When
Soul was first announced, Pixar teased a movie that offers just as much substance as it does beautiful animation. The studio behind brilliant films like
Up,
Inside Out, and
Coco are back with another that'll take moviegoers on a journey into the cosmos as it attempts to answer life's most important questions.
“Ever wonder where your passion, your dreams and your interests come from? What is it that makes you… YOU?”
That seems to be the premise of Soul, which received its first teaser trailer today. The teaser asks what you want to be known for on Earth, adding that we only have a limited time here and encouraging us to follow our dreams.
Soul follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a middle-school band teacher whose true passion is playing jazz. With his dream possibly within reach, an unexpected step sends him on a journey into the cosmos where he meets 22 (Tina Fey), a soul-in-training who has spent a very long time in this place. Together, they embark on an adventure that to help return Joe to Earth, while also making him think about what it truly means to have soul. The teaser provides a glimpse of the film's emotional aspects as well as its natural comedic beats.
In the film, just when Joe thinks his dream might be in reach, a single unexpected step sends him to a fantastical place where he’s is forced to think again about what it truly means to have soul. That’s where he meets and ultimately teams up with 22, a soul who doesn’t think life on Earth is all it’s cracked up to be. Jamie Foxx lends his voice to Joe, while Tina Fey voices 22.
Soul is directed by two-time Academy Ward-winner Pete Doctor (
Up,
Inside Out), co-directed by Kemp Powers, and produced by Academy Award-nominee Dana Murray. According to Doctor, the idea for the story has been 23 years in the making.
“It started with my son—he’s 23 now—but the instant he was born, he already had a personality,” says Docter.
“Where did that come from? I thought your personality developed through your interaction with the world. And yet, it was pretty clear that we’re all born with a very unique, specific sense of who we are.”
“I think Joe is having that crisis that all artists have,” adds Powers.
“He’s increasingly feeling like his lifelong dream of being a jazz musician is not going to pan out and he’s asking himself ‘Why am I here? What am I meant to be doing?’ Joe personifies those questions.”
Soul opens in theaters on June 19, 2020.