Soul

Soul is a 2020 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Kemp Powers (in his feature directorial debut), and produced by Dana Murray, with a screenplay written by Docter, Powers, and Mike Jones. The film stars the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, and Angela Bassett. It follows a pianist, Joe Gardner (Foxx), who is involved in an accident before his big break as a jazz musician and seeks to reunite his separated soul and body. Docter conceived Soul in January 2016, examining the origins of human personalities and the concept of determinism. The film's producers consulted various jazz musicians including, Herbie Hancock and Terri Lyne Carrington, and animated its musical sequences using the sessions of musician Jon Batiste as a reference. Apart from Batiste's original jazz compositions, musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film's score. Production on Soul lasted for four years on an approximate $150 million budget. It is the first Pixar film to feature a Black lead. Soul premiered at the London Film Festival on October 11, 2020, and was scheduled to be theatrically released on June 19 and November 20. However, the feature was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Soul was released direct-to-streaming on Disney+ on December 25, 2020, and in theaters in countries without the streaming service. Soul was well-received by critics for its craftsmanship, story, characters, and musical score. Organizations like the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named the film as one of the top 10 films of 2020. Soul was nominated for three awards at the 93rd Academy Awards season, winning two, and received numerous accolades.