Disney’s “Soul” is a heartstring tugger that explores the idea of life before we are actually born. The animated film Soul follows the life and death of Joe Gardener, played by Jamie Foxx, an aspiring jazz pianist who gets his soul separated from his body. Joe finds himself mentoring 22, played by Tina Fey, an unborn soul with no intention of going to Earth. It’s up to Joe to help 22 find her spark, to get her earth pass. 

On his journey, he meets an astral traveler named Moonwind (Graham Norton), a soul counter named Terry (Rachel House), and five soul counselors all named Jerry ( by Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Wes Studi, Fortune Feimster, and Zenobia Shroff). 

As only the first animated film made by Pixar to have an African American protagonist, the creators of Soul had to avoid stereotypical depictions of the past and make the characters look uniquely animated. Portrayals of black characters that were racist and or racially insensitive and upset many. Portrayals of black characters that were racist and or racially insensitive and upset many. This was seen in the princess and the frog since the main black character was a frog half the time. 

Soul was produced by Dana Murray and written and directed by Pete Doctor. Doctor felt inspired to write Soul after he won his second Academy Award for “Inside Out”. He felt the achievement was monotonous. It left him to ponder the meaning of life and how one’s individual purpose ties into that. Which is what sparked the idea for “Soul”. 

“Soul” was officially announced in June of 2019 to be released in the summer of 2020 but was delayed three months after the COVID-19 outbreak caused mass shutdowns of theaters across the globe. 

“Soul” premiered at the London film festival in October of 2020. It was Pixar’s first feature-length film to be released not primarily in theaters but rather on their streaming service Disney+.

The movie takes place in two main settings: New York City and the “Great Before”. Soul uses two artists with contrasting styles to better immerse the viewer in the difference between the two worlds. 

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from the band Nine Inch Nails composed a new age score for the Great Before. For NYC Jon Batiste composed some classic jazz that is available online and on vinyl. Soul has won and been nominated for many awards for voice acting, animation, soundtrack, and more. Truly proving this movie has sparked a lot of popularity and is a fan favorite.