A new trailer for Pixar’s next movie, Soul, has arrived–and it’s wonderful. For those just catching up, Soul follows the middle school band teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) who lives in New York City. Something happens, and Joe–the first Black protagonist in Pixar’s history–is transported to “The Great Before,” a fantastical world where people are created before traveling to Earth. The first trailer for Soul focused on this other place, while this one shows us Joe in his human life.
We also hear a particularly poignant line from Joe. He says, “Spend your precious hours doing what will bring out the real you; the brilliant, passionate you, that’s ready to contribute something meanginful into this world. Get ready, your life is about to start.”
The trailer features the original song “Parting Ways,” which was written by Cody Chesnutt.
This trailer doesn’t show any of it, but when Joe is in The Great Before, he’ll team up with a soul named 22 (Tina Fey), who doesn’t necessarily want to move on to Earth. Joe is trying to show 22 that life is worth living, and that will be the journey of the film.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out) talked about the origins of the movie’s concept. “We talked to a lot of folks that represented religious traditions and cultural traditions and [asked], ‘What do you think a soul is?'” he said. “All of them said ‘vaporous’ and ‘ethereal’ and ‘non-physical.’ We were like, ‘Great! How do we do this?’ We’re used to toys, cars, things that are much more substantial and easily referenced. This was a huge challenge, but I gotta say, I think the team really put some cool stuff together that’s really indicative of those words but also relatable.”
Soul is scheduled to premiere in theatres on November 20, 2020, though plans could change due to COVID-19. It will be Pixar’s second movie of 2020, following Onward from March.
