On Sunday, the Academy Awards took place along with the normal amount of controversy that the ceremony usually brings. Looking past the upsetting Chadwick Boseman snub, many exciting and positive things also took place.
Disney and Pixar's most recent release, Soul, launched on Disney+ last year due to the problematic pandemic, marking the first Pixar feature to do so. Not only that, but because the film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, it has become the first movie to accomplish the feat without being played in U.S. theaters.
Soul has also made a big impact by being the first Pixar film to feature a black lead, with Jamie Foxx leading the cast. It is also the first from the studio to primarily feature a minority cast.
Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new feature film “Soul” introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22 (voice of Tina Fey), who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.
Animation fans will love our chat with voice acting legend Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) included below on Literary Joe's Inner Child Podcast!