Ravishing New “Soul” Clip Teases Joe’s Big Moment
There’s no reason to choose between two very different but we’re guessing equally uplifting big releases that are streaming this Christmas Day. On HBO Max you’ve got the long-awaited return of Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) in Wonder Woman 1984. On Disney+, you’ve got what promises to be a moving, gorgeous portrait of a man and his dreams—and what happens when those dreams are deferred—in Pixar’s Soul. In a new clip, we see the moment when Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), a middle-school band teacher who loves nothing more than playing jazz piano, gets his big break.
The clip reinforces why Pixar is arguably the best animation studio in the world. Their films all have a very personalized, specific style that’s matched to the story, yet all of them look ravishing. Just watching Joe tickling the ivories is pleasure enough. Once he’s stopped mid-performance (he thinks he’s failed) to be told to “get a suit” because he’s just won the opportunity to play the jazz club later that night, Joe’s on cloud nine.
What this clip leaves out, but we’ve seen in a bunch of Soul trailers and teasers, is that after he leaves the club, Joe ends up in the metaphysical clouds after he takes one wrong step (into an open manhole) 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. Soul is co-written and directed by the great Pete Docter, with Mike Jones and Kemp Powers earning co-writing credit.
Joining Foxx on the cast are Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Daveed Diggs, Angela Bassett, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, and June Squibb. Soul also boasts original jazz music from Jon Batiste and a score from the also great duo (and longtime David Fincher collaborators) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Check out the new clip here. Once again, Soul premieres on Disney+ on Christmas Day.
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Featured image: In Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) is a middle-school band teacher whose true passion is playing jazz. When he gets lost in his music, he goes into “the zone,” an immersive state that causes the rest of the world to literally melt away. Globally renowned musician Jon Batiste will be writing original jazz music for the film, and Oscar®-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”), from Nine Inch Nails, will compose an original score that will drift between the real and soul worlds. “Soul” will debut exclusively on Disney+ (where Disney+ is available) on December 25, 2020. © 2020 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
