Disney to release new movie on streaming ​

Disney will release its new Pixar movie, Onward, onto its streaming platform at the end of next month.

Onward will be available to stream on Disney+ on April 24. It will be available for digital rental and purchase from April 3 if you’re in a particular hurry.

The Pixar movie, featuring the voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, only spent one weekend in Australian cinemas before local establishments were ordered to shut over the coronavirus pandemic.

Onward was originally due to be released theatrically in Australia in early April but had its date moved forward to March 26 as the short-term future of cinemas became in-flux, but even that wasn’t soon enough.

It was, however, released for a weekend of sneak previews on March 21 and 22.

Onward is a fantasy movie about a pair of brothers who embark on a quest to spend one day with their long-dead father. It’s directed and co-written by Dan Scanlon, a long-time Pixar filmmaker who previously helmed Monsters University.

It also features the voice talent of Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Scanlon said in a statement: “While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes.”

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Onward is one of many movie titles affected by upheavals in the industry caused by coronavirus which has seen most cinemas worldwide close up shop as government lock down public spaces.

High-profile blockbusters such as No Time To Die, Mulan, Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984 and A Quiet Place II have had their release dates delayed for months or indefinitely. Productions on movies and TV shows have been suspended as a result of social distancing measures.

Entertainment companies have had to shift their strategies to make up for lost revenue by turning to the captive at-home audience.

Disney brought forward the streaming release for Frozen 2 by three months to capture viewers stuck at home.

Studios including Universal, Roadshow and Sony have expedited recent cinema releases to digital platforms for rental and purchase in Australia, including The Invisible Man, Emma, Bloodshot, Birds of Prey, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tearsand Just Mercy.

Only one unreleased studio film has been committed to a direct-to-home entertainment release and that’s Trolls: World Tour, which will be released to digital platforms in the US in April.

Trolls: World Tour will not be available for home viewing in Australia – it’s being held back for a cinema release in September.

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