
Arts & Culture
SOUL: Streaming on Disney+ 25th December starring Jamie Foxx
25 December 2020
Disney+ |
From Toy Story to, um, Toy Story 4, Pixar has mastered the art of making grown adults cry over anthropomorphised objects, animals and emotions. Many have lamented the studio’s decision to exhaust all of their existing films for their franchise potential with sequels to The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and more.
However, Pixar is returning to what they do best: finding the emotional power in original stories. Autumn 2020 will treat audiences to a new film from the studio, the jazz-inspired Soul.
Soul looks to be another ambitious venture for the studio. Set in the world of jazz, the film follows a middle school music teacher who dreams of playing for a crowd. However, an accident causes his soul to be separated from his body and taken to a centre where souls develop a passion for the unborn child they will embody.
Jamie Foxx lends his voice as the leading jazz teacher, Joe Gardner. Co-starring with Foxx is Tina Fey, who portrays a soul called 22, who has a pessimistic view on life after being trapped in the centre for years.
Taking the reigns for the film is director Pete Docter, who is no stranger to exploring those existential ideas of the self, having directed Inside Out, which follows the adventures of the emotions residing in a young girl’s brain.
Soul remains as one of Pixar’s more elusive and intriguing films. But if the film follows in the grand traditions of the studio’s output, tissues are an essential item for the cinema trip.
NB: The family flick was previously set to be released in cinemas on 27th November, but Disney announced on Thursday (8/10) that it will be hitting the streaming service on 25 December instead. And unlike the studio’s live-action Mulan, which was due to be in cinemas in July but was eventually released on Disney+ in September for an extra £23, Soul will be free to subscribers.
Check you local cinema for listings and screening times.