Red coming to cinemas? Disney’s upcoming animated fantasy movie Turning Red won’t be coming to the big screen, marking the third Pixar movie in a row to premiere directly on Disney Plus. Making the announcement that Turning Red would debut directly on the streaming service, instead of coming to cinemas as had initially been planned, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution Kareem Daniel addressed the need for fresh content to boost Disney Plus' subscriber numbers, as well as the importance of flexibility for family audiences, the target demographic for Pixar, during the pandemic. “Disney Plus subscribers around the world enthusiastically embraced Pixar’s Academy Award-winning Soul and the critically-acclaimed Luca when they premiered exclusively on the service, and we look forward to bringing them Pixar’s next incredible feature film Turning Red," Daniel said. He continued: “Given the delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films, flexibility remains at the core of our distribution decisions as we prioritise delivering the unparalleled content of The Walt Disney Company to audiences around the world.” When is Turning Red coming to Disney Plus? Turning Red, which was initially slated to hit cinemas, will now debut on Disney Plus on 11th March 2022. There’s no plan for a Premier Access video-on-demand setup that was organised for Mulan. Instead, Turning Red will be available to all subscribers in the same way that Pixar’s previous two animated features, Soul and Luca, were. For international markets where Disney Plus hasn’t launched its service yet, the company has said that the film will premiere in cinemas on various timelines that are yet to be announced. How to watch Turning Red in the UK View oEmbed on the source website Turning Point will debut in homes worldwide on 11th March on Disney Plus at no added cost for all subscribers. In the UK, you can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year. Will Turning Red be released on DVD and Blu-ray? Turning Red is expected to be released on DVD and Blu-ray, but a release date is yet to be announced. Pixar’s last two movies – Soul in late 2020 and Luca in the middle of 2021 – were released on DVD and Blu-ray around three months after their Disney Plus premiere date. If Turning Red follows in their footsteps, we’d be looking at a potential June 2022 DVD and Blu-ray release date. The movie isn’t available to pre-order on DVD or Blu-ray but watch this space! Will Turning Red be available on Netflix? Sadly, Netflix will not be adding Turning Red to its extensive library. This shouldn't come as a surprise to fans, given that this is a Disney Pixar affair. Read more on Turning Red: Turning Red review - An energetic puberty metaphor with plenty of personality How Turning Red’s visual style mimics the mind of a teenager What age rating is Turning Red? How Pixar's Turning Red recreated early 2000s – with Billie Eilish's help Turning Red will be released on Disney Plus on 11th March 2022. Visit our Movies hub for more news and features and find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Turning Red release date: Cast, trailer for new Disney and Pixar movie
Pixar's next family feature crosses the Incredible Hulk with an adorable red panda.
Pixar movies has very much been enjoying stories based on the topic of animal transformations in recent years – and the new film from the animation studio might just be the most extreme example yet. Turning Red – which arrives on Disney Plus this week – tells the story of young Chinese Canadian tweenager Mei Lee, whose adolescent angst is made all the more difficult by the fact she transforms into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited. The film is the feature debut from director Domee Shi, who previously made the brilliant short Bao, and features a combination of great jokes, enjoyable cultural references to its early 2000s setting and interesting insights into immigrant communities. It seems certain that Pixar will manage to melt audiences' hearts once again with this unique tale of teenage angst - here's everything you need to know about Turning Red. Turning Red release date Turning Red will be released on Friday 11th March 2022, available exclusively to subscribers of Disney Plus. As was the case with Pixar's previous two offerings, Soul and Luca, Turning Red is not receiving a normal theatrical release but will only be available online. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year. Turning Red cast Rosalie Chiang will make her theatrical debut in the Turning Red cast as lead Mei Lee, having previously appeared in short films Soiled and The Interns. Sandra Oh will bring some star power as Mei's overbearing mother Ming, with Oh of course known for playing Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy between 2005 and 2014 and for her award-winning portrayal of the titular character in smash-hit spy thriller Killing Eve. Related: Turning Red star says Pixar is great at "telling stories without villains” The voice cast for the film also includes Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever), Ava Morse (Ron's Gone Wrong) and Hyein Park (Soul) as Mei's friends, while there are roles for Orion Lee (First Cow), Wai Ching Ho (Daredevil), and James Hong (Mulan). The film will was written and directed by Domee Shi, who previously directed the Oscar-winning Pixar short Bao which played before The Incredibles 2 in cinemas. She has worked on several other Pixar films, including as a storyboard artist on Toy Story 4 and Inside Out. Turning Red trailer Is there anything worse for a teenager than being embarrassed by their mum at school? Well, clearly turning into a giant red panda straight afterwards is - as shown in this adorable trailer that neatly showcases the film's premise. View oEmbed on the source website Turning Red plot Turning Red follows awkward 13-year-old Mei Lee who is struggling with the changing interests and relationships that come with adolescence - as well as the fact she transforms into a giant red panda whenever she becomes too excited. This isn't helped by her well-meaning but overprotective mother Ming, who is never far from her daughter - an unfortunate reality for a teenager. It seems that Mei's transformation will act as a metaphor for the changes of puberty, and that the mother-daughter relationship will be central to the movie - and a perfect opportunity for Pixar to tug at the heart strings once again. The film is set in Toronto during the mid-2000s, hence the Backstreet Boys track used in the film's first teaser. Always a stickler for detail, Pixar has snuck in several Canadian easter eggs in the trailer also, including the CN Tower in the background and the school's name which is a reference to Canadian Prime Minister Lester B Pearson. Read more on Turning Red: Turning Red review - An energetic puberty metaphor with plenty of personality How Turning Red’s visual style mimics the mind of a teenager What age rating is Turning Red? How Pixar's Turning Red recreated early 2000s – with Billie Eilish's help Turning Red is released on Disney Plus on 11th March 2022. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Visit our Movies hub for more news and features and find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Turning Red review: An energetic puberty metaphor with plenty of personality
The latest flick from Pixar doesn't quite hit the heights of the studio's greatest hits – but is still an enjoyable film with a distinct style of its own.
Puberty can be a difficult and confusing time for just about everyone – but few of us have to deal with a change quite as radical as that which affects Mei Lee, the protagonist of Pixar's latest feature animation Turning Red. Mei, a confident 13-year-old living in early noughties Toronto, is already beginning to suffer some of the downsides of adolescent angst when all of a sudden she finds herself being intermittently transformed into a giant red panda, hardly the thing she needed to calm her nerves. She's understandably rather dismayed – and extremely embarrassed – by the unusual metamorphosis, but soon finds a way to try and use it to her benefit. Taking advantage of the bemused wonder her newfound ability inspires in her classmates, she attempts to make use of the unwanted talent to raise funds so she can attend a gig by her favourite boyband, 4Town. And this being a Pixar film, of course, she learns some important and valuable life lessons along the way – about friendship, about the complex inner lives of her parents, and about the history of her Chinese Canadian family. Turning into a giant red panda is perhaps not the most subtle of metaphors for puberty, but the film is proudly loud in its approach throughout, full of a rather hectic energy that mostly works in its favour but occasionally feels a bit much. That frantic visual style can certainly take a little getting used to, especially after the relative quaintness of Pixar's most recently released film Luca, but it does allow director Domee Shi plenty of leeway to firmly stamp her authority on the story. View oEmbed on the source website Shi inventively uses a range of different animation styles and techniques to effectively mimic Mei's rather frenzied teenage mindset – presenting the film as an "Asian tween fever dream" as the director put it to RadioTimes.com. In some ways, that style is not unlike that used in hit HBO series Euphoria. It's perhaps a strange point of comparison – Turning Red certainly doesn't deal with sex or drugs, and is altogether more upbeat – but the ways in which the hectic visuals reflect the inner turmoil of its teenage protagonist, with everything seeming loud and important and dramatic, bears some resemblance. Like Luca before it, one of the film's main benefits is that it feels very much like a personal project rather than just another bland studio product, with a specificity of time and place that gives it an extra charm. Particularly fun is the way it brings to life its early noughties setting – through a combination of fashion, music, and regular appearances of Tamagotchis – although admittedly that milieu seems destined to appeal more to adult viewers who came of age at the turn of the millennium than to the younger cohort who comprise the film's main target audience. Meanwhile, another of Turning Red's strengths is its authentic portrayal of the Chinese Canadian community, with some interesting observations about cultural assimilation and holding on to one's roots that come to the fore after a revelation about Mei's family history in the second act. There are also some rather touching scenes. One conversation between Mei and her Dad – in which you get the sense she's properly realising for the first time that her parents are also complex people with their own pasts – is a highlight, while there is a nuanced depiction of teenage friendship, presented in all its messy glory with some bitter fallouts alongside the good times. In addition, there are a variety of great gags – in both dialogue and visuals – which will be sure to raise a few chuckles, while the lively voice cast, which includes newcomer Rosalie Chiang as Mei and Killing Eve star Sandra Oh as her mother, put in solid work. On the whole, the film doesn't quite reach the heights of Pixar's greatest hits – its loud, hectic approach can get a bit tiring at times, and the grandstanding setpiece in the final act feels a little out of place – but the beloved animation studio has set the bar pretty high over the years, and there's no shame in not quite managing to join the pantheon of all-time classics. Turning Red is still an interesting diversion from the studio's usual style, with some standout moments and an abundance of personality, and is certainly worth a watch when it lands on Disney Plus this week. Turning Red will be released on Disney Plus on 11th March 2022. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year. Visit our Movies hub for more news and features and find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Toy Story named best Pixar movie of all time by RadioTimes.com readers
The 1995 flick beat out 21 other films for the title.
For more than 25 years, Pixar has been entertaining children across the globe with its successful slate of animations, from Monsters, Inc to Inside Out – however, it is its very first feature film that has been voted its greatest of all time by RadioTimes.com readers. According to our exclusive poll, Toy Story is the best Pixar movies to come out of the studio, with 17 per cent of readers voting for the classic starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. First released back in 1995, the Academy Award-winning film follows a group of toys, led by cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks), who come alive when their owner Andy leaves the room, and it went on to become the third highest-grossing film of that year. Toy Story was a fairly clear winner in our Pixar poll, with 2008's WALL-E finishing in second place with nine per cent of the vote, while rodent cookery comedy Ratatouille was a close third with eight per cent. Both Monsters, Inc and The Incredibles received seven per cent of the vote, while tear-jerker Up followed with six per cent. Voters had 22 Pixar films to choose from in our extensive poll, from Finding Nemo (five per cent) and A Bug's Life (three per cent), to newer films like Inside Out (four per cent) and Onward (four per cent). It's worth noting however that Pixar's two latest films – Soul and Luca – were not included in the poll, but sequels such as Toy Story 4 (two per cent), The Incredibles 2 (one percent) and Cars 3 (one per cent) were. The Toy Story franchise is still going strong today, with spin-off film Lightyear set to arrive in cinemas next year, with Chris Evans voicing the original Buzz Lightyear. Meanwhile, if you're an MCU fan, why not check out our ongoing poll for our readers' favourite Marvel superhero, which is currently on its second round. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Soul producers reveal real life inspiration for the Great Before and Great Beyond: "It took a long time"
Producer Dana Murray and co-director Pete Docter explain the design inspiration for the new Pixar feature.
While one of the settings for the new Pixar film Soul will be very familiar to film fans – a brilliantly animated version of New York City – there are also several prominent scenes that take place in another world entirely. This is the world of The Great Before and The Great Beyond, a sort-of otherworldy celestial kingdom in which central character Joe Gardner finds himself after falling down a sinkhole while crossing the road. Like many of Pixar's settings, there is a great deal of visual invention on show in The Great Before and Great Beyond, both in terms of the design of the world itself and the characters who reside there. RadioTimes.com spoke to the film's producer Dana Murray and co-director Pete Docter about the inspirations for that design. Explaining the process, Murray said: "With all our films we try to start with research. Obviously, we couldn't go on a research trip to this world, but we wanted to speak to a lot of spiritual and religious leaders, who would talk about the soul, and the words that they would use were like non-physical and ethereal. "And so luckily we work with really incredible artists at Pixar, but it took a long time – and you know I think what was the major inspiration with the sets was probably the World's Fair." Docter confirmed that the World's Fair was indeed the main source of inspiration for the way The Great Before ended up looking, but he admitted that they almost went in a rather different direction. "We sort of started with Ancient Greece because you think of that as the centre of knowledge and philosophy," he said. "And then we were like, well, we don't want to say that everybody comes from Greece you know, it's got to be more generic or at least non-culturally specific. "And so with the World's Fair a lot of the architecture is meant to be aggrandising and important so that felt like it fit. So some of these pavilions and things are these very simple shapes that were designed with the hope that they would imply something happens when you walk in, so you're changed. Which is, of course, the purpose of this thing!" Soul arrives on Disney+ on Christmas Day 2020. You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Pixar's Soul ending explained: What happens to Joe and 22?
Unpicking the conclusion to the life-affirming latest from Pixar.
Pixar has returned with its latest original feature – another delightful family film that deals with some pretty heavy themes in an imaginative and endlessly fun way. Soul tells the life-affirming story of Joe Gardner, a middle school music teacher who unexpectedly finds himself undergoing a very unusual fight for his life that sees him mentor a soul-in-training in a bid to help her find her spark. The film is packed with delights for kids and adults, but the fairly high concept-nature of it might mean some younger viewers – and perhaps even some older ones – need a little bit of help in unpacking the ending. We've provided our explanation of the events at the conclusion of the film below, so read on to find out exactly what happens to Joe and 22. Soul ending explained Before we explain the ending, it will probably be helpful to provide a brief recap of events up until the final moments. The film begins with music teacher and jazz lover Joe Gardner finally getting what looks to be a big break – playing piano for the legendary Dorothea Willimas quartet – but shortly after he gets the news he falls into a sinkhole in the road and finds himself in The Great Before, a place where new souls are prepared for life on Earth. The long and short of it is that Joe has died falling down the sinkhole, and his final task before spending eternity in The Great Beyond will be to mentor a soul in order that she is ready for life. Joe is given the seemingly impossible task of training up 22, a particularly difficult Soul who has already proven too much to handle for the likes of Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln. And so the two decide on a plan: if Joe can help 22 find her spark (which he takes to mean her purpose in life), she will give him her Earth pass such that he can return to Earth instead and carry on living his life. Things hit all sorts of snags though, and after an encounter with the mystic Moonwind (voiced by none other than Graham Norton) Joe and 22 find themselves on Earth but living in the wrong bodies – Joe's soul is in the body of a cat, while 22 is in Joe's body. But despite some early difficulties, 22 soon discovers that she was wrong to have regarded life with such cynicism, and by living in Joe's body she begins to realise what life is all about – finding her spark in the process. View oEmbed on the source website The pair soon return to the Great Before, and find that 22 has earned her Earth pass – meaning that she is now ready for life – and she seems determined to renege on their earlier deal and head to Earth for real herself. Joe and 22 find themselves arguing: Joe says that since she only found her spark by living in his body and still hasn't actually found her purpose, she's not really ready for Earth, and it should be him that returns instead. Sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. In a conversation with one of the Jerrys (the leaders of The Great Before) Joe is told that he had been viewing the idea of a spark all wrong: souls aren't assigned specific purposes, but rather a spark simply relates to the joy of living and being alive. Certain that this is wrong and that his spark is music, Joe takes the Earth pass and returns to Earth to finally play the set with Dorothea Williams, while 22 becomes convinced that she has no purpose. After the set, Joe goes home to play piano and, inspired by his time with 22, he enters 'the zone' – which sees him return to the area of The Great Before in which the mystic Moonwind travels. Here, Joe tells Moonwind that he messed up and needs to find 22 – who he discovers has become a 'lost soul' – a soul which is distracted by something that sees them become disconnected from life. Joe and Moonwind track her down, and Joe attempts to give her his Earth pass, but she reacts angrily. Eventually, he is able to tell her that he was wrong and she is ready to live, she did get her spark. And so he helps take her to the portal to allow her to begin life on Earth, realising in the process that he won't be able to return to his body, but he tells 22 that that's OK: he's already lived, and now it's her turn. But just as he's about to go to The Great Before to spend the rest of Eternity, Joe is stopped by one of the Jerrys, who tells him that he has inspired them so much that they have gifted him another chance – and they will send him back to Earth after all. Asked how he's going to spend the rest of his life, he responds, "I'm not sure, but I do know I'm going to live every minute of it." His experience with 22 has taught him that a spark doesn't just relate to a specific purpose or talent, but to the way in which we live life itself. Soul arrives on Disney+ on Christmas Day 2020 – learn more about the Soul cast. You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Soul soundtrack – everything you need to know about the music for the Pixar film
The studio drafted in some big names to score and soundtrack the new film.
Music is absolutely central to Soul – Pixar's excellent new feature about a jazz lover and music teacher who falls down a sinkhole while crossing the road and finds himself mentoring an unborn soul in 'The Great Before'. It's no surprise, then, that the beloved animated studio drafted in some top-name talent to score and soundtrack the film, with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross scoring the scenes set in The Great Before and Jon Batiste writing jazz songs for the New York-based sections. Batiste, who is an acclaimed bandleader, spoke to RadioTimes.com about what he hoped to bring to the film with his music and explained how he hoped his compositions would complement the score provided by Reznor and Ross. "I wanted to make something that had a really optimistic and melodic sort of feeling so people could hum the songs and sing the songs, and also have these chords that felt like the joy of life and joy of living encapsulated in these harmonies," he explained. "And on top of that all that I was thinking of Trent and Atticus and their style of scoring for The Great Before and the Great Beyond and all of the different celestial aspects of the film, and trying to infuse these compositions with that on a subconscious level that kind of continued to evolve and grow. "Then when the celestial aspect comes across even further, like when Joe gets into a flow state which we call 'in the zone' in the film, he's tapping into that celestial plane so then the music has to shift a little bit more, leaning to that side of things. So that was a spectrum that I created for myself." Batiste also revealed that the age range of the band playing his music stretched from 18-year-old to 95-years-old, something which he hopes comes across in the film. "We had the great Roy Hanks who's 95 years old," he said. "He played with Louis Armstrong, he played with Charlie Parker, Charles Menzies, Thelonious Monk. This is one of the last creators of the music left on the planet and his vibration and his energy is on the score. "And there are so many musicians like that, like Harvey Mason. I mean there's a list of musicians from aged 95 to 18 and I think that that is something that will be felt as well." In addition to his compositions and the score provided by Reznor and Ross, Batiste also arranged a new version of The Impressions' "It's All Right", while R&B artist Cody Chesnutt wrote, produced, and performed an original song for the film, titled Parting Ways. You can check out the full tracklisting below: Overture – AJR Brand New – Ben Rector The Great Beyond – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Falling – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross The Great Before/U Seminar – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Jump to Earth – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Terry Time – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Joe's Life – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Portal – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Run/Astral Plane – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Lost Soul – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Meditation/Return to Earth – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Terry Time Too – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross 22 is Ready – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Pursuit/Terry's World – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Betrayal – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Lost – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Ephiphany – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Ship Chase – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Escape/Inside 22 – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Flashback – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Earthbound – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Thank You – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Enjoy Every Minute – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Just Us – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Born to Play – Jon Batiste Bigger Than Us – Jon Batiste Collard Greens and Cornboard Strut – Jon Batiste Joe's Lowdown Blues – Jon Batiste 22's Getaway – Jon Batiste Apex Wedge – Jon Batiste Let Your Soul Glow – Jon Batiste Feel Soul Good – Jon Batiste Looking at Life – Jon Batiste Fruit of the Vine – Jon Batiste The Epic Conversationalist/Born to Play – Jon Batiste Celestial Spaces in Blue – Jon Batiste Spiritual Connection – Jon Batiste The Initial Pursuit – Jon Batiste It's All Right – Jon Batiste Space Maker – Jon Batiste Cristo Redenetor – Jon Batiste Danceland – Jon Batiste Epistrophy – Jon Batiste I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart – Jon Batiste Blue Rondo a la Turk – Jon Batiste The soundtrack is released in full on Friday 18th December ahead of the film's Christmas Day launch, on two separate albums: one with Reznor and Ross's score and the other with Batiste's compositions. Soul arrives on Disney+ on Christmas Day 2020. You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
The latest feature from the animation studio once again deals with heavy themes in a light-handed manner.
There can be few film studios with a better track record of delivering wonderful family entertainment than Pixar, and its latest feature animation is another delight for adults and children alike. Soul stars the voice of Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx as jazz lover and middle school music teacher Joe Gardner, who finds himself sent to the 'Great Before' after an accident while crossing a road – shortly after he'd landed a gig playing for legendary jazz musician Dorothea Williams. In the Great Before, Joe is tasked with mentoring a particularly difficult 'soul-in-training' who has previously been unsuccessfully prepared for Earth by a string of historical figures – including Gandhi, Muhammad Ali, and Carl Jung – and must work with the soul to get back to Earth before his body dies. As we've come to expect from a Pixar joint, the film deals with a number of deep subject matters and heavy themes in an accessible and playful manner, so what age rating has it been handed by the BBFC? Read on for everything you need to know. What age rating is Soul? Soul has been given a PG rating by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which, of course, indicates Parental Guidance. The reasons given for the PG rating, as opposed to a U certificate, are mild bad language and fantasy threat, with the longer description from the BBFC reading: "There is infrequent mild bad language ('c**p'), as well as milder terms, such as 'God' and 'butt'. There are scenes of mild fantasy threat, in which characters find themselves in another realm that controls life and death. The main protagonist dies, but this is comically presented, without any detail of injury, and he is immediately transformed into a colourful blob-like state. "Other scenes contain darker blob-like beings, which initially appear threatening, but do not bring about any harm. There is also a scene in which a character is surrounded by looming figures who make belittling comments but the emphasis is on the resourcefulness of the protagonist to help rescue them both." So while the film deals with the subject of death – in a similar vein to earlier Pixar smash Coco – it is done so in a way that should not be too disturbing for young children. Soul arrives on Disney+ on Christmas Day 2020. You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Soul co-director says it was "crucial" to accurately portray African American culture in new Pixar film
A number of consultants were brought in, including musician Jon Batiste and playwright Kemp Powers – who eventually became a co-director.
Pixar's latest film Soul is set across two very different worlds –the ethereal and imagined world of The Great Beyond, and the very real world of modern day New York City. The New York scenes take place primarily in the city's African-American communities, as we follow the journey of jazz lover Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), and the film's co director Pete Docter has said it was of vital importance to portray the community's culture accurately and authentically. "I think it was crucial," he told RadioTimes.com. "It wouldn't have had the authenticity in the film otherwise, and I think that's the real power – when you see a story that's told well that reflects accurately what's going on in the world, I think that's what lends it strength." Sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. In a bid to ensure that authenticity was present in the script, Docter drafted in successful playwright Kemp Powers to join the writing team, and Powers made such an impact that he ended up as a co-director. "He came in as a writer first of all," Docter explained. "But then ultimately he just kept contributing so much to the film in terms of what Joe would have up in his apartment, how he would speak with his mother, and not only that but a huge knowledge of music and jazz. So making him a co-director was a natural thing and I think the right thing for the film." In addition to Powers, a number of other consultants were brought in during development to ensure African-American culture was being portrayed accurately, including musicians Herbie Hancock and Terri Lyne Carrington and and two of the film's stars, Questlove and Daveed Diggs. Another of those consultants was bandleader Jon Batiste, who composed much of the music for the film's soundtrack. Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Batiste explained that he was honoured to be involved with the project. "You know it was an honour for me to be a part of this," he said. "Because I do think it represents so much of the culture and [provides] representation of Black culture and jazz culture, in a way that I think will be appealing to all ages. "Young people will hear the music in this context and see the beautiful animation and see the storyline, and really feel something that I think hasn't been felt in the context of this kind of music, maybe ever. It's a real honour to have been part of that process." Soul arrives on Disney+ on Christmas Day 2020. You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
When is the release date for Disney Pixar's Soul? Voice cast, plot and more
Everything you need to know about Pixar's second brand new feature of the year.
Christmas is just around the corner and so is the release of Soul – Pixar's latest animated flick starring Jamie Foxx as a teacher who, after an unfortunate accident, finds himself stuck in limbo. In the run-up to the studio's second release of 2020, fans have been treated to a first-look at Soul, introducing teacher Joe (Foxx) as he encourages his music students to get lost in the jazz they're playing. It's been a bumpy road for the upcoming Pixar movies, which has faced multiple delays due to the ongoing pandemic – however fans will be able to stream the flick on Disney+ over the festive season as it bypasses a theatrical release. (You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month.) Here’s everything you need to know about the jazz inspired feature. When is the release date for Disney Pixar's Soul? Pixar film Soul is now due to be released in the UK on Christmas Day, 25th December 2020, bypassing a cinema release and heading straight to streaming platform Disney+. Bob Chapek, Disney's CEO, said of the decision, "We are thrilled to share Pixar’s spectacular and moving ‘Soul’ with audiences direct to Disney+ in December. “A new original Pixar film is always a special occasion, and this truly heartwarming and humorous story about human connection and finding one’s place in the world will be a treat for families to enjoy together this holiday season.” There has been no indication that Disney will charge a premium fee for access to the film as was the case with the recent release of Mulan, so it is assumed that the film will be available with a regular subscription at no extra cost. Soul was originally due to be released in cinemas across the UK on Friday 19th June 2020, but the release date was then pushed back to Friday, 20th November 2020 before settling on the later date. The move is part of a major release schedule shake-up at Disney following the shut-down of productions and closure of cinemas amid the coronavirus pandemic. Black Widow and Mulan were also affected, while Artemis Fowl was moved to a Disney+-only release. What is Disney Pixar's Soul about? The film follows the story of music teacher Joe Gardner, who has one great ambition – to perform live jazz music onstage. Tragically, just as Joe is finally offered a chance to shine, a bizarre accident causes his body and soul to become separated - with his soul sent to a strange place called the “You Seminar.” Here, Joe has to work with other souls to help them gain passions that can be transferred to newborn children, as he attempts to return to Earth before it is too late… Who is in the voice cast of Disney Pixar's Soul? As ever, Pixar has had no problem attracting some major talent to the project – with Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) voicing the main role of Joe and Tina Fey (30 Rock) starring as the voice of 22, a soul who has been trapped in the You Seminar for years. Also lending their voices to the film are musician Questlove, who plays a drummer in Joe’s band called Curly, Phylicia Rashad (Creed) as Joe’s mother and Daveed Diggs (Blindspotting) who plays Paul – described as Joe's neighbourhood nemesis. Is there a trailer for Disney Pixar's Soul? Yep – a full length trailer was released in October 2020 which shows the main character's soul travel to a place which he's informed is called "The Great Before", where new soul's are given their personalities and quirks. He's then trusted with a baby soul as they travel back to Earth, with his voice heard saying, "life is full of possibilities, you just need to know where to look", but soon realises that he can't smell, taste or touch without his body. Check it out below: View oEmbed on the source website Prior to that, a teaser trailer for the film had been released. Take a look at the first look clip below: View oEmbed on the source website More recently, Pixar released a first-look clip from the upcoming film, in which we see Joe teaching his class about the importance of getting lost in jazz playing. For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 View oEmbed on the source website There are also some first-look images from Soul's official Twitter account. View oEmbed on the source website You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
The voice cast for Pixar's latest includes an Oscar winner, a modern comedy great and a Hamilton star.
Pixar's upcoming film Soul might not be getting the release it was originally hoping for due to coronavirus, but it's safe to say fans are as excited as ever about a new movie from the beloved animation studio. Originally intended for a cinema release, the film will now launch on Disney+ on Christmas Day, and if early reviews are anything to go by it should make for an excellent festive treat for the whole family. The film follows a middle school music teacher whose soul is sent to the Great Beyond after an accident, meaning he has to work with a 'soul-in-training' in order to return to Earth before his body dies. Pixar movies have traditionally been able to call on a stellar line-up of talent to voice its animated creations, and that's no different for the new film – which sees a string of A-listers star. Sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Read on for everything you need to know about the cast, which includes an Oscar winner, a modern comedy great and a Hamilton star. Jamie Foxx plays Joe Gardner Who is Joe Gardner? Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher whose true passion is playing jazz, and he’s good. He dreams of playing piano professionally and has long been waiting for his big break, but finds himself suddenly in the Great Beyond after an accident while crossing the road. What else has Jamie Foxx been in? A musician as well as an actor, Foxx has had a huge array of Hollywood roles, with highlights including an Oscar-winning performance as Ray Charles in Ray, the lead role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained and his role in Collateral – which also earned him an Academy Award nomination. Other roles have included Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and appearances in Baby Driver, Just Mercy, and the recent Netflix film Project Power. Tina Fey plays 22 Who is 22? 22 is a precocious soul who has spent hundreds of years at The You Seminar, where new souls must meet several requirements before going to Earth. Like every soul before her, 22 has been through the Personality Pavilions, which explains her endearing sarcasm, quick wit and occasional moodiness. What else has Tina Fey been in? Fey is a legend of modern comedy – having created the hit sitcoms 30 Rock (which she also starred in) and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, while she's also written several films, famously including Mean Girls. She was also previously a cast member on Saturday Night Live, while previous big-screen roles have included Muppets Most Wanted, Sisters and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Questlove plays Curley Who is Curley? Curley is one of Joe Gardner’s former students who nurtured his own passion for music into adulthood, landing a coveted spot in Dorothea Williams’ jazz quartet. The accomplished drummer never forgot his favourite teacher-slash-jazz pianist, so when an opportunity for a piano player arises, Curley gets Joe the audition of a lifetime. What else has Questlove been in? Questlove is best known as a musician, and is notably the drummer and joint frontman of the acclaimed hip-hop band The Roots, who also serve as the house band on Tonight With Jimmy Fallon. He's not got too many previous acting credits to his name, but he did star as himself in both Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and the Netflix film Someone Great. Phylicia Rashad plays Libba Gardner Who is Libba Gardner? Joe's mother, his biggest fan, and his kind-hearted truth-teller. She is a proud businesswoman who’s owned a successful tailor shop in Queens for decades. Her late husband, Joe’s father, was a struggling musician, so Libba was the primary breadwinner for the family. What else has Phylicia Rashad been in? Rashad first found fame as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show in the '80s, and has since established herself as a leading stage actress, becoming the first Black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun in 2004. Big screen credits have included For Colored Girls and Good Deeds, while she played the role of Mary Anne Creedin both Creed and Creed II. Daveed Diggs plays Paul Who is Paul? The neighbourhood cynic who’s often seen at the local barbershop. While he often butts heads with Joe, Paul generally has something negative or sarcastic to say about most anyone who enters the shop. What else has Daveed Diggs been in? An actor, rapper and singer, Diggs is probably best known for originating the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the musical Hamilton, starring in the recording that recently made its way onto Disney+. Earlier in 2020, he led the cast for the TV adaptation of Snowpiercer, while films roles have included Wonder, Velvet Buzzsaw and Blindspotting – the latter of which he also wrote and produced. Angela Bassett plays Dorothea Williams Who is Dorothea Williams? A world-renowned jazz legend who’s earned her place among the greats. Confident, strong and poised, she is also truly talented when it comes to her saxophone playing. What else has Angela Bassett been in? Basset has a wealth of screen credits to her name, including an Oscar-nominated turn as Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It as well as roles in a string of acclaimed films including Boyz n the Hood, Malcom X, and Contact. She'll also be familiar to fans of the MCU, having starred as Ramonda in Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame, while other recent roles have included London Has Fallen, Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Bumblebee. Graham Norton plays Moonwind Who is Moonwind? The product of a midlife awakening, which led his former self to change his name and his day job to seek a happier life, Moonwind is now a devoted sign twirler on a Manhattan street corner. What else has Graham Norton been in? Norton will need no introduction to UK audiences – he is the host of the nation's most popular chat show, the voice of Eurovision, and a judge on the UK version of RuPaul's Drag Race, not to mention his various other presenting gigs through the year. As far as film appearances go, they've been few and far between – although he did star as himself in both Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Rachel House plays Terry Who is Terry? A peculiar extension of the team of The Great Before, charged with the singular duty of keeping track of the entrants to The Great Beyond. What else has Rachel House been in? Kiwi actor House has appeared in several of the films of Taika Waititi, including Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok, and will also appear in his upcoming Next Goal Wins. She also lent her voice to the character Gramma Tala in Disney's 2016 smash Moana. For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides. The ensemble cast for Soul also includes Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd), Alice Braga (Queen of the South), Wes Studi (Avatar), Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project), Zenobia Shroff (The Big Sick), Donnell Rawlings (The Wire), June Squibb (Nebraska) and Esther Chae (Bosch). Soul arrives on Disney+ on Christmas Day 2020. You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Vote for the best Pixar movie in our poll
Have your say on the beloved animation studio's best film ahead of the release of Soul.
Since Pixar burst onto the scene with its first feature Toy Story in 1995, the studio has dominated the animation scene – with a string of critically acclaimed movies helping it win millions of adoring fans. This Christmas, the latest original film from the studio is being released, with Soul arriving on Disney+ on Christmas Day itself, having debuted to rave reviews at this year's London Film Festival. In anticipation of the new film, we're asking readers to select their favourite of the previous 22 features in a bid to determine the most popular Pixar movies so far. Is your favourite film one from the studio's early years, such as Toy Story or A Bug's Life, or do you prefer some of their more recent output such as Coco or 2020's Onward? Perhaps you reckon one of the many sequels is the best of the bunch, like Toy Story 3 or Finding Dory, or maybe you're a fan of one of the less talked about films such as Brave or The Good Dinosaur? Then again, there's a good chance your favourite could come from the studio's incredible run of original films in the late '00s, which saw the release of Ratatouille, Wall-E and Up in consecutive years. There certainly isn't a lack of options to choose from, and it will almost certainly be difficult to limit your choice to just one pick, but there are no wrong answers here – each film has undoubted merits. So, why not have your say and select your favourite option below! View Riddle on the source website Soul will be released on Disney+ on 25th December 2020. You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Check out the best movies on Disney+ and best shows on Disney+ or, if you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Onward director picks out part of film he's most proud of ahead of launch on Disney+
The Pixar film was a very personal project for director Dan Scanlon.
Pixar's latest film Onward arrives on Disney+ today, just over six months after it debuted in cinemas - and its director has picked out the moment from the film he's most proud of. Dan Scanlon, for whom the film was a very personal project, pointed to a scene towards the beginning of the film in which the main character Ian has a conversation with a tape recording of his father, who died when he was a young child. Scanlon himself lost his father at the age of just one, and like much of the film this moment was inspired directly from his own childhood. "There's a scene early in the movie where Ian, the main character, talks to his father the only way he can - which is via an old audio cassette recording of his dad," he told RadioTimes.com. "That's a really personal scene for me because I also had an audio cassette of my Dad where he only spoke two words - hello and goodbye - and although I didn't talk to it like Ian does, it's just a great example I think of taking something personal and dramatising it." Scanlon extensively mined his own experiences for the film, and he said he was wary of focusing too much on the personal. But the other writers and artists on the project were very keen for him to go as deep into his personal story as was necessary, and he said that they constantly encouraged him in that direction. "I think my fear was that I would get too stuck on the reality of what happened so I really probably pushed myself away from that for a little while and tried to get away from the personal story," he said. "And some of the other writers and artists on the film said 'you're pushing away too soon, don't back away too soon, we tell you if you become crazy and start making this literally about your family.' I was amazed how supportive they were for me to keep going deeper." Sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Of course, directors always hope for a positive reaction to their work - but when a film is so personal there must be that extra degree of apprehension about the release. And Scanlon said he's been bowled over by the response he's seen to the film since its original cinematic release, with the feedback having been extremely positive. "It's been so amazing, on social media there's been people sending their personal stories, how they connected with the film, how it's moved them, how family members and teachers and friends have supported them growing up. "And that's wonderful, I mean that's why we make movies and make art, it's to connect with people or to open up something in people, open a conversation. "People have told me that they called their brother or called their sister and said 'thank you so much' that's great, it's been really, really moving to see that." View oEmbed on the source website While Scanlon's favourite moment from the film comes early on in the runtime, for producer Kori Rae it's the ending that she's most proud of. Rae said that they'd planned the way the film was going to end for a number of years, and she was overwhelmed by the end result. "I was absolutely amazed at how the final climax of the film turned out. Visually, animation wise, story wise, emotionally - it kind of has it all," she said. And Rae is particularly happy with the way the film - as has been the case with so much of Pixar's output - is able to tackle challenging themes as well as providing entertainment for the whole family. "We have an opportunity in animation and storytelling in general to get families talking about challenging topics," she said. "And handling it in a way that is sensitive but will open the door for a conversation to happen for family members, or kids to see themselves in a movie and talk about something they may not have otherwise brought up with their parents or their sibling. "So I think that's the joy of the medium and the satisfaction we get as storyteller, to kind of do that to try and help some of those challenging conversations." Onward is available on Disney+ from Friday 2nd October 2020. You can sign up to Disney+ with an annual subscription for £59.99 or £5.99 a month. Fancy watching something else? We have the best TV shows on Disney Plus, the best movies on Disney Plus or our TV guide for something on TV tonight.
When will Onward be on Disney+ UK? How to watch online now and digital release date
Pixar's latest offering was affected by cinema closures
Prepare to be enchanted because Pixar's magical fantasy adventure Onward is officially headed to Disney+ next month. The latest film from the iconic studio behind Toy Story, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo follows two elf brothers, voiced by Marvel stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, as they attempt to bring their father back to life. Their quest will take them on an epic journey to find the magic they need, encountering amazing mythical creatures along the way and ultimately learning valuable life lessons. Onward is the latest major Disney flick to land on the studio's streaming service, following the digital release of Artemis Fowl, family drama The One and Only Ivan, and the live-action remake of Mulan. Read on for all the information you need about how to watch Onward on Disney Plus. When is Onward coming to Disney Plus UK? Onward will arrive on Disney+ on Friday 2nd October 2020. You can sign up to Disney+ for £59.99 a year or £5.99 a month to watch it. A digital copy of Onward is currently available for purchase on the Sky Store or Amazon for £13.99. In the US, Onward was one of the earliest theatrical films released early online in response to the pandemic, made available to purchase digitally from Friday 20th March and landing on Disney+ just two weeks later. However, as with the early US release of Rise of Skywalker, the UK had to wait a while longer to stream Onward on demand - the Pixar animation was available to purchase digitally and on DVD and Blu-ray from Friday 1st May. View oEmbed on the source website How to watch Onward online Onward is available from video on demand stores such as Amazon, Sky Store, Google Play and iTunes. It will be available on Disney+ UK from 2nd October. For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 Onward review Trevor Johnston reviewed Onward for Radio Times. Yes, the plot follows an expected path, but what's fresh and hilarious is how the film honours the fantasy genre while also giving it a good ribbing, and the love/hate central relationship is insightfully drawn. The blend of action, comedy and underling emotion proves unstoppably entertaining, and those who spent their youth playing Dungeons & Dragons will take special pleasure from it. You can also click to see how Onward was inspired by a touching true story. Onward is available to stream on Disney+ from Friday 2nd October. Sign up to Disney+ for £59.99 a year (or £5.99 a month). If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV guide.