Disney's 'Raya and the Last Dragon' will release on Disney Plus Premier Access and in theaters on the same day

Raya and the Last Dragon
(Image credit: Disney)

Disney will be releasing Raya and the Last Dragon both in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on the same day, but don't worry - they don't have these plans with their entire slate. Disney, unlike Warner Bros., has complete creative and financial control of several of their properties. Raya and the Last Dragon happens to be one such property. In short - this means that Disney isn't ruining any partners' day by making the call to shift this property into a hybrid release plan. 

And no, Disney does not intend to release the entirety of their upcoming slate onto Disney+. Executives confirmed on the Investor Day presentation that they intend to move forward with a strategy that works best for each of their respective films. In the case of Raya and the Last Dragon, that strategy happens to be the hybrid release.

They didn't confirm if Raya would be released to consumers at the same price as Mulan (about $30), but because they chose not to mention that will be our assumption as we head forward. Given that the primary market for the film will be families with young children, this is pretty good news. Taking a family to movie theaters gets pretty costly, even if it's just the parents and one child. Stands to reason that the animated feature will see solid performance with the hybrid release strategy. 

The release date for the film is currently planned for March 12, 2021. 

Here's everything that happened during the Disney Investor Day event.

Amelia Emberwing

Amelia is an entertainment Streaming Editor at IGN, which means she spends a lot of time analyzing and editing stories on things like Loki, Peacemaker, and The Witcher. In addition to her features and editorial work, she’s also a member of both the Television Critics Association and Critics Choice. A deep love of film and television has kept her happily in the entertainment industry for 7 years.