Pixar’s “Soul” to Premiere Christmas Day on Disney+ for All Subscribers

Another big release will debut on Disney+. Pixar’s latest original animated film Soul will be premiering on the streaming service on Christmas Day, yet unlike their release of Niki Caro’s Mulan, subscribers won’t have to pay a penny more to see it.

For international viewers who don’t currently have access to Disney+, Soul will still be released theatrically, with those release dates to be announced soon.

Soul looks like another must-see from Pixar, with Inside Out and Up director Pete Docter at the helm, featuring the voice talent of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Daveed Diggs, and Angela Bassett. Soul also boasts original jazz music from the great Jon Batiste and a score from the also great duo (and longtime David Fincher collaborators) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Soul is centered on middle school band teacher and jazz lover Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) who dreams of becoming a proper jazz musician. Then one day Gardner gets his big break—he’s been asked to play at a swanky jazz club after an audition, and he leaves the place on cloud nine. Unfortunately, soon he’s in the metaphysical clouds after he takes one wrong step and finds himself in the vast, fluffy precincts of the afterlife. It appears his dreams of becoming a jazz musician are put on hold; possibly for eternity.

Here’s the official synopsis and details from Pixar:

Directed by two-time Academy Award®-winner Pete Docter, co-directed by Kemp Powers and produced by Academy Award®-nominee Dana Murray. According to Docter, the idea for the story is 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.”

“Soul” introduces Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher whose true passion is playing jazz. “I think Joe is having that crisis that all artists have,” says 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.”

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. “The comedy comes naturally,” says Murray. “But the subtle emotion that reveals the truth to the characters is really something special.”

For more on Soul, check out these stories:

Pixar Reveals a Beautiful New Trailer For “Soul”

The Official Soul Trailer Reveals Pixar’s Latest

First Soul Trailer Reveals Next Pixar Film That’ll Likely Break Your Heart

Featured image: In Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” a middle-school band teacher named Joe Gardner gets the chance of a lifetime to play the piano in a jazz quartet headed by the great Dorothea Williams. Featuring Jamie Foxx as the voice of Joe Gardner, and Angela Bassett as the voice of Dorothea, “Soul” opens in U.S. theaters on June 19, 2020.. © 2020 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.