Pixar is returning to the Great Before with a new prequel short to last year's award-winning film Soul. Announced today, 22 vs. Earth will revisit the skeptical soul 22 long before she met Joe Gardner. Tina Fey will return as the voice of the quick-witted and sarcastic 22.
Like Soul, it sounds like 22 vs. Earth will offer another emotional, deep, and heartfelt message about life and the meaning of it. Disney's synopsis of the short reads:
In the short, 22 defies the rules of The Great Before and refuses to go to Earth, enlisting a gang of five other new souls in her attempt at rebellion. However, as her cohorts' activities lead to unexpected results, 22’s subversive plot may actually lead to a surprising revelation about the meaning of life.
22 vs. Earth is directed by 21-year Pixar veteran Kevin Nolting. “While making ‘Soul,’ we talked about the why of a new soul not wanting to live on Earth, but it didn’t ultimately belong in that movie,” said Nolting. “‘22 vs. Earth’ was a chance to explore some of the unanswered questions we had about why 22 was so cynical. As a fairly cynical person myself, it felt like perfect material.”
“I think the new souls make the short so fun—the contrast of their pure innocence and delight with the cynical expectations of 22,” Nolting added. “The other new souls are what 22 once was before she took another path—purely innocent, blank slates to be guided by the counselors in their mostly uneventful journey to the earth portal. 22 sees an opening in that and attempts to guide them herself into her way of thinking.”
22 vs. Earth is set to premiere on Disney+ on April 30. Before you watch it, you may want to check out the feature film Soul, which released directly on the streaming service for free last December. The film received glowing reviews from critics and was praised for its animation, story, voice acting, and musical score. It won Best Animated Film and Best Original Score/Music Awards at the Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards, Critics' Choice Awards.