• "Frozen II" had the biggest global opening ever for an animated movie with $358 million over the weekend.
• It earned an impressive $130 million domestically, but didn't top a few notable animated movies in that regard.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. 

"Frozen II" hit theaters over the weekend with $358 million at the worldwide box office, the biggest global opening for an animated movie ever.

It had a huge domestic opening, too, with $130 million. That's significantly more than the $67.4 million the first "Frozen" earned in its three-day domestic debut in 2013 (it earned $93.6 million over that five-day Thanksgiving weekend). 

But "Frozen II" still failed to top some of the biggest animated movies of all time in its domestic premiere.

We rounded up the biggest animated openings of all time below, unadjusted for inflation. They include plenty of Disney and Pixar offerings, but also some notable entries from Dreamworks.

The list favors newer releases, but if it accounted for inflation, it would likely look completely different. For instance, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and earned nearly $1 billion at the domestic box office after inflation.

Below are the 13 biggest domestic opening weekends ever for animated movies:

SEE ALSO: The hit 'Frozen II' song 'Into the Unknown' wasn't originally in the movie

13. "Zootopia" (2016)

Domestic opening: $75.06 million

Domestic total: $341 million

Global total: $1.023 billion

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 97%

What critics said: "There are enough under-the-radar subtleties, rendered with a refreshing lack of smart-aleckiness, to make Zootopia feel current and fresh. It's a modest, unassuming entertainment that's motored by a sly sensibility."— Time Magazine

12. "Monsters University" (2013)

Domestic opening: $82.43 million

Domestic total: $268.5 million

Global total: $743.6 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 80%

What critics said: "I'm not sure I needed to revisit Mike and Sulley's world 12 years later (or, looked at from their point of view, earlier). But once you find yourself whisked over the threshold, it's a colorful, funny, charming place to spend an afternoon."— Slate

11. "Despicable Me 2" (2013)

Domestic opening: $83.5 million

Domestic total: $368 million

Global total: $970.8 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 75%

What critics said: "Codirectors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, who do Minion voices expertly, never let up on the laughs. A fart joke in 3-D may not be three times as wacky, but the high spirits of Despicable Me 2 are irresistible fun."— Rolling Stone

10. "Inside Out" (2015)

Domestic opening: $90.44 million

Domestic total: $356.5 million

Global total: $857.6 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 98%

What critics said: "What's most refreshing about 'Inside Out' is its inversion of the standard prescriptions of big-budget animation: It's ultimately about the importance of embracing sadness."— Associated Press

9. "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016)

Domestic opening: $104.35 million

Domestic total: $368.4 million

Global total: $875.5 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 73%

What critics said: "There's something quietly therapeutic about spending 90 minutes with some nutty, heroic furballs on a hero's journey with very low stakes."— The Atlantic

8. "Shrek 2" (2004)

Domestic opening: $108 million

Domestic total: $441.2 million

Global total: $923 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89%

What critics said: "Can an ogre live happily ever after? Can fairy tale characters be content with their fairy tale lives? Can an Oscar-winning animated success generate a successful sequel? To all these questions, Shrek 2 is happy to answer yes, yes and yes."— Los Angeles Times

7. "Toy Story 3" (2010)

Domestic opening: $110.3 million

Domestic total: $415 million

Global total: $1.07 billion

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 98%

What critics said: "It's still more inventive, clever and laugh-out-loud funny than any other movie out there now."— The Wrap

6. "Minions" (2015)

Domestic opening: $115.7 million

Domestic total: $336 million

Global total: $1.16 billion

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 55%

What critics said: "With its episodic stream of slapstick gags, Minions has moments of piquant absurdity, but mostly its shrill-but-cutesy anarchy works as a visual sugar rush for the preschool set."— Globe and Mail

5. "Toy Story 4" (2019)

Domestic opening: $120.9 million

Domestic total: $434 million

Global total: $1.073 billion

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 97%

What critics said: "The latest installment, 'Toy Story 4,' is perhaps the bleakest (and most beautiful) of them all."— Salon

4. "Frozen II" (2019)

Domestic opening: $130 million

Domestic total (so far): $130 million

Global total (so far): $350 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 75%

What critics said: "Because the first movie generated such a bracing gust of enthusiasm, Frozen 2 will inevitably be nitpicked and judged against those lofty standards. Still, there's plenty to enjoy for those willing to chill out, and yes, let the past go."— CNN

3. "Finding Dory" (2016)

Domestic opening: $135 million

Domestic total: $486.3 million

Global total: $1.28 billion

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94%

What critics said: "It's watchable, with all the wonderful animation technique that we are in danger of taking for granted. But it's basically a footnote or retread of the movie which melted everyone's heart 12 years ago."— Guardian

2. "Incredibles 2" (2018)

Domestic opening: $182.7 million

Domestic total: $608.6 million

Global total: $1.24 billion

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94%

What critics said: "Every frame is packed with fantastic detail and cutting-edge animated magic while staying true to the original movie's charming visual feel."— CNet

1. "The Lion King" (2019)

Domestic opening: $191.8 million

Domestic total: $543.6 million

Global total: $1.65 billion

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 53%

What critics said: "By this point, Disney's do-overs feel a lot like their cash-grabby, inspiration-free '90s direct-to-video sequels, only with vastly better production values."— San Diego Reader

• If you're looking for a convenient last-minute gift, Disney now offers a gift subscription for one year of Disney+. 
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• Even with all the CGI out there, practical effects and stunts still existed in movies in 2019.
• Disney brought their animated classics to live-action life with "Dumbo,""Aladdin," and "The Lion King."
• The biggest visual effects trend was de-aging, seen in everything from "Captain Marvel" to "The Irishman."
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Join the conversation about this story »

• The 2010s was the decade of the superhero movie.
• The Marvel Cinematic Universe took over multiplexes and the "Avengers" movies wrapped up in the most satisfying way imaginable with "Endgame."
• The DC Extended Universe stumbled with "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" but found its footing when they introduced Wonder Woman and then gave her a standalone movie.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: The 2010s was the decade of the superhero movie. We saw the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe along with a bunch of onscreen appearances of heroes from DC, the X-Men, and even Pixar. Here are the top moments and scenes from superhero movies in the last decade.

- Just leave her alone and everything will be fine.

- The anti superhero film "Kick-Ass" helped usher in the decade of the superhero. The movie is probably remembered for this scene where the 11 year old Hit Girl takes out an entire room of henchmen.

- Meenie, miney, mo.

- The R rated superhero flick didn't start and stop there.

- Oh, oh hello.

- 2016's "Deadpool" was an envelope pushing smash.

- Did I leave the stove on?

- The movie's opening car chase truly exemplifies the spirit of the film where you have Deadpool just breaking the fourth wall to talk to the audience while taking out the bad guys.

- Rich Corinthian leather.

- Ugh.

- We'll say Ryan Reynold's third attempt at being in a superhero movie went a lot better.

- Stop or we will shoot.

- Freeze him Charles.

- I can't.

- [Cop] Hands up!

- The X-Men prequels started off really strong early in the decade and then ended on a disastrous note. Let's just cherish this shoot in Quicksilver time, which is one of the coolest slow motion shots since "The Matrix's" bullet time. The super fun sequel rightly teamed up Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne. The movie's most memorable scene comes when The Wasp has to fend for herself in the kitchen. Meat tenderizers are flying at her, she has to shrink and grow and deal with all these other related kitchen objects. And it's really a chance for Evangeline Lilly to shine. Marvel waited way too long to make it's first female superhero movie. 11 years into the MCU the studio delivered Captain Marvel and gave us this scene showing everybody why Carol Danvers is the most powerful hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Carol is being held by the Supreme Intelligence, rips out her power dampener and delivers this line.

- I've been fighting with one arm tied behind my back, but what happens when, I'm finally set free.

- Then she fully powers up into her binary form and we see just how powerful Captain Marvel really is. For Guardians we could've gone with Groot dancing or even Quill dancing, but sometimes a memorable moment, it's not even about the characters. Take this scene where the Guardians fly into the lawless Nowhere and David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" is blasting on the soundtrack. ♪ Freak out in a moonage daydream oh yeah ♪ Not only is it full of awesome establishing shots further building out Marvel's galactic onscreen presence, but unknown to us at the time, it also sets up the location of a pivotal scene from "Infinity War". Freak out, far out, indeed.

- [Mera] Welcome home.

- Speaking of sweeping landscapes, how about the first glimpse of Atlantis in "Aquaman." Who could've thought the Atlantis of the comics could be brought to life so vividly. Just watch the giant tortoises and whales flying over your head and let your imagination run wild. Bonus points to this movie for including a few things constantly mocked about Aquaman and making them kind of awesome.

- Okay now I can turn invisible. Selecting a bagel. Act super normal.

- Spider-Man?

- You know that's funny, I get that a lot.

- Spider-Man had a very weird decade. He was portrayed by multiple actors and was the subject of a massive fight between two rival studios. This was one of the high points of Spider-Man on the big screen. In fact "Into the Spider-Verse" even picked up the Oscar for best animated film. Wanna know why this movie got that Oscar? Just take a look at this stunning scene where Peter B. Parker and Miles Morales are swinging through the woods. Miles is finally starting to get the hang of the web slinging.

- Okay, thwip and release. Thwip and release. Thwip

- And release.

- You're a natural. Thwip

- Release!

- It's one of the many moments where this movie feels like a comic book come to life. And speaking of animated superheros Fans waited 14 years between "The Incredibles" and "The Incredibles 2". That first movie ended with a tease of baby Jack Jack's powers, emphasis on powers, plural. In the sequel, Jack Jack's powers went berserk when he went head to head with a raccoon. He was zapping it, smacking it, even tried to set it on fire. Really makes me wish Pixar would get into the superhero business full time. Marvel's on screen battles have just gotten better and better as time has gone on. This battle for Asgard on the Rainbow Bridge is set to Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" making it the perfect combination of song and fight scene. And when the song gets to "Valhalla, I am coming"♪ Valhalla, I am coming ♪ Valkyrie, long associated with Valhalla in Norse mythology, is swaggering across the bridge to enter the fight. And Thor's other allies, Loki, Hulk, Korg, Heimdall, and the rest of Asgard are all doing their part to take Hela and her forces down. With a brand new director, "Thor Ragnarok" was a breakthrough moment for the character on the big screen giving him much more humor than he had before.

- You're late.

- You're missing an eye.

- At the end of this movie, Cap wakes up in what he thinks is the 1940's only to discover that he's been frozen for 70 years. He's eventually met by Nick Fury. The twist was executed well and the movie also ended with one of the most heartbreaking lines in any superhero movie.

- Yeah, I just, I had a date.

- Steve Rodgers would finally get that date with Peggy in Endgame. And speaking of twists

- Don't hurt the face. I'm an actor.

- In "Iron Man 3", The Mandarin, who we're led to believe is the main villain, is nothing more than an actor.

- Just a role, The Mandarin, see it's not real.

- It's a clever twist, but also one of the MCU's most divisive moments. This never actually happened in the comics and if you we're a fan of them, you we're kind of deprived of the chance to see Iron Man face off against one of his oldest foes. Me, I feel like Marvel didn't have a whole lot of options. It was the studios fix for a character who was developed around a whole lot of racist tropes and stereotypes.

- At least you talk. Who are you?

- It doesn't matter who we are.

- "The Dark Night Rises" was gonna have a tough time topping 2008's "The Dark Night", but it came pretty close in this thrilling opening scene, which introduced us to Tom Hardy's Bane. It's an unforgettable opening, not just because they filmed it in real planes and also not because all of your friends had terrible Bane impressions after this movie came out.

- No one cared who I was til I put on the mask.

- The script says do a Bane voice but mines really bad. I was born in the dark. I can't do one. Wonder Woman makes her grand entrance, a bright spot in an other wise awful movie and a sign, not fully realized at the time, that there was a brighter future ahead for the DC Extended Universe. Just try to get that theme music out of your head. We're gonna come back to Wonder Woman in a little bit.

- Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?

- Now, this is among the absolute best fight scenes in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and it's not on a giant battlefield. It's just Captain America, a bunch of Hydra soldiers, and a very cramped elevator. This scene was so memorable, that it showed up again in "Endgame". This was by far the best of the solo Wolverine movies. It was the dark and emotional portrayal that the character always deserved. I could choose any action sequence from this movie that gave it it's R-rating, but Logan's death, really felt like everything was coming full circle, and it was truly the end of an era.

- Don't be what they made you.

- Logan's entire life has been a battle and he can finally be at peace. Now give us an X-23 movie already.

- Where is this one from?

- The Bobo Ashanti tribe from present-day Ghana, 19th century.

- "Black Panther" was a groundbreaking moment in pop culture. It's Best Picture nomination can attest to that, but it's not the movies hero I want to talk about. It's the villain, Killmonger, and his intro.

- How do you think your ancestors got these? You think they paid a fare price? Or did they take it like they took everything else?

- Perhaps you're already thinking "Hey is it even fair to call this guy the villain?"

- But I see through you.

- "Doctor Strange" expanded the MCU far beyond normal fighting. Nowhere is that more apparent than when Doctor Strange first meets The Ancient One and she takes him on quite the trip.

- [The Ancient One] What mysteries lie beyond the reach of your senses.

- The visuals feel like a callback to the original Steve Ditko creations from the '60s and it set up a lot of what was to come with reality bending and time travel later on in the MCU.

- Mysterio takes Spider-Man through a mind bending trip through a whole bunch of projections. It's mesmerizing and terrifying. Just look at zombie Tony Stark. This already feels like a sequence fans will be talking about for a very long time and other Spider-Man movies, both animated and live action, are gonna have a hard time topping it. The third Captain America movie isn't just about Cap. During a pivotal battle at an airport in Berlin, the Avengers found themselves divided. On one side, we had Iron Man joined by Spider-Man, Black Panther, and War Machine. And on the other, we had Captain America, with Falcon, Winter Soldier, and Giant Man. Scarlet Witch made cars fly through the air, Ant Man grew to the size of a skyscraper, and Spider-Man made "Star Wars" jokes.

- Hey guys! You ever see that really old movie, "Empire Strikes Back"?

- Jesus, Tony. How old is this guy?

- I don't know, I didn't carbon-date him.

- This made watching the team fall apart completely worth it. DC got ahead of the MCU with this female led superhero film. Set during the first World War, includes this thrilling scene set in No Man's Land where Diana marches across the battlefield drawing all the enemy fire so the soldiers can advance. If this sequence doesn't make you a Wonder Woman fan, nothing could. So, we've hit the top 3 and, yes, it's just going to be the Avengers movies here on out. When you think of superhero films from the last decade or so, this is probably the first image that comes to mind. At that point, we'd been waiting four years since the first Iron Man movie to see the core Avengers all together in one shot, suited up and ready for action. And this image is just straight up iconic. It's rare to see a superhero movie end on such a downer, but the snap in "Infinity War" proved to be the "Empire Strikes Back" of Avengers movies. And we we're left to wonder for an entire year how those heroes would come back. Because the movies make way too much money to not bring them back. This was the hardest movie to pick a scene from, so we're gonna cheat and say the entire third act because technically it's the ending to 21 other movies and it delivered. You have Thor, Cap, and Iron Man coming together for one last stand. A throwback to the first Avengers movie when they first came together and fought over Loki. And if you saw this in theaters, you really thought one of them was gonna die here. But no, the Russo's decided to instead deliver on more than a decade of teases and build ups. Cap shows he's worthy by wielding Mjolnir and summoning the lightning. He straps on his shield for what he thinks will be the last time and Sam gives us a callback to Winter Soldier to let Cap know the cavalry has arrived.

- [Sam] On your left.

- Don't say it, don't you say it.

- On your left.

- Come on!

- It looks like all of Wakanda is there. All the wizards are there. Valkyrie has shown up on her Pegasus. Even Pepper Potts is there in the Rescue Suit. And Captain America delivers the iconic battle cry that fans have been waiting years to hear.

- Avengers! Assemble.

- They could have just left it at that. But nope the battle still gave us some great moments. Tony and Pepper fight back to back. Tony finally hugs Peter. There's the gauntlet relay. All the female Avengers come together. If you saw this in theaters, especially opening weekend, then you know how much the audience cheered for each and every one of those moments. And how dusty the theater got for Tony's funeral. That ending is why I paid to see this movie in theaters three times.

[Producer]: You saw it three times in theaters?

- You didn't? Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments.

 [Captain America]: That is America's ass.

Join the conversation about this story »

• A lot of work went on behind the scenes to bring this year's Oscar-nominated films to life.
• Many movies used state-of-the-art CGI. "The Irishman" digitally de-aged actors Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. Meanwhile, "Avengers: Endgame" created the nanotechnology-powered suits in post-production.
• Some of the standout Oscar-nominated achievements were done practically. Prosthetics and fake eyelashes were used to re-shape Charlize Theron's face in order to make her look exactly like Megyn Kelly in "Bombshell.""1917" built World War I-era trenches from scratch and then measured every single inch of them in order to make it look like the movie was shot in one long take.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The following is a transcript of the video.

This year's slate of Oscar-nominated films highlights many Hollywood achievements beyond producing, directing, and acting. Prosthetics and makeup turned actors into completely different people, animation continued to push creative boundaries, and CGI allowed legendary actors to play characters decades younger than they are. From daring car crashes to ambitious battles, here's what this year's Oscar-nominated films looked like behind the scenes.

"The Irishman"

In "The Irishman," stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci were de-aged to play much younger characters. They acted as their normal selves on set, and the de-aging happened with CGI. Unlike a lot of movies involving CGI transformation, the actors didn't have to wear any kind of headgear or tracking dots on their faces. Instead, all of the action was captured with three cameras at once. Two of those cameras were infrared, which got rid of all of the shadows and helped visual effects artists better analyze the actors' physical features.

"1917"

The World War I epic was filmed to look like one long, continuous take. But they didn't just leave the camera running for two hours straight. The film is presented as a series of long takes stitched together with invisible cuts. In one shot in which actor George MacKay runs along the side of a trench and through a massive battle, the crew had to capture it by taking a camera off a crane, attaching it to a jeep, and then following him in the vehicle for about a quarter mile. The shot where the actor journeys downriver was partially captured by a drone. Nailing this technical feat required precise timing, so director Sam Mendes and the crew had to measure every single set. Each shot had to last exactly as long as the stretch of the land the characters were on. You can see that when looking at the trenches built from scratch or at the destroyed French city, which ends with MacKay jumping off a ledge into a river. On set, the actor jumped onto this mat.

"Avengers: Endgame"

The biggest blockbuster of 2019 was honored for its dazzling technical work. One major feat was turning chiseled actor Chris Hemsworth into a chubby character. To play Fat Thor, Hemsworth put on a bodysuit, which he estimated weighed 60 to 70 pounds. He also wore a mouthpiece that puffed out his cheeks. While the visual effects team did some touch-ups, Marvel Entertainment visual effects producer Jen Underdahl said that actually having the suit on set helped Hemsworth's performance. There is one surprising aspect of superhero movies that can be done digitally: the superheroes' costumes. It made the most sense to create the nanotechnology-powered suits largely using visual effects.

"Toy Story 4"

It wouldn't be a best-animated-feature-film race without Pixar in the mix, and "Toy Story 4" earned its spot. For the fourth "Toy Story" installment, classic characters like Bo Peep got a makeover. You will notice huge differences if you look at her side by side with her first "Toy Story" appearance back in 1995. To make her skin look less flat and more like a shiny porcelain doll, animators changed the way they lit her. They discovered that circular lights more effectively aided the illusion than square lights. Here, Bo Peep is being animated, and here she is in the final product, where you can see circular lights reflecting off her surface. For some new characters, like fan favorite Forky, supervising animator Scott Clark said animators actually limited his movements to show that he was still developing.

"Frozen II"

"Frozen II" had the tough task of following the 2013 smash hit, but Disney always pulls through. A team of 75 animators spent nearly four years working on the sequel. Because the film is set in fall instead of winter, Arendelle got a big update. The buildings wouldn't be covered in snow, so the animators had to fill in all the gaps. Anna and Elsa's outfits also got an upgrade. Thanks to changes in technology, the little details, from stitching to sparkles, look more convincing than ever before. The biggest challenge for "Frozen II" was having to personify the elements. The design of the rock giants borrowed heavily from the first film's trolls but had them at a much larger scale. The Nokk needed to look both like a horse and like water. Animators had to control how much water was spraying off of it. In general, thanks to simulations created for "Moana," the Disney animation team made massive breakthroughs animating water, which allowed them to create the huge waves Elsa runs across.

"Missing Link"

"Missing Link" shocked everybody, the creators included, when it took the best animated feature Golden Globe out of the hands of both Disney and Pixar. But Laika Studios, which also made "Coraline" and "Kubo and the Two Strings," is a powerhouse in its own right. While a lot of the animation we see today is done on a computer, Laika does everything by hand. For this globe-trotting adventure, the animators had to create 106,000 interchangeable faces and build 110 sets, ranging from an Old West town to the Himalayas. A unique challenge for the animation team was dealing with a 16-inch-tall Link, which is much taller than the average stop-motion puppet. Link's companion Sir Lionel Frost clocked in at a much more reasonable 13 inches tall. Link took over a year to get right. His hair was hand-sculpted out of clay and made to match the overall style of this movie and the other characters.

"Bombshell"

This movie stood out for the actors' incredible transformations into real people. Charlize Theron looks unrecognizable as former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. Prosthetic makeup artist Kazu Hiro and his team used extensive prosthetics to alter Theron's look. The key detail: her eyes. Theron wore fake eyelashes, which could be manipulated and actually helped change the shape of her eyes. In addition, the hair department brought her hairline down because Theron has a higher forehead than Kelly. Theron wasn't the only cast member to undergo a transformation. According to John Lithgow, in order to play Roger Ailes, the actor wore a six-piece bodysuit, which consisted of two jowls, a double chin, two earlobes, and a nose piece.

"Rocketman"

One aspect that aided Taron Egerton's transformation into Elton John was the film's costume design, which consisted of approximately 50 pairs of shoes and 50 pairs of sunglasses. Costume designer Julian Day took some liberties with Elton's looks. For instance, his "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" outfit in the movie was covered in real Swarovski crystals and was inspired by "The Wizard of Oz." And let's not forget the elaborate set pieces and musical numbers. For instance, the "Rocket Man" number was partially filmed inside a giant water tank. And then there's "Crocodile Rock," where Egerton was literally lifted into the air by wires.

"Ford v Ferrari"

Over the course of shooting, "Ford v Ferrari" cycled through 460 vehicles. Cameras attached to the cars helped capture the movie's action. Rob Johnson, the film's vehicle director, researched the cars to make sure every tiny historical detail was correct. Johnson told Bloomberg he paid close attention to things like the racing stickers on a car. They actually destroyed multiple cars for the Le Mans crash sequence. To pull this off, the filmmakers mounted cars onto a cannon. That cannon was attached to a truck, which then fired the cars into the air.

"Knives Out"

The murder mystery solved a problem you've probably never thought about: What do you do when you have a lot of close-up shots of characters wearing glasses? How do you create realistic reflections while making sure that none of the lighting equipment is visible? Cinematographer Steve Yedlin wrote in a now viral tweet that key grip Matt Mania sculpted the mattes to reshape lighting equipment so it would look like the scenery. Here, you can see the realistic reflection of what looks like a window that they made for a shot with Jamie Lee Curtis.

"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

The franchise is famous for mixing state-of-the-art CGI with old-fashioned effects. That was still Anthony Daniels under a C-3PO mask. And for the Millennium Falcon, the actors sat inside a rumbling cockpit that was surrounded by green screen. Most impressive of all? Composer John Williams received his 52nd Oscar nomination this year.

Which of your favorite movies made the Oscars shortlist this year? Let us know in the comments.

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• Pixar Animation Studios has produced 21 official films since 1995, and nearly all of them have gained critical acclaim. 
• "Toy Story" (1995) and its highly-praised sequels dominate the top of the list with perfect and near-perfect critic scores. 
• "Cars" (2006) and its sequels have received lower critic scores than most other Pixar films. 
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Throughout the years, Pixar's 21 animated films have made audience members of all ages laugh and cry.

Even though most of the studio's works are widely viewed as masterpieces, not every movie it has made is unanimously beloved by critics. 

Here are the eight best and the eight worst Pixar animated films ever made, according to critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Note: All scores were current on the date of publication and are subject to change.

"Toy Story" (1995) earned love from critics for its unique story and boundless humor.

Critic score: 100%

Synopsis: After being the favorite in Andy's (John Morris') toy chest for years, Sheriff Woody (Tom Hanks) finds an unexpected rival with Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) when Andy receives the shiny new astronaut as a birthday present. 

Critics immediately fell in love with Pixar's first cinematic release, calling it a humorous and sincere story that appealed to all ages. 

"With 'instant classic' written all over it, 'Toy Story,' the first full-length feature entirely composed of computer-generated animation, is a visually astounding, wildly inventive winner," wrote Michael Rechtshaffen for The Hollywood Reporter. 

"Toy Story 2" (1999) is tied for the highest-rated Pixar film of all time.

Critic score: 100%

Synopsis: When Woody (Hanks) is separated from his friends by a nefarious toy collector, Buzz (Allen) and the rest of Andy's toys band together to rescue their friend from danger. The toys save the day and introduce Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Bullseye to the toybox. 

Praised as colorful, funny, and inventive, many critics who enjoyed the first "Toy Story" installment said that the sequel held up to the original. 

"Toy Story 2 is a brilliant example of that rarest of Hollywood phenomena a sequel to a major hit film [that's] as good, if not better, than the original," wrote Paul Clinton for CNN.com.

"Finding Nemo" (2003) created a visual spectacle, according to critics.

Critic score: 99%

Synopsis: Overprotective father Marlin (Albert Brooks) is an anxious clown fish who never lets his son Nemo (Alexander Gould) wander far. But when Nemo is suddenly captured by a diver, Marlin stops at nothing to reunite with his son. 

"Finding Nemo" gained sweeping praise from critics, with reviews highlighting the film's dazzling animation and family-focused story. 

Neil Norman from the London Evening Standard wrote, "'Finding Nemo' offers as much in terms of thrills, frights, humour and psychological insight as it does in pure technical skill, proving that a movie can be art without being an 'art' movie."

Critics called "Inside Out" (2015) one of Pixar's most heart-warming stories.

Critic score: 98%

Synopsis: Plucky 11-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is led by the five emotions living in her head — Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) — as they try to help her navigate moving to a new house and school.

Critics said that by centering its arc around Riley and exploring the complexity of human emotion, "Inside Out" doled out a universal story that every viewer could connect to.

"[The] ordinary trauma of an 11-year-old girl coming to terms with a new life and school while losing all her old, comforting, childish certainties has become a glittering, bravura piece of cinema, a comedy both wise and tender," wrote critic Kate Muir for The Times.

"Up" (2009) moved many critics to tears.

Critic score: 98%

Synopsis: After his wife passes away, Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) attaches thousands of balloons to his house on a mission to fly to South America. But at the last minute, Carl realizes that he has a stowaway: an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai). 

"Up" was warmly received by critics who said the picture had a winning mixture of goofy humor and sentimentality. 

"'Up' is buoyant with thrills and spills, yet it's anchored, quite movingly, in the acceptance of mortality," wrote Independent critic Anthony Quinn. "This rollercoaster ride will leave everyone on an up, even those of us who've crested the apex and now, like Carl, see life's curve heading all the way down."

Critics loved the poignant heart at the center of "Toy Story 3" (2010).

Critic score: 98%

Synopsis: The toys are content to be relegated to the attic as Andy (Morris) gets ready to leave for college. But when Woody (Hanks), Buzz (Allen), and their friends are accidentally taken to a local daycare, they wonder if their future has more in store for them. 

Critics were wowed by "Toy Story 3" and happy to revisit characters they had come to love decades prior. 

"When teenaged Andy plops down on the grass to share his old toys with a shy little girl, the film spikes with sadness and layered pleasure — a concise, deeply wise expression of the ephemeral that feels real and yet utterly transporting," wrote Eric Hynes in his review for The Village Voice.

"Toy Story 4" (2019) surpassed expectations for many critics.

Critic score: 97%

Synopsis: Now the faithful toys to Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), Woody (Hanks), Buzz (Allen), and his friends try to keep a stressed new toy named Forky (Tony Hale) from losing control when Bonnie and her family hit the road for an adventure. 

Some critics were afraid that Pixar wouldn't be able to replicate the magic of the prior "Toy Story" films with its fourth installment, but many were pleased with the wacky comedy and poignant ending. 

"For millennial audiences who've grown up with Woody and the gang over years of toy stories, the movie may even seem a minor miracle — proof that faith can be kept in a faithless world,"wrote Ty Burr for the Boston Globe. "For the rest of us, it's just grand, wise fun."

"Coco" (2017) was praised as a visual gem full of warmth.

Critic score: 97%

Synopsis: Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) has long dreamed of becoming a musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), but his family banned music generations ago. Miguel's desire to follow his musical dreams and unravel the story behind his family's past takes him to the Land of the Dead. 

"Coco" wowed critics by matching a sincerely moving story with a level of vibrant animation design that Pixar had never reached before. 

"Every plot point and thematic implication slots into place, but the pleasures of Coco are above all visual,"wrote Jake Wilson for The Sydney Morning Herald. "I don't think I've ever seen a computer-animated film so rich in detail, or so dedicated to recreating complex and beautiful lighting schemes."

On the other hand, "Finding Dory" (2016) blew critics away but lacked the depth of some more well-received Pixar films.

Critic score: 94%

Synopsis: Marlin's friend Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) goes on her own adventure through the ocean to find her family and restore lost memories from her past. 

The film was praised for its colorful design and was highly-rated in its own right, but "Finding Dory" is still on the list of Pixar's bottom eight films. 

"While not as visually dazzling as its predecessor, the film is still colorful and immersive; the script, while predictable, puts an engaging spin on the issues of home and identity,"wrote Bruce Diones for The New Yorker. 

"A Bug's Life" (1998) gained positive reception for its allegorical story.

Critic score: 92%

Synopsis: When their community is threatened by a horde of bullying grasshoppers, clumsy worker ant Flik (David Foley) sets out to produce a new food supply for his colony with the help of some new friends. 

Although it's not one of Pixar's top-rated films, "A Bug's Life" still received a number of positive reviews for its writing, the unique character personalities, and the ambitious animation.

"'A Bug's Life' may be the single most amazing film I've ever seen that I couldn't fall in love with,"wrote Owen Gleiberman for Entertainment Weekly."It's so obsessed with wowing you, in every corner of every frame, that as a movie it doesn't quite breathe."

"Monsters University" (2013) paled in comparison to the original but still earned some love from critics.

Critic score: 80%

Synopsis: Years before Monstropolis' dynamic duo were working together as best friends, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (John Goodman) were finding their way through their college years.

Critics said that "Monsters University" didn't quite reach the same level as its predecessor "Monsters, Inc." (2001), but it was still charming and creative in its own way. 

Trevor Johnston from Time Out wrote, "It has enough of the right stuff to haunt the imagination long after the immediate buzz of its fluffy-furred cuteness has melted away. For a mere prequel, that's a result."

Critics enjoyed "Brave" (2012), even though they called it one of Pixar's less creative endeavors.

Critic score: 78%

Synopsis: Free-spirited Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is always at odds with her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), as she faces societal pressure to marry a Scottish lord. But when a misinterpreted wish causes her mother to turn into a bear, Merida goes to great lengths to reverse the curse. 

Critics felt that "Brave" hit all the highs of a typical Pixar movie earning tears and laughs, but that it also felt a little formulaic. 

"The story for this revisionist fairy tale, which promotes contemporary attitudes about parenting and gender equality, is less inspired than usual for Pixar, but the movie upholds the studio's high standard of computer animation," wrote Ben Sachs for the Chicago Reader.

Critics thought "The Good Dinosaur" (2015) was a cute, if trite, animated picture.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%

Summary: In a prehistoric world where the asteroid missed Earth, allowing dinosaurs and humans to roam together, Arlo the Apatosaurus (Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely new friend with a scrappy, young boy. 

Critics felt that "The Good Dinosaur" missed the mark, even though it still delivered Pixar's trademark humor and heart. 

"'The Good Dinosaur' is by no means a bad movie," wrote Christopher Orr for The Atlantic. "But it breaks new ground for Pixar in that it's the studio's first feature that is explicitly — and pretty much exclusively — a kid's movie."

For many critics, "Cars" (2006) was the first Pixar movie that they didn't immediately fall in love with.

Critic score: 75%

Synopsis: On the road to compete in the Piston Cup Championship, speed-driven race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) finds himself taking a detour to the small town of Radiator Springs where he befriends Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and Sally (Bonnie Hunt). 

Many critics marked "Cars" as the end of Pixar's long reign of perfection, even though at the end of the day it still received a decent critic score. 

"It had to end sometime," wrote Paul Arendt for BBC. "After a run of standard-setting CGI movies, Pixar has finally delivered a dud."

Critics considered "Cars 3" (2017) a by-the-numbers family film.

Critic score: 70%

Synopsis: Lightning McQueen (Wilson) finds himself pushed out of the world of racing by newer models, so he recruits the help of young technician Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) to get him back on his feet. 

Critics didn't love "Cars 3" as much as other Pixar films, saying it fell short and felt cartoonish at times. 

"'Cars 3' could make a rental download for a rainy family holiday, but the imaginative spark has gone," wrote The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw.

Called uninspired by critics, "Cars 2" (2011) is Pixar's lowest-rated film.

Critic score: 39%

Synopsis: Lightning McQueen (Wilson) and his loyal friend Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) head overseas to compete in the first World Grand Prix where McQueen will race for the title of the fastest car in the world. But Mater gets sidetracked by a secret spy mission and has to save the day. 

"Cars 2" is currently the lowest-rated Pixar film, but even critics who panned the movie still found a few things to like about it. 

"The invention here is often still dazzling, the race sequences are invigorating and spirited voice work atones for the inexpressiveness of the cars themselves," wrote Geoffrey Macnab for the Independent. "Even so, this isn't Pixar at top gear."

Read more:

• 10 times people were blown away by Pixar's attention to detail
• The 21 best animated series you can watch on Disney Plus right now
• All of Disney's animated princess movies, ranked by critics
• 13 live-action Disney movies you probably forgot existed

• A San Francisco artist is suing Disney's Pixar for allegedly not only stealing her artwork for the studio's upcoming animated film "Onward" but also for doing so under "wickedly misleading pretenses."
• Pixar rented Sweet Cicely Daniher's van emblazoned with a unicorn for a company event in September 2018 as a visual prop, only for Daniher to watch the film's trailer months later and spot an animated van that she says is identical to hers.
• In the filed complaint, Daniher said the film's producer Kori Rae called her in mid-2019 to apologize.
• Daniher also said in the complaint that Rae admitted the studio intentionally didn't inform her that her van was to be used as inspiration for "Onward" because they couldn't have her sign a non-disclosure agreement since there was no working movie title at the time.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A van with a celestial unicorn emblazoned on its side is slated to play a role in Pixar's upcoming 'Onward' film, whose story centers around two brothers' quest to resurrect their dead father for 24 hours and whose cast includes Octavia Spencer, Ali Wong, Chris Patt, and Tom Holland.

But the van is also central to a lawsuit against the animation studio after a San Francisco artist Sweet Cicely Daniher accused Pixar of ripping the unicorn design from artwork she painted onto her 1972 Chevrolet G10 van, "Vanicorn." Daniher, unicorn fanatic and tattoo artist, is suing the animation studio for copyright infringement, as The Hollywood Reporter reports.

Disney and Pixar did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

"Vanicorn," which has been featured in San Francisco Magazine and is a beloved sight for some in the city, is also prominently featured on Daniher's Instagram account. The van has red shag carpeting, red velour walls, and a white shag carpet roof, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Pixar eventually took notice of it and, according to court documents published in The Hollywood Reporter, inquired about renting the van for a company event for employees on September 4, 2018. 

"We just stumbled upon a badass photo of you and your amazing van in San Francisco Mag and shrieked with joy ... I'm working on an event over here at Pixar Animation Studio next week and was wondering if you'd be willing to rent us your Vanicorn for a couple of days. I have no idea if you get inquiries like this ever, but it is incredibly perfect for the theme of the event we're working with — kind of a fantasy/rocker sort of thing," Pixar employee Jane Clausen wrote to Daniher according to the complaint filed.

For an undisclosed amount of money, Pixar rented the van from Daniher. She said the company intended to use it for "a one day music festival/activity day for Pixar employees and families" and that van would be used merely as a visual prop. The rental contract used explicitly prohibited photos or visual representation of the "Vanicorn" for any purpose outside of the event, according to The Reporter.

But months later, as Daniher watched a trailer for the "Onward" movie where two characters, brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot, use a van named Guinevere in their mission to reunite with their dead father, the artist said she noticed the van looked identical to her own, right down to the make, model, and color of her "Vanicorn"— not to mention the unicorn painted on its side.

According to a post published in June 2019 on Daniher's Instagram account, the film's producer Kori Rae called Daniher to apologize for the incident. Rae's reasoning, according to the complaint filed, was that the production team didn't have a working title for the film yet and, without a title, couldn't have Daniher sign a non-disclosure agreement.

"Well, SHIT! The producer of "Onward" just called me. She wanted to know HOW I'M FEELING...(?!) and to apologize..." Daniher wrote in her post.

Disney Pixar, she continued in the post, "just tried to smooth things over with a phone call, instead of putting their art dept to work, or asking."

The complaint also describes Daniher's "Vanicorn" as a "validating act of recovery from toxic masculinity and a former marriage." Daniher painted her van as a way to heal from a divorce with her former husband, who allegedly refused to allow her to do so.

According to the complaint, "[T]hey have altered this Plaintiff's highly personal and public transubstantiation of her lifelong artistic interest in unicorns into the Vanicorn (a uniquely San Franciscan work of public, mobile, automotive art, and a redemptive and validating act of recovery from toxic masculinity and a former marriage) and which has, instead, been pilfered by the Defendants as a commercial and corporate conduit for the aspirations of a pair of blue boy elves looking for their father in a mass marketed Disney film, and was accomplished by the Defendants under wickedly misleading pretenses."

In addition to the damages, Daniher is also seeking an injunction barring Disney Pixar from distributing, marketing, or selling infringing advertisements, merchandise and the film itself.

"Onward" is slated to hit theatres on March 6. 

SEE ALSO: All 21 Pixar movies, ranked from worst to best

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Disney Plus launched in November 2019 and has amassed more than 50 million subscribers.
• A monthly subscription costs $6.99 a month, while an annual plan costs $69.99 a year.
• The service does a tremendous job anthologizing classic Disney movies and TV shows from decades ago that haven't been released in years and won't be available anywhere else.
• However, Disney's streaming service is family-focused, meaning none of the movies on Disney Plus are rated R.
• As a result, people without kids may find themselves disinterested in Disney Plus after a few months, but the low price and promise of more original content still make it an appealing deal.

Disney Plus launched in November 2019 to great fanfare. An aggressive marketing campaign and the popularity of "The Mandalorian" helped propel the service to a successful rollout, amassing more than 50 million subscribers in less than a year. 

Though that number still pales in comparison to the 130 million Netflix subscribers around the world, Disney Plus has been able to carve out a sizeable piece of the streaming market, thanks in large part to iconic franchises, like "The Avengers" and "Star Wars," and the company's huge library of animated classics.

Now the streaming wars are heating up, with Disney Plus facing competition from newcomers, like HBO Max and Peacock, while it works to catch up to Netflix and Hulu. With Disney Plus preparing to launch a new batch of original programming this summer, including Marvel TV shows and a film version of "Hamilton," we took a look at the service to see how it stacks up against other streaming options.

Disney Plus review: Disney opens up the "Vault" for good

Disney Plus' greatest strength comes from Disney's iconic catalog of movies and shows, including dozens of classic animated films that have been locked away in the "Disney Vault" without being re-released for years. Recent releases, like "Frozen II" and "Onward," are included as well.  

In the past decade, Disney has acquired the rights to Marvel Comics, Star Wars, the Simpsons, and 20th Century Fox, and the core of Disney Plus is built on nostalgia for these iconic media franchises. Subscribers can watch virtually any movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) or the Star Wars series, including blockbusters like "The Rise of Skywalker" and "Avengers: Endgame."

The streaming service has also done an impressive job cataloging dozens of original Disney cartoons and TV shows from decades past for modern consumption, from the 1960s "Spider-Man" cartoon that's spawned dozens of memes, to all 65 episodes of "Lizzie McGuire."

However, Disney Plus' greatest weakness might be its hard focus on family content, which has led to the exclusion of all R-rated movies on the platform. This means that popular R-rated films, like "Deadpool" and "Logan," are left off the streaming service entirely, despite their Marvel ties.

Disney Plus is still way behind Netflix on original shows

Like its competitors, Disney Plus offers exclusive original shows. But, with the exception of "The Mandalorian" and a reboot of "High School Musical," these new shows and movies haven't garnered much attention.

Unlike most streaming services, Disney Plus has chosen to give its original series, like "The Mandalorian," a weekly release schedule rather than launching the entire season on the same day for binge-watchers. This strategy helped "The Mandalorian" become the most watched streaming show in America during its initial run in November 2019.

Disney Plus is also home to a number of exclusive streaming movies, like a film version of the hit Broadway play "Hamilton," and "Artemis Fowl," an adaptation of the popular young adult novel. "Black is King," a new visual album from Beyonce, is set to debut on July 31. Disney Plus will also launch multiple series based on Marvel characters in the coming months, starting with "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier" later this summer.

Personally, I find the service's growing selection of short films to be more interesting than Disney's current lineup of original shows thanks to their focused, artistic approach. Upcoming Star Wars and Marvel series could end up being big draws to Disney Plus, but rival services, like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, simply have a bigger and better assortment of original shows right now.   

The low price and bundle options make Disney Plus especially appealing

Disney Plus costs $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year, which makes it one of the most affordable streaming services on the market. The standard subscription is ad-free and includes support for up to seven profiles and unlimited downloads. Unlike Netflix, 4K and Dolby Vision HDR streaming are also included at no extra cost. Though the service initially offered a free seven-day trial for new subscribers, this promotion is no longer available.

There's also an option to buy a bundled package of Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN+, all of which costs $12.99 per month. Individually, the ad-supported version of Hulu costs $5.99 a month, while ESPN+ currently costs $4.99 per month. Subscribing to the bundle, rather than signing up for each service individually, saves you about $5 per month.

If you don't have other streaming services, the Hulu and ESPN+ bundle adds a ton of value with the discounted price. Hulu's large library of movies and shows is a nice complement to the family-friendly Disney Plus catalog, and ESPN+ provides access to live events, like UFC Fight Night.

Setting up the Disney Plus app

You'll need to sign up for a Disney Plus account before you're able to browse the Disney Plus catalog online or with the Disney Plus app.

Once your account is activated, you can watch Disney Plus via the official website or by downloading the app on your smart TV, streaming player, or mobile device. The Disney Plus app is available on Apple and Android devices, Roku, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, and most smart TV brands.

You can create profiles for up to seven different viewers with a single account, and each profile will be able to create their own personal watchlist that carries over between devices. However, only four devices can stream using the same account at once, which is the same number as Netflix's $15.99 a month premium plan. Adults can create kid profiles to restrict PG and PG-13 content for children as well.

Navigating the Disney Plus interface

The Disney Plus interface is relatively standard fare for a streaming service. The Disney Plus landing page lacks the busy animated thumbnails and flashy trailers that Netflix showcases on its home page, but a carousel displays new and popular content at the top of the page and the most popular franchises on Disney Plus are pre-sorted into simple categories, like "Marvel,""Pixar," and "Star Wars."

Disney Plus does suffer from some small navigation issues that can become ongoing problems depending on your viewing habits. For example, choosing a show or movie from the "Continue watching" tab will always leave you where you left off, with no option to "Play from beginning."

It's not a huge deal, but what if, for example, you fell asleep at the end of a movie, or your roommate watched the episode before you? Now you run the risk of spoiling yourself while you try to rewind to the beginning.

Another issue is that parent accounts are not protected by a pin or other security measures. While Disney Plus doesn't carry R-rated movies, kids can simply use the change profile function the same way an adult would to access PG-13 movies on a different profile.

Disney Plus gives premium performance and features for cheap

In terms of streaming quality, Disney Plus is on par with Netflix at a fraction of the cost. By offering 4K resolution support, HDR color depth with Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos audio capabilities with every subscription, Disney Plus is doing its best to guarantee that subscribers can maximize their home theater.

Disney Plus also allows you to download movies and shows for offline viewing on up to 10 devices, making it ideal for personal trips and family vacations.

The bottom line

The low price and iconic catalog of Disney Plus should make the service a solid investment for any movie-watcher, but the platform is clearly built to appeal the most to families with children. I'm curious to see if upcoming Disney Plus shows are compelling enough to the same adult audience as "The Mandalorian," because after eight months of subscribing, my excitement over nostalgia has already begun to wane.

For non-parents, the aged catalog of Disney Plus will eventually wear thin, but the Hulu and ESPN+ bundle or another streaming service can provide a perfect complement to Disney Plus.

Pros: Affordable price, timeless library of Disney classics, robust kids catalog ideal for families, exclusive Star Wars and Marvel titles, 4K and HDR streaming included

Cons: No R-rated films, fewer new and exciting library additions compared to competing streaming services, original programming is still far behind Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu

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Another major movie was taken off of the theatrical release calendar as theater chains like Regal and Cineworld shut down again in the US and UK last week. 

On Thursday, Disney announced that its upcoming Pixar movie, "Soul," would debut on its streaming service Disney Plus on December 25 and, unlike "Mulan," would be available to subscribers at no additional cost.

It's the latest sign that Disney wasn't thrilled with how its $200 million "Mulan" remake performed on the service with a premium video-on-demand model. Disney released the movie to Disney Plus on September 4 to subscribers for an additional $30 fee. The company has yet to release any official viewership figures, but third-party data paints an underwhelming picture.

Analytics company Samba TV said that "Mulan" was watched by 1.12 million US households on connected TVs in its debut weekend and estimated it made $33.5 million that weekend.

The movie did appear on a recently released list of Nielsen's top streaming titles for the week of August 31 to September 6 at No. 10 with 525 million minutes watched. But it dropped out of the top 10 the following week, suggesting it didn't sustain strong viewership after its first weekend.

Granted, "Soul" is a very different kind of movie than "Mulan" and didn't cost nearly as much to produce. But Disney seems to have concluded that the subscribers "Soul" might attract (or retain) justify not releasing it at a premium price.

This isn't the first movie intended for theaters that Disney has released straight to Disney Plus during the pandemic, others being "Artemis Fowl" and "The One and Only Ivan." But "Soul" is different because Disney seemed to be committing to a theatrical release until Regal and Cineworld closed again.

Another decision Disney recently made also suggests that the "Mulan" experiment wasn't a huge success. Disney delayed the Marvel movie "Black Widow" from a November theatrical release to next year. 

Last month, the research firm Lightshed Partners proposed in a report that movie studios should pivot to SVOD (streaming video-on-demand) services like Netflix amid the pandemic, meaning Disney should make its movies available on Disney Plus at no extra cost, like it's doing with "Soul."

"If studios want to harness the power of SVOD, the only answer is to go all-in and not look back," the report said, adding that Disney has the "infrastructure and scale to make this transition."

SEE ALSO: AMC Theatres says it will stay open as other major chains close because of its industry-shocking windowing deal with Universal

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• Pixar's "Soul" will premiere on Disney Plus on December 25, Christmas Day.
• The animated movie stars Jamie Foxx as a jazz musician who has his soul separated from his body right before the most important performance of his career.
• "Soul" also includes vocal performances from Tina Fey, Angela Bassett, Daveed Diggs, and Questlove of The Roots.
• The movie will be available to all Disney Plus members as part of a regular $6.99 a month or $69.99 per year subscription, and won't require an extra "Premier Access" fee. 
• See also: All the Pixar films and shorts you can stream on Disney Plus — from 'Toy Story' to 'Onward'

"Soul" is the latest animated film from Disney's Pixar, and it's skipping theaters and heading straight to Disney Plus where more than 60 million subscribers can watch. In this jazz-inspired film, Jamie Foxx lends his voice to Joe Gardner, a middle school band director who has an out-of-body experience on the eve of the biggest performance of his life.

"Soul" is a musical in the spirit of Disney's most iconic animated films, with Foxx performing alongside top talents like "Hamilton" star Daveed Diggs, musician Cody Chesnutt, and drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots. Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad, Academy Award nominee Angela Bassett, and Emmy Award winner Tina Fey also star in supporting roles.

How to watch 'Soul' on Disney Plus

"Soul" will be available to all Disney Plus subscribers on December 25, Christmas Day. The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release in June, but Disney canceled plans for a theater run due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watching "Soul" won't require any extra fees — Disney previously charged $30 for "Premier Access" to "Mulan" when it skipped theaters for Disney Plus in September.

Disney Plus memberships cost $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. Disney Plus can also be bundled with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 per month, which is $6 less than you'd pay for each service separately.

Disney Plus streams in up to 4K resolution with HDR support, and up to four people can stream at the same time using a single account. The service also offers a GroupWatch feature which allows you to sync streaming with friends and family remotely.

The Disney Plus app is available on Mac, iPhone, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and most smart TV brands. 

What else can I watch on Disney Plus?

Disney Plus is home to all of Disney and Pixar's iconic animated films, as well as blockbuster franchises like "Star Wars,""The Simpsons," and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The service also offers a library of documentary movies, including many from National Geographic. 

Original films and series are also available to stream exclusively on Disney Plus, including popular shows like "The Mandalorian."

For detailed impressions, you can read our full Disney Plus review here.

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• Disney shares jumped as much as 12% on Friday.
• The media giant plans to hike the domestic price of Disney Plus in March, and expects to triple its streaming service subscribers to between 230 million and 260 million by 2024.
• Disney also expects to double its annual content investment to about $15 billion over the next four years as it rolls out dozens of movies and TV shows from its studio and its Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar subsidiaries.
• Most of Disney's business has been hit hard by the pandemic, but millions of people have signed up to Disney Plus to keep themselves entertained during lockdowns.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

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Disney stock soared as much as 12% on Friday, boosting the entertainment titan's market capitalization by up to $32 billion. The share-price surge followed Disney's unveiling of a bullish growth plan for its video-streaming business during its virtual investor day on Thursday.

The company intends to raise the monthly cost of Disney Plus in the US by a dollar to $7.99 in March, marking the platform's first price increase since launching in November 2019. It expects to reach a total of 230 million to 260 million global subscribers by 2024, roughly triple its 87 million subscribers as of December 2.

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Disney is raising prices and projecting strong growth because it intends to double its yearly spending on content to about $15 billion over the next four years. It expects to add more than 100 new titles to Disney Plus annually, drawing from its Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar subsidiaries and expanding on its own studio's properties such as "Zootopia" and "Moana."

As a result, Disney expects its streaming losses to peak next year, and hopes to break even in 2024.

Disney Plus is a bright spot in a brutal year

A key element of Disney's strategy is taking a smash hit in one of its divisions, such as "The Mandalorian" show on Disney Plus, and cashing in on it across its business. It already sells "Baby Yoda" toys and clothing in its Disney Stores, and will undoubtedly seek to deploy the beloved character in movies, TV shows, video games, and attractions in its theme parks and on its cruises.

Disney's approach backfired this year, as its sprawling operations left it massively exposed to the pandemic. The company was forced to close theme parks and resorts, halt cruises, shutter Disney Stores, delay movie releases due to production shutdowns and cinema closures, and even host the rest of the NBA season at Disney World to help its ESPN subsidiary weather the suspension of many live sports.

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The disruptions meant Disney posted a net loss of $2.8 billion for the year to October 3 — a sharp swing from $10.4 billion in net income in the previous financial year.

Given it will be months before Disney's business can rebound, it's not surprising that the company is doubling down on Disney Plus, which has seen a spike in signups this year as people spend more time at home.

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• This holiday season, give the gift of magic to a young Disney fan with one of these 25 toys.
• We've rounded up Disney gifts for kids of all ages, including surprise toys, plushies, and games inspired by "The Mandalorian,""Frozen,""Toy Story,""Doc McStuffins,""Cars," and more.
• For more gift ideas, check out our 2020 holiday gift guides here and gifts for Disney lovers.

A child's love for Disney knows no bounds. Whether they've watched "Frozen" two hundred times or have the theme park layouts memorized, kids' obsessions with all things Disney and Pixar is impressive to say the least. That's why toys featuring the characters they love and recognize are always a hit. 

Impress the children in your life with Disney toys that sprinkle in the magic of faith, trust, and pixie dust. We've selected the best Disney gifts for kids of all ages, from newborns to teenagers. From a remote control Baby Yoda to a collectible plush Mickey, these fun gift ideas are sure to create long-lasting memories. 

These are our 25 favorite Disney gifts for kids:

A suitcase fit for a princess

Disney Princess Play Suitcase Set, available at Target, $39.99

Traveling may have been limited this year, but kids can prepare for future trips with a suitcase play set. Complete with a faux passport, headphones, and a sleeping eye mask for those long-haul flights, this set will give them the delight of a trip, even if it's only to their backyard. 

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A surprise mouse

Mickey Mouse Disney Junior Mystery Figure Capsule, available at Amazon, $14.23

Treat a Disney superfan to a surprise toy filled with eight figures and a pack of bonus stickers featuring classic characters like Pluto, Donald Duck, and Goofy. The Mickey-shaped surprise package will hold all their favorite Disney figurines.

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A Lego kit for 'Mandalorian' battle scenes

Lego Star Wars Mandalorian Battle Pack, available at Best Buy, $11.99

Even the oldest kid on your gifting list is bound to love this Lego set. They can recreate some of their favorite scenes from the "Star Wars" franchise with stud-shooting blasters, shock troopers, and a buildable speeder bike.

Recommended ages: 6 years and up

A Pumbaa plush true to his character

The Lion King Burping and Talking Pumbaa Plush, available at Amazon, $18.99

Just like Pumbaa is no ordinary warthog, this is no ordinary plush. Pumbaa speaks phrases from the movie, and when he's fed a bug, he burps and toots for the whole jungle to hear.

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A personalized 'Toy Story' book

Disney and Pixar Toy Story Personalized Storybook, available at Pottery Barn Kids, $59.99

What kid wouldn't love seeing their own name next to their favorite characters? Gift your child a starring role next to Woody, Buzz, Bullseye, and the rest of the "Toy Story" crew with a personalized storybook.

Recommended ages: 6 years and up

A set of Winnie the Pooh baby blocks

Winnie the Pooh and Pals Soft Blocks for Baby, available at Shop Disney, $14.95

For the littlest ones in your life, this sweet toy is bound to bring sensory delight. This Winnie the Pooh soft block set rattles and crinkles and is a perfect Disney introduction for babies.

Recommended ages: 3 months and up

A Mickey Mouse shake-and-rattle set

Green Toys Disney Baby Shake and Rattle Set, available at Amazon, $12.99

Green Toys' Disney Baby collaboration includes an array of sustainable toys featuring classic Disney characters. This set made from 100% recycled plastic includes two different Mickey-themed shakers and a tambourine.

Recommended ages: 6 months and up

A wickedly fun board game

Ravensburger Disney Villainous: Perfectly Wretched Strategy Board Game, available at Amazon, $19.99

Players take on the role of Cruella De Vil, Mother Gothel, or Pete in this immersive storytelling game where evil is supposed to win. They'll follow their Villain guide to develop an evil plan, dodging pesky heroes like Pongo, Rapunzel, and Flynn Rider along the way.

Recommended ages: 10 years and up

A 'Puppy Dog Pals' action figure

Puppy Dog Pals Surprise Action Figure Rolly, available at Target, $12.99

Younger Disney fans will be familiar with a different assortment of shows than the ones we fondly remember. "Puppy Dog Pals" is one of the premiere Disney Junior shows, featuring the mystery-solving puppy duo Bingo and Rolly. This Rolly animatronic can walk and talk at the push of a button.

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

An intergalactic coding kit

Star Wars The Force Kano Coding Kit, available at Amazon and Target, from $54.48

STEM-focused gifts are some of the best toys to hit the market in recent years. This coding kit teaches kids how to build a motion sensor and get a grip on coding with JavaScript. They can then use their creation to learn the Force and control what happens on their screen.

Recommended ages: 6 years and up

A famous Fork with personality

Toy Story 4 Forky Talking Action Figure, available at Amazon and Target, from $26.07

Who didn't love this foolish yet adorable character? He even earned his very own spin-off show on Disney Plus. This Forky moves and talks, making it the perfect companion for any child who dreams of toys coming alive.

Recommended ages: 4 years and up

A Disney lovey for babies

Disney Junior Music Lullabies Lovey Blankies, Minnie Mouse, available at Amazon, $12.99

These colorful blankets feature favorite Lullabies characters, including Kermit, Minnie, Mickey, and Piggy. 

Recommended ages: newborn to 4 years

A Disney+ subscription

Subscribe for $6.99/month or $69.99/year

Gift kids unlimited access to movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and 20th Century Fox. Disney Plus is only $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year after a free seven-day trial. Read everything there is to know about Disney+ over here. And be sure to tell them about all the new movies available to stream.

A singing reindeer friend

Frozen 2 Sing & Sway Sven, available at Target, $24.99

Kristoff was onto something when he sang "reindeers are better than people." This cuddly Sven sings along in Kristoff's voice and sways to the "Frozen 2" hit "Lost in the Woods."

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A miniature Arendelle castle

Disney Frozen 2 Pop Adventures Arendelle Castle Playset, available at Target and Amazon, $20.49

Kids can stage their own "Frozen" scenes with this popup Arendelle Castle. It comes with Anna and Elsa dolls, a key, throne, piano, and furniture. 

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A remote control Baby Yoda

The Child Real Moves Plush, available at Shop Disney, $69.99

This remote-control toy gives kids the chance to practice their guardian skills. Using the remote control, kids can make The Child figure use the Force, follow them around the room, make babbling sounds, and even play hide-and-seek.

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A funky Jack Skellington board game

Funkovese Nightmare Before Christmas Board Game, available at Amazon, $30.97

Travel through Halloween Town as one of four Nightmare figures exclusive to this board game. Players can first master Oogie Boogie's lair and then combine this board with other Funko games for epic strategy battles.

Recommended ages: 10 years and up

A Mickey Mouse bath time car wash

Mickey Mouse Bath Play Set, available at Shop Disney, $24.99 

Bath time will be magical with this unique play set. Toddlers can soap up and rinse off Mickey's car with a toy that suctions to the side of tub.

Recommended ages: 2 years and up

An 'Onward' Wilden Lightfoot plush

Onward Wilden Lightfoot Plush, 18 inches, available at Shop Disney, $12.98

"Onward" fans will love this plush of Barley and Ian's dad. Just make sure to warn your kids to not lose him on their next quest (don't worry, they'll get the joke even if you don't). 

A Lego set to defeat the Huns

Lego Mulan's Training Grounds, available at Target, $29.99

Let's get down to business to defeat the Huns via a proper Lego training ground. This action-packed set features a zip-line, fireworks shooter, and everything else a warrior princess needs to learn before going into battle.

Recommended ages: 6 years and up

A 'Cars' racetrack

Disney Pixar Cars Rusteze Double Circuit Speedway Track Set, available at Amazon and Target, from $45.99

Lightning McQueen will go faster than fast, quicker than quick on this two-track speedway. The 22-inch course comes with a car and can be connected to other Rusteze sets.

Recommended ages: 4 years and up

A lab coat just like Dottie's

Disney Jr. Doc McStuffins Doctor's Dress-up Set, available on Amazon, $23.71

Kids can match their favorite doctor with this Doc McStuffins lab coat, name tag, sparkly pink headband, and stethoscope. The authentic character set will make pretend play feel even more real.

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A surprise pack of favorite Disney characters

Disney Doorables Multi-Peek Pack Series 4, available at Amazon, $10.99

Open the doors of this surprise gift to reveal five, six, or seven Disney figurines. There are 62 dolls to collect from films like "Frozen,""Aladdin," and "Lion King." 

Recommended ages: 5 years and up

A magical Mickey plush

Disney Year of the Mouse Collector Plush Fantasia Mickey Mouse, available at Amazon, $29.99

This plush honors "Fantasia," the musical film that features Mickey in one of his most iconic roles. It is made of crushed velour, with a starry print that mirrors the movie's visual (and magical) themes.

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

A Donald Duck train set

Brio Disney Mickey and Friends: Donald & Daisy Duck Train, available at Amazon, $29.99

Donald and Daisy Duck are on the move in their wooden steam engine and wagon. The set is compatible with other Brio railway sets for even more imaginative play.

Recommended ages: 3 years and up

"Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical" earned over $1 million in ticket sales from its virtual New Year's Day stream, according to The Hollywood Reporter and a tweet from the production's official Twitter account.

The project, which Insider's Palmer Haasch previously reported began as a series of user-generated videos on TikTok, was picked up by the theater production company Seaview Productions and turned into a Broadway-scale musical starring Tony-award winning talent and the 20-piece Broadway Sinfonietta orchestra.

Some proceeds from the benefit event (which will be streamable for 72 hours) will go to The Actors Fund, a charity that supports performers and other entertainment workers who have been hit hard by theater closures during the coronavirus pandemic. Broadway venues shut their doors on March 12, 2020, and aren't expected to reopen until May 30, 2021 at the earliest. 

Based on the Pixar film "Ratatouille," Seaview's musical includes 12 rat- and cooking-themed songs performed by actors like Wayne Brady, Tituss Burgess, Andrew Barth Feldman, André De Shields, and Ashley Park. The show was initially tested out in a series of TikTok posts where users created their own musical renditions of scenes from the film. One creator, Jess Siswick, even designed a playbill for the musical that was eventually turned into the project's official Playbill. 

TikTok has become a central hub for music artists and other performers over the past year as many in-person events have shut down during the pandemic. One need look no further than the Billboard 100 or Spotify Viral 50 to see how TikTok trends have left an imprint on the entertainment industry in recent months.

Artists' songs can rise on TikTok quickly and unexpectedly, as was the case with Matthew Wilder's "Break My Stride" and Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" which reemerged into pop culture last year after gaining steam on the app. In other instances, marketers or artists try to make songs take off by tapping into existing TikTok fads, creating original songs, or adapting tracks for TikTok's short-video format and hiring influencers to promote them.

In the case of "Ratatouille: The Musical," the group was able to pull together the TikTok-born concept into a full-scale streamable performance in a matter of weeks.

"This event really highlights a lot of the TikTok creators, and we're very happy we got this recognition," Christopher Routh, the project's set designer, told the New York Times. "We can take our content and do something good with it, not only raise money for the show but make sure that Broadway comes back stronger than ever."

For more stories on how TikTok has left its mark on the music and entertainment industries, read these other Business Insider posts:

• How a 91-year-old record label is using TikTok to promote its artists, including hiring micro influencers to spark trends: RCA Records' digital marketing lead, Tarek Al-Hamdouni, walked Business Insider through the label's strategy for promoting artists and songs on TikTok.
• The 24 power players using TikTok to transform the music industry, from marketers and record execs to artists: Business Insider compiled a list of the music marketers, artists, digital creators, and record labels that are using TikTok to reshape popular music.
• Inside TikTok's music division, where staffers analyze data to spot trends and use different 'promo levers' to help songs blow up: Business Insider spoke with TikTok's music team to learn how it works with artists, labels, and users to shape the music experience on the app.
• A Sony Music exec explains the label's TikTok strategy and how it responds when a song like 'Break My Stride' catches fire: Business Insider spoke with the marketing team at Sony Music's Legacy Recordings to learn about its strategy for promoting trending songs on TikTok.
• Music artist Tiagz explains how he mastered TikTok's algorithm to score a major record deal, with help from Charli D'Amelio and a 1950s jazz classic: The Canadian rapper Tiagz (Tiago Garcia-Arenas) has built a career as a producer by strategically uploading songs to the short-form-video app TikTok.

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Pixar's "Soul" had a huge opening weekend on Disney Plus last month.

Viewers in the US spent 1.67 billion minutes watching the movie the week of December 21 to December 27 (it premiered on the streaming service on Friday, December 25), according to Nielsen. It topped the research company's latest list of top streaming titles released on Friday, which accounts for Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video.

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The movie's viewership is impressive considering that Nielsen measures minutes watched in the US, which gives TV shows, especially long-running ones like "The Office," an advantage. Even more impressive is that the data only accounts for the movie's first weekend of release, meaning that plenty of Disney Plus' 87 million subscribers watched it when it premiered.

Disney did not immediately return a request for comment.

"The Office," which has nearly 200 episodes, landed at No. 2 on Nielsen's latest list with 1.4 billion minutes watched. The list accounted for the popular sitcom's final full week on Netflix before it left for NBCUniversal's Peacock at the end of 2020.

READ MORE: 'Just a cog in a machine': Hulu insiders say the company's culture has changed under Disney and question its future path after a scrapped international expansion

"Soul's" performance bodes well for Disney Plus as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the theatrical industry.

Disney decided to forgo a theatrical release in favor of making it available on Disney Plus at no additional fee to subscribers, unlike last year's "Mulan" remake, which Disney charged an additional $30 fee for when it first debuted on the service. Disney has plans to release more movies directly to Disney Plus, such as the animated "Raya and the Last Dragon."

Questions still linger over what Disney will do with its major tentpole releases, particularly "Black Widow," which is currently dated for theatrical release in May. Other studios have already started to delay (again) several major movies this week, including the James Bond movie "No Time to Die."

SEE ALSO: Netflix's push into franchise TV will be essential as Disney Plus prepares a barrage of Marvel and 'Star Wars' shows

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The conspiracy theorist and former Trump attorney Sidney Powell said a judge should dismiss Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers' filing for sanctions against her, arguing he waited too long and using a quote from "Toy Story" to bolster her case.

Powell's motion, filed Thursday, is a response to the Democratic governor's request in March to have Powell and her associates pay $106,000 to cover legal fees over her failed lawsuit to throw out presidential-election votes in his state.

Powell fought the sanctions request on procedural grounds.

"Defendant would have this Court make new law, create an exception for a baseless and untimely motion, which — with no precedent in the case law or any rule — could extend the time for filing a sanctions motion 'to infinity and beyond' to harass a plaintiff in what amounts to nothing more than political grandstanding," she wrote in the legal motion.

The sentence included a footnote that said "Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story (Pixar 1995)."

Her lawsuit was part of a group of failed lawsuits she nicknamed the "Kraken," which sought to overturn 2020 election results in states that President Donald Trump lost. They were premised on false conspiracy theories that held Dominion and Smartmatic, two unrelated election-technology companies, were secretly in cahoots with each other through the machinations of Hugo Chávez, a dead Venezuelan president, to flip results from Trump to now-President Joe Biden.

Before filing those lawsuits on her own, Powell was a member of Trump's election-litigation team, which also failed and which she was fired from.

Numerous independent commissions, audits, and judicial decisions have shown that the 2020 election results were not marred by widespread voter fraud, as Trump and Powell alleged.

"Instead of evidence and legal argument, Plaintiff offered a tangled web of irrelevant (and inaccurate) conspiracy theories, ultimately suggesting that Dominion voting machines had altered individual votes to favor Joseph R. Biden, Jr.,"attorneys for Evers wrote in March. "Plaintiff advanced this conspiracy theory without factual support and, worse still, deliberately ignored definitive proof disproving his allegations." 

The motion from Evers also targeted Trump's attorneys for their lawsuits, seeking $144,000 in sanctions, Insider's Kelly McLaughlin previously reported.

Additionally, Powell is facing sanctions in Michigan, where she filed another "Kraken" lawsuit. The city of Detroit is seeking to have her disbarred in the state.

Legal-ethics experts previously told Insider Powell could warrant sanctions for including plaintiffs who didn't appear to agree to be part of her lawsuits and for appearing to manipulate evidence included in them.

She is also the target of separate defamation lawsuits from Dominion and Smartmatic, which are collectively seeking billions of dollars in damages for her baseless allegations.

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When it comes to a movie-theater experience, the Steve Jobs Theater on Pixar Animation Studios' campus in Emeryville, California, is one of the most special.

Sitting in one of the theater's comfy red velvet seats and catching a glance at the twinkly lights on the ceiling that animates into a shooting star as the house lights go down, one can't help being in a good mood before watching Pixar's latest creation.

Now, less than two months before the release date for "Luca," the newest release from Disney's famed animation house that centers on two boys who are really sea monsters, the theater named after the legendary Pixar chairman should be in heavy use. The film's director, Enrico Casarosa, and the company's brain trust — made up of its chief creative officer, Pete Docter; its president, Jim Morris; and other top executives — should be in there constantly watching the latest cuts of the movie as they prepare to sign off on another Pixar release.

But none of that is happening.

The pandemic has closed the once vibrant Pixar campus. In fact, no one in the US has seen a new Pixar movie in a movie theater in over a year. Movie theaters have largely been closed for months, leading to a previously unthinkable reality: new releases being made instantly available on streaming services and premium video on demand.

There are signs of normality, however, on the horizon. An actual summer movie season is happening as more and more theaters reopen. Now titles like "F9,""Black Widow" (which will also be available on Disney Plus), "Jungle Cruise," and "The Suicide Squad" (also available on HBO Max) are scheduled for summer releases.

But, surprisingly, there will be no Pixar movies in theaters. In late March, Disney announced that "Luca" would be released only on Disney Plus. This comes on the heels of Docter's "Soul" being released exclusively on the streamer in December.

Several Pixar sources told Insider that frustration was building within the company as staff members saw their work appearing only on Disney Plus. They agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, as they are not authorized to speak publicly.

"'Luca' doesn't even have a premium price next to it," one staffer told Insider recently in bewilderment, referring to the added cost subscribers have to pay to see new releases on the service. "Does it make it lesser? It's hard to grasp."

'Soul' director Pete Docter was disappointed his Oscar-winning movie didn't get a theatrical run

Pixar's release strategy seemed to change practically overnight.

With most theaters shutting down because of the pandemic at the beginning of March 2020, Pixar's "Onward" found itself in limbo with nowhere to be shown after a theater run of just two weeks. It resulted in the movie, following two elf brothers looking to bring back their late father, becoming one of the first to break the traditional 90-day exclusive theatrical window major movies abide by as it was then made available for digital release. Soon after it was available on Disney Plus.

A month later, Disney announced it was moving Pixar's next release (and latest Oscar winner), "Soul," from June 19 to November 20 with the hope that theaters would reopen by then. But in October, news came of another release-date change and that Disney was not going to release "Soul," centered on an aspiring jazz musician whose life was cut short, in theaters. It would become the first Pixar movie in its 26-year history to not open on the big screen. Instead, it was given an exclusive Disney Plus release on Christmas Day.

The news disappointed Docter, according to several sources with knowledge of the situation. But the frustration was softened by the fact that Disney was ecstatic by how well the movie performed on Disney Plus.

"That's what was so eye-opening — Disney was over the moon about the numbers," one staffer familiar with the "Soul" release said.

Pixar and Disney did not respond to numerous inquiries for a comment.

Most at Pixar agreed with the choice to put "Soul" on the streamer. But the hope at the company, according to several sources, was this was all an aberration — that the film, featuring the first Black lead character in a Pixar movie, would be the first and last time a movie from the studio would not open in theaters.

Kneecapped theaters need Pixar movies to remain afloat

As states began to gradually allow theaters to reopen late last year with limited capacities, it was family movies that enticed moviegoers to return.

DreamWorks' "The Croods: A New Age," Warner Bros.' "Tom and Jerry," and Disney Animation's "Raya and the Last Dragon" all topped the domestic box office for their opening weekends in theaters, with "Croods" and "Raya" retaining the No. 1 spot for more than one weekend.

With more theaters reopening as vaccinations ramp up, theater owners have been licking their chops to put "Luca" on their marquees, as Pixar titles have historically brought families and adults alike in droves. The decision to release the film solely on Disney Plus came as a gut punch for an industry struggling to stay afloat.

"When that news came out with Disney's reshuffling of its 'Luca' release, it was very disappointing and very discouraging," Russell Vannorsdel, the vice president of the Iowa-based Fridley Theatres, told Insider. "It's pretty clear the handwriting is on the wall that we will not be going back to normal, particularly with Disney."

Fridley Theatres, with 18 locations in the Midwest, is just one of many mid-market chains that are desperate not just for new releases but for family fare such as Disney and Pixar titles.

"'Soul' not showing in theaters had some levels of justification," Vannorsdel said. "It was Christmas. They wanted to promote Disney Plus. People were still very hesitant to go to movie theaters."

"'Luca' was scheduled for the summer and could have had an amazing theatrical run," he added. "That one is a complete head-scratcher. I honestly don't know if Disney has a master plan. I believe they are looking at each title at how it can best serve them instead of working with theaters."

'We don't want to be a title just on Disney Plus'

Sources told Insider that when news came that "Luca" would be released on Disney Plus, it was frustrating, especially for those who love to see their work end up in theaters.

"We don't want to be a title just on Disney Plus," said one staffer, who is working on several of its coming feature films. "These movies are crafted for the big screen. We want you to watch these movies with no distractions, no looking at your phones."

There's also the question of sustainability: Pixar titles have ridden a box-office wave of success for decades. Both "Incredibles 2" in 2018 and "Toy Story 4" in 2019 earned over $1 billion worldwide at the box office. Some staff members wonder whether not going after box-office dollars, even during a pandemic, will be harmful in the long run.

"If these movies aren't having $1 billion runs, does that hurt the company? You wonder that," one animator said.

A veteran staffer put the collective anxiety more bluntly: "Everyone is worried about keeping their jobs if our films aren't seen by Disney as financially successful."

Meanwhile, Vannorsdel believes Disney not allowing Pixar titles to play in theaters could have ramifications for the studio's other slate of movies.

"There's going to be less movie theaters for them to play their big-budget Marvel movies," Vannorsdel predicted, noting the recent close of Arclight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters in Los Angeles.

Dan Rayburn, a streaming media analyst, believes with streaming being so competitive right now, Disney needed to have Pixar titles released exclusively on Disney Plus to compete and bump up subscription numbers.

"Pixar is targeting a specific demographic and a lot of Disney Plus subscribers are families, so it makes sense if you're Disney that with Pixar you are going to target that more to your streaming service that has that kind of built-in membership," he told Insider. "They are going to do what makes the most money."

'If I'm doing this so my name can be on the big screen, I'm doing it for the wrong reasons'

Not everyone at Pixar sees doom and gloom because the studio's movies aren't playing in theaters.

"For me, personally, if I'm doing this so my name can be on the big screen, I'm doing it for the wrong reasons," one artist said.

To some staffers, the bigger adjustment has been working from home, as the Pixar campus has been empty since the start of the pandemic.

"It has its pros and cons," one animator, who's now been working remotely for over a year, told Insider. "The con is you no longer can go bounce off an idea with a colleague and get inspired. But the pro is the work-to-life balance is exponentially better. If you're a night person, take a nap during the day, then you can get work done at night."

Some staff point out that with Pixar's recent funneling of projects to Disney Plus, the opportunity for those rising up the ranks in the company to get their stories made has increased substantially. For example, there's the SparkShorts series in which Pixar employees are given six months and a small budget to create shorts that will go directly the streamer. The series resulted in two Oscar-nominated shorts: 2019's "Kitbull" and 2020's "Burrow." 

And confidence is high that features currently in the works at Pixar — like the "Toy Story" spin-off movie "Lightyear"— will hit theaters.

But regardless of where they show up, several staff members at Pixar told Insider the same thing: The quality of what's being made hasn't been affected.

"There will not be a change on how we make the films," one animator said. "That's what's important; the piece of art. That's what matters."

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Early in my career, I worked at Pixar Animation Studios for over 13 years. I started as a technical director and left as the company's director of simulation tools, and I held various key leadership roles related to engineering and product development.

For a portion of my tenure, Steve Jobs was still the CEO and already a legend in Silicon Valley. I once had the chance to pitch him on a new technology (one that the studio still uses today) — and the entire process of pitching him became like a graduate-level course in how to think about business like an entrepreneur, no matter your company, role, or title.

Pixar was in the middle of one of the greatest hot streaks a film studio has ever seen.

Our most recent releases were "Finding Nemo,""The Incredibles," and "Cars." But the technical challenges of these films made it clear it was time to overhaul our 20-year-old animation platform if we wanted to stay at the very top of the industry.

Along with four other leaders, I was heading up a team that would go on to develop a new animation platform from the ground up.

At virtually any other organization, working under almost any other leader, our project would have been green-lighted with little fuss. We would create a detailed formal proposal, and someone higher up the ladder would sign the dotted line.

But that was not the case at Pixar — not with Jobs in charge.

With Jobs, getting buy-in and approval felt more like an early-stage VC pitch and less like an internal green light.

It took several months of pitches, with Jobs reviewing the product, the team, and the plan, complete with "due-diligence" trips back and forth to get the sign-off from Apple's technical experts. 

Movies and firsthand accounts of Jobs depict him as a jerk or, at the very least, tough and difficult. In our pitches, he didn't mince words, to be sure. But I found him to be incisive, smart, and appropriately skeptical.

Jobs had a way of asking questions that forced us to distill our proposal to its essence: In terms of software, what was Pixar's "secret sauce"? How did our proposed system deliver that 10 times better than the old system? Why did this really matter to the core of Pixar's business — making the best films?

To us, the answers were obvious. We were trying to give animators the best tool to bring the director's ideas to life, and we were codifying the magic our old system just stumbled upon — while letting hundreds of artists collaborate on the same film at the same time.

But that clear description of "why" was thanks to Jobs. He made us articulate that vision crisply, create a compelling pitch for why our solution was the best way to achieve it, and explain why we were the best leadership team to build it.

The intensity of this process caught me off guard, but I learned three critical lessons over the course of the experience: 

1. Stay humble, and never take a company's resources for granted

Don't assume your ideas will be green-lighted, even if your project is valuable, your organization can afford it, and your credentials are beyond reproach. 

Pixar certainly had plenty of resources, and in many ways, the value proposition was obvious. And every member of our leadership team had led very successful teams on the studio's most profitable films.

But Jobs still insisted that we crisply articulate the value we would deliver and the correctness of our approach in fine detail.

And it wasn't just rigor around what we were building but also rigor around how we were building it. A big part of our process when pitching to Jobs was working with engineering leaders he trusted at Apple to make sure the tech made sense. In later years, I came to understand this as Jobs probably did: He was sending us to a technical team to do due diligence, just like a venture capitalist would.

Great leaders continue demanding a deeper understanding of the "why" and the "how," especially as they find themselves with more resources. Jobs understood that we couldn't stop asking the hard questions and insisting on crystal clarity just because we were successful at the time.

2. Business co-ownership trumps lone heroes

There were five of us that comprised the leadership team for our project, and we brought very different perspectives and sensibilities. Sure, one of us was "the boss," and for any given topic, one of us owned "the decision," but we were all passionate about understanding each other's perspectives and ultimately coming to agreement as a group. 

That heated collaboration proved one of our best assets. It took time for the best argument to win, but once it did, we could all articulate in great detail the reasoning behind virtually any strategic decision. And that unity of thought proved invaluable when facing tough questions from Jobs.

In my career after Pixar in product and engineering leadership roles, I've held on to that ethos. We come up with our best solutions when we build strong business co-ownership between product, design, and engineering. And when things inevitably don't go according to plan, and the product needs to pivot, everyone can make better decisions because they deeply understand the strategy and the reasoning behind it.

3. The medium isn't the whole message, but it sure helps

Leaders at Pixar were filmmakers. So as our task shifted from pitching to Jobs to getting buy-in across the studio, our team decided to create animator-style storyboards to explain what we were building: How would an animator use the tool? How would other artists work on a shot at the same time? What would a day in the life of a Pixarian be like once they were using our new system?

It was a format I would never dream of for most VC-style presentations, but it resonated perfectly for the leadership team at Pixar. The extra time we took to understand how our leaders would best receive and absorb the information we were trying to share made all the difference.

In roles beyond Pixar, I've taken this lesson to heart: Meeting your audience where they are in the format that they're most able to respond to is a big part of making sure your ideas land and you get the best "appropriately skeptical" feedback you possibly can.

Entrepreneurial best practices can help businesses of all sizes improve the value of the work they put out. It would have been very easy for Jobs — or someone else on the leadership team — to just rubber-stamp our project and allocate budget.

By leveraging a model that was less "internal green light" and more "VC pitch"— complete with rigorous problem definition and technical due diligence — Jobs made sure the foundation was sound.

Tim Milliron is the executive vice president of engineering at Podium and has been a product leader at companies like Google, Twilio, Lytro, and TripActions.

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"Luca," the new straight-to-Disney Plus film from Pixar, tells the story of a sea monster who takes the form of a human boy when he's on land. All Disney Plus subscribers can stream the movie beginning June 18.

The film comes from the mind of Enrico Casarosa, an Academy Award nominee who grew up in Genoa, Italy. Casarosa based elements of the film on his childhood and set the story on the Italian Riviera. "Luca" stars the voices of Jacob Tremblay ("Room"), Jack Dylan Grazer ("It"), Sacha Baron Cohen ("Borat"), and Maya Rudolph ("Saturday Night Live").

The film has received critical acclaim, and currently holds a "91% Fresh" rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.

How to watch 'Luca' on Disney Plus

"Luca" will premiere on June 18 exclusively on Disney Plus in the US. Countries that don't have the streaming service will be able to watch the film in theaters. 

Unlike other brand-new movies that have debuted on Disney Plus, like "Cruella," the film will be available to all Disney Plus subscribers without a $30 Premier Access fee.

Disney Plus costs $8 a month ($80 a year). You can also bundle the service with ESPN+ and Hulu Basic for just $14 a month. The bundle saves you $6 a month compared to individually purchasing each service.

Disney Plus is available on a number of media players including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, most smart TVs, and more. You can visit the Disney Plus website for a full list of supported devices.

What other movies can I watch on Disney Plus?

Disney Plus features a growing library of new and classic movies from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and more.

Pixar's "Soul" debuted on the service in December 2020 after Disney canceled plans for a theatrical release. Disney's new animated adventure "Raya and the Last Dragon" is now available to all subscribers following a three-month Premier Access window.

You can check out a full listing of all the major exclusive movies on Disney Plus here. For more streaming recommendations, be sure to check out our guide to the best streaming services.

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"Monsters at Work," the new animated series from Disney Plus, brings viewers back to the colorful world introduced in "Monsters, Inc." and explores what happens when monsters are tasked with making children laugh instead of scream.

The show features John Goodman and Billy Crystal reprising their roles as Sulley and Mike, respectively. They are joined by a boisterous voice cast that includes Mindy Kaling ("The Office"), Ben Feldman ("Mad Men"), and Aisha Tyler ("CSI"). The series was created by Bobs Gannaway who worked on multiple Disney shows like "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,""101 Dalmatians," and "Lilo & Stitch: The Series."

The release date for "Monsters at Work" was originally slated for 2020, but the series was delayed until this summer. The show has received positive reviews so far, and currently holds a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 critic reviews.

"Monsters at Work" joins a growing collection of kid-friendly shows on Disney Plus. The service's large selection of family programs helps make it our pick for the best streaming service for parents and their kids.

How to watch 'Monsters at Work'

The first two episodes of "Monsters at Work" premiered exclusively on Disney Plus on July 7. Season one will feature 10 episodes, and one new espiode will be released every Wednesday. 

A monthly subscription to Disney Plus costs $8. You can save over 16% by getting a yearly subscription for $80. For even more movies, shows, and sports, you can take advantage of Disney's bundle deal that includes a subscription to Disney Plus, ESPN+, and Hulu Basic for $14 a month. Compared to combining separate subscriptions, the Disney bundle saves you $6 a month.

The streaming service is available on many smart devices and media players, including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, most smart TVs, mobile devices, and tablets. For more information about supported devices, visit the Disney Plus website.

What other movies and shorts from 'Monsters, Inc.' can I watch on Disney Plus?

Even though "Monsters at Work" is the first series to come from the franchise, Disney Plus subscribers have access to the full library of "Monsters, Inc." movies and shorts.

This includes the original Pixar movie, "Monsters, Inc.," as well as the prequel "Monsters University."

If you're looking for something quick to watch, animated shorts based on Mike and Sulley's relationship, like "Mike's New Car" and "Party Central," are available for streaming on Disney Plus as well.

Disney Plus also gives subscribers access to the entire Pixar library of movies. For a full list of current and upcoming original series, check out our guide to Disney Plus shows.

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Launched just months before the pandemic struck, Disney+ notched defining hits in 2020 like "The Mandalorian,""Hamilton," and "Soul." 

Content became king amid COVID-19 shutdowns, but driving Disney+'s product development, launch, and aggressive global expansion was Disney+ and ESPN+ president Michael Paull. Paull joined the streamer BAMTech as CEO in March 2017, about five months before Disney acquired majority ownership of the company. Over the next six months or so, his team led product development on and built the go-to-market plan for ESPN+, and collaborated with ESPN to launch the service in April 2018.

"We were able to leverage, in my opinion, the best content portfolio from a sports perspective in the industry," Paull said. "And then, of course, we came up with a pricing proposition that was very attractive."

In November 2019, his group repeated the feat with Disney+, which has 103.6 million subscribers (Netflix took nearly 10 years to reach that number).

Now Disney+, like many other streamers, is experiencing slowed subscriber growth as Hollywood hotly debates the company's simultaneous release of Marvel's "Black Widow" in theaters and via Disney+ Premier Access (for $30). Paull declined to comment on these new challenges, but the executive cheered the service's recent creative laurels: 71 Emmy nominations for the service, with "The Mandalorian" tying Netflix's "The Crown" for the most nods. ("WandaVision" scored 23 nominations and is a favorite with Paull's kids, ages 7 and 9, who also watch "Monsters at Work.")

"It was a validation of all the great work the studio creatives have been doing," Paull said. "It's just amazing, actually, to get to there."

In an interview with Insider, Paull credited Disney's content teams and deep well of intellectual property for this awards milestone as he broke down the thrills of building Disney+, the unique challenges of global expansion, and why he looks for "great athletes" to build out his teams.

Conversation condensed and edited for clarity.

Looking back, what were the largest hurdles your teams faced in developing and launching both ESPN+ and Disney+?

In the early days of streaming, companies would support only a small number of platforms because they figured out, you know, these are the easier platforms to support and most households have those platforms. We took a different approach: The goal that I gave the team is, I want every TV set in the household to be able to watch Disney+ and ESPN+. So not just the new TV in the living room but even the older television in the kids' room or in the kitchen, and that's a very lofty goal.

We also created a strategy to enable Disney+ to work on set-top boxes, and we've been deploying that strategy around the world because we recognize in many parts of the world, that's still the primary box that consumers are using to watch content.

What has been the biggest surprise to you about how Disney+ has been received?

It probably shouldn't have been a surprise, but the fandom that exists, the emotional connection between Disney fans and Disney+ was really remarkable. Just seeing the responses we're getting when we're dropping a new episode of "Loki": There are people who are waiting up until 3 in the morning to watch those episodes when we drop it on the East Coast — and not a small number of people — and it just shows massive fandom and massive emotional attachment to our content.

What has been the biggest challenge about global expansion?

When we first architected Disney+, we were thinking about it as a global service.

In the early days, certain companies, when they went global, they just turned their service on, right? And it worked. But they didn't have all the arrangements in place with the CDNs and others to make sure the streaming quality was absolutely excellent. They didn't localize the service — whether it was language or currency or local payment mechanisms — or even localizing marketing activities to make sure that they understood the consumer so they could position the product in an appropriate way.

Where we came in, we were able to do all of those things, but they're hard. Being able to support all of these different currencies and all of these different payment mechanisms and localizing not only the product but all the marketing collateral, subs and dubs, for all of the contents and all of these languages. There's an incredible amount of operational work that had to go into making all of that happen.

Do you have thoughts about which IP Disney+ could further explore and develop into film and TV?

We give the creative teams input about what's happening on the service and what's working and what's working better and all of that, but the actual decision-making on how they are going to develop IP, I would defer to our other groups.

We did a very robust presentation at our investor day on the incredible amount of content that's coming. What I'd like is for it to get completed and made available and ready for the service — in light of some of the shutdowns and or slowdowns that have happened due to the pandemic — but I'm extremely optimistic about what's coming to the surface in the future. 

How do you hire and organize teams to tackle these challenges? 

We're looking for, first and foremost, great athletes: people that are smart, that are hardworking, that are passionate about what we're doing and will fit within our culture. We've been very focused on creating a culture that really starts and ends the day focused on the consumer and is very focused on scalability. So we need to find people and talent who can come in and understand their North Star is the consumer, and will this scale? 

And then, of course, you want them to be hardworking and collaborative because we're a very big organization across a lot of countries. Collaboration is absolutely key to being able to be successful.

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