This year marks the first since 2014 that Disney has not had a movie hit the $1 billion mark at the box office, so the move should bring much-needed revenue.
The solidarity displayed by striking actors and writers in Hollywood this year was truly impressive. Standing up to multi-billion dollar corporations, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA both secured deals with concessions that outside observers thought they’d never get, and even now studios like Disney are back at work trying to get new scripted TV and movies produced.
Disney is putting three already-released Pixar movies into theaters in early 2024: “Luca,” “Soul” and “Turning Red.” The releases could help Disney improve on a dismal 2023 box office, and assuage viewers angered by strike-induced release delays of other movies. The three Pixar films can be streamed on-demand any time with a subscription to Disney+. Sign Up Now $7.99+ / month disneyplus.com
Get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN...
The solidarity displayed by striking actors and writers in Hollywood this year was truly impressive. Standing up to multi-billion dollar corporations, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA both secured deals with concessions that outside observers thought they’d never get, and even now studios like Disney are back at work trying to get new scripted TV and movies produced.
Disney is putting three already-released Pixar movies into theaters in early 2024: “Luca,” “Soul” and “Turning Red.” The releases could help Disney improve on a dismal 2023 box office, and assuage viewers angered by strike-induced release delays of other movies. The three Pixar films can be streamed on-demand any time with a subscription to Disney+. Sign Up Now $7.99+ / month disneyplus.com
Get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN...
- 12/6/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
We saw more than a few movies make their debut on streaming services during the pandemic, including three Pixar movies which will finally get their chance to experience the big screen. Pixar announced today that Soul, Turning Red, and Luca will be released in theaters early next year to set the stage for Inside Out 2.
Soul will hit theaters on January 12th. The film features the voice of Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. “But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth,” reads the official synopsis. “Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human experience.
Soul will hit theaters on January 12th. The film features the voice of Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. “But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth,” reads the official synopsis. “Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human experience.
- 12/5/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
With Pixar’s “Soul” winning two Oscars Sunday night for animated feature and original score, the timing couldn’t be better for “22 vs Earth,” a prequel short about why the skeptical sidekick (voiced by Tina Fey) refuses to be born (streaming April 30th on Disney+). Also returning is Alicia Braga as soul counselor Jerry.
Directed by “Soul” editor Kevin Nolting (a Pixar vet for nearly 22 years), the short provided an opportunity to dig more deeply into 22’s aversion to life until she meets jazz pianist Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), who’s determined to return to Earth to play professionally in New York. “All during the making of ‘Soul,’ we wondered why she didn’t want to be born,” said Nolting, who also edited the Oscar-winning “Inside Out” and “Up” for director/chief creative officer Pete Docter.
“What made her the way she was? All these little souls go to Earth...
Directed by “Soul” editor Kevin Nolting (a Pixar vet for nearly 22 years), the short provided an opportunity to dig more deeply into 22’s aversion to life until she meets jazz pianist Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), who’s determined to return to Earth to play professionally in New York. “All during the making of ‘Soul,’ we wondered why she didn’t want to be born,” said Nolting, who also edited the Oscar-winning “Inside Out” and “Up” for director/chief creative officer Pete Docter.
“What made her the way she was? All these little souls go to Earth...
- 4/27/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
What happened before Soul? Before Joe Gardner ended up in the Great Before? Even before Joe (Jamie Foxx) and 22 (Tina Fey) crossed paths, 22 had been around the block a couple times, unable to find her “spark” that would give her a pass to Earth. And by “around the block a few times,” we mean […]
The post ’22 vs. Earth’ Director Kevin Nolting Shares the Challenges of Making a ‘Soul’ Prequel [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
The post ’22 vs. Earth’ Director Kevin Nolting Shares the Challenges of Making a ‘Soul’ Prequel [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
- 4/27/2021
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Netflix wrapped up the longest Oscar season in history by dominating the craft awards Sunday night, splitting four prizes between “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, starring Oscar nominee Viola Davis as the trailblazing, ’20s blues singer, and David Fincher’s monochromatic “Mank,” (cinematography and production design), the biopic about Herman J. Mankiewicz’ frenzied scripting of “Citizen Kane.” Overlooked, though, was Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
The two Oscars for “Ma Rainey’s” were expected for the bold and gritty verisimilitude demanded by Davis and supplied by 89-year-old costume designer Ann Roth (a two-time winner), makeup stylist Sergio Lopez Rivera, and hair stylists Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson (who made Oscar history as the first Black female winners from their category). They made her sexy and subversive with a flashy wardrobe, gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair.
However, “Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt pulled his second...
The two Oscars for “Ma Rainey’s” were expected for the bold and gritty verisimilitude demanded by Davis and supplied by 89-year-old costume designer Ann Roth (a two-time winner), makeup stylist Sergio Lopez Rivera, and hair stylists Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson (who made Oscar history as the first Black female winners from their category). They made her sexy and subversive with a flashy wardrobe, gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair.
However, “Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt pulled his second...
- 4/26/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber took home multiple awards, as did actress Millie Bobby Brown, at Saturday night’s Kids’ Choice Awards hosted by Kenan Thompson.
The 34th annual show aired at 7:30 p.m. Et on Nickelodeon, where “Alexa & Katie” was crowned the favorite kids’ show, but “Stranger Things” won for favorite family show. Brown, who stars in the Netflix drama, was named favorite television actress and favorite film actress. Winners are determined by fan votes.
Grande and Bieber won for favorite female and male recording artists, respectively, while their joint hit “Stuck With U” won for favorite collaboration. Bieber also performed at the show.
Like just about everything else over the past year, the Kids’ Choice Awards were held virtually, but there were still plenty of fun moments, I including the cast of “iCarly” reuniting to present the award for favorite movie. And, of course, there were...
The 34th annual show aired at 7:30 p.m. Et on Nickelodeon, where “Alexa & Katie” was crowned the favorite kids’ show, but “Stranger Things” won for favorite family show. Brown, who stars in the Netflix drama, was named favorite television actress and favorite film actress. Winners are determined by fan votes.
Grande and Bieber won for favorite female and male recording artists, respectively, while their joint hit “Stuck With U” won for favorite collaboration. Bieber also performed at the show.
Like just about everything else over the past year, the Kids’ Choice Awards were held virtually, but there were still plenty of fun moments, I including the cast of “iCarly” reuniting to present the award for favorite movie. And, of course, there were...
- 3/14/2021
- by Lindsey Ellefson
- The Wrap
Pixar made history when Pete Docter’s “Soul” was shortlisted last month by the Academy’s VFX branch. It marked the first time that the illustrious CG animation studio has come this close to a nomination in that category. Indeed, other than Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King,” no CG-animated feature has ever been nominated for the VFX Oscar. And that film was distinguished by its photoreal, faux live-action aesthetic, rather than the more stylized, caricatured look associated with CG animation.
Unlike stop-motion, though, CG has been a tough sell to the VFX branch, which in the past has nominated “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Kubo and the Two Strings.” That’s because stop-motion falls in line with the criteria of integrating effects into live action, whereas CG animation is an outlier with its all-digital workflow. However, the Visual Effects Society has no such problem honoring animation alongside live action...
Unlike stop-motion, though, CG has been a tough sell to the VFX branch, which in the past has nominated “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Kubo and the Two Strings.” That’s because stop-motion falls in line with the criteria of integrating effects into live action, whereas CG animation is an outlier with its all-digital workflow. However, the Visual Effects Society has no such problem honoring animation alongside live action...
- 3/5/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
This story about “Onward” first appeared in the Oscar Nominations Preview issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine
Dan Scanlon now holds a rather strange place in movie history. His Pixar film, “Onward,” was the last film standing at No. 1 at the box office before movie theaters across the nation were forced to close by the pandemic. But even though his film was only in theaters for a couple of weeks, he was heartened by how families embraced “Onward” in quarantine.
“This movie is so much about trying to make the most of what you have when something is missing or there is someone you can’t be with, and I think that’s something a lot of people have been grappling with in lockdown,” Scanlon said. “People would send me pictures of their families turning their living rooms into a movie theater and kids making hand-drawn movie tickets, and I...
Dan Scanlon now holds a rather strange place in movie history. His Pixar film, “Onward,” was the last film standing at No. 1 at the box office before movie theaters across the nation were forced to close by the pandemic. But even though his film was only in theaters for a couple of weeks, he was heartened by how families embraced “Onward” in quarantine.
“This movie is so much about trying to make the most of what you have when something is missing or there is someone you can’t be with, and I think that’s something a lot of people have been grappling with in lockdown,” Scanlon said. “People would send me pictures of their families turning their living rooms into a movie theater and kids making hand-drawn movie tickets, and I...
- 3/4/2021
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Pixar’s ethereal “Soul” and Cartoon Saloon’s exquisitely hand-drawn “Wolfwalkers” — the two animated Oscar frontrunners — both grabbed 10 nominations each at Asifa-Hollywood’s 48th Annie Awards (to be streamed live on April 16). Pixar collected another seven nominations from “Onward” to dominate the feature competition.
“Soul” and “Wolfwalkers” are both expected to come away with the top prize from their respective best feature and best indie feature categories, but they compete head to head for direction (Pete Docter and Kemp Powers vs. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart), FX, character animation, character design, production design, score, storyboarding, and writing. “Soul” was additionally nominated for editorial, and “Wolfwalkers” for voice acting. But Jamie Foxx, who voiced “Soul’s” jazz pianist, Joe Gardner, was surprisingly overlooked.
Scoring six nominations were Netflix’s “Over the Moon” (directed by Disney legend Glen Keane) and “The Willoughbys,” and DreamWorks’ “Croods: A New Age.” But Keane’s gorgeous...
“Soul” and “Wolfwalkers” are both expected to come away with the top prize from their respective best feature and best indie feature categories, but they compete head to head for direction (Pete Docter and Kemp Powers vs. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart), FX, character animation, character design, production design, score, storyboarding, and writing. “Soul” was additionally nominated for editorial, and “Wolfwalkers” for voice acting. But Jamie Foxx, who voiced “Soul’s” jazz pianist, Joe Gardner, was surprisingly overlooked.
Scoring six nominations were Netflix’s “Over the Moon” (directed by Disney legend Glen Keane) and “The Willoughbys,” and DreamWorks’ “Croods: A New Age.” But Keane’s gorgeous...
- 3/3/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
‘Soul’ was one of the most highly praised films to screen at the recent BFI London Film Festival. Pixar Animation Studios has announced this Oscar contender for Best Animated Feature will start streaming on Disney+ on December 25. The studio also dropped a new trailer that shows the team that brought us Oscar winners “Up” (2009), “Inside Out” (2015) and “Coco” (2017) are sticking with their formula: heart, humor and, yes, soul. Watch the latest trailer for “Soul” above.
In the trailer, a middle school band teacher named Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) receives news he will have an opportunity to play at the best jazz club in town. In his excitement, Joe races through the streets and falls down a pothole, transporting himself into a fantastical world known as The Great Before, a place where new souls develop before they arrive on Earth. There he meets 22 (voiced by Tina Fey), a soul...
In the trailer, a middle school band teacher named Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) receives news he will have an opportunity to play at the best jazz club in town. In his excitement, Joe races through the streets and falls down a pothole, transporting himself into a fantastical world known as The Great Before, a place where new souls develop before they arrive on Earth. There he meets 22 (voiced by Tina Fey), a soul...
- 10/15/2020
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
“Life is full of possibilities,” Jamie Foxx‘s Joe Gardner says in the new Soul trailer. “You just have to know where to look.” It’s just the kind of inspiring message we might need right now from the Pixar film, which Disney is debuting on Disney+ this December. In the wake of the direct-to-streaming move, Disney has released a new Soul […]
The post New ‘Soul’ Trailer Unlocks the Music of Life, Reveals Additional Voice Cast appeared first on /Film.
The post New ‘Soul’ Trailer Unlocks the Music of Life, Reveals Additional Voice Cast appeared first on /Film.
- 10/15/2020
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Take a look at more new footage from director Pete Docter's CG-animated feature "Soul", produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, streaming December 25, 2020 on Disney+:
"...'Joe Gardner' (Foxx), a middle school music teacher, has long dreamed of performing jazz music onstage and finally gets a chance after impressing other jazz musicians during an opening act at the 'Half Note Club'.
"However, an accident causes Gardner's soul to be separated from his body and transported to the 'You Seminar', a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child.
"Gardner must work with the souls in training, including '22', a soul with a dim view on life after being trapped for years ' in order to return to Earth before its too late..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Soul"...
"...'Joe Gardner' (Foxx), a middle school music teacher, has long dreamed of performing jazz music onstage and finally gets a chance after impressing other jazz musicians during an opening act at the 'Half Note Club'.
"However, an accident causes Gardner's soul to be separated from his body and transported to the 'You Seminar', a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child.
"Gardner must work with the souls in training, including '22', a soul with a dim view on life after being trapped for years ' in order to return to Earth before its too late..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Soul"...
- 10/15/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Pixar's Soul recently made news when it was decided the film would be skipping theaters for a Disney+ debut on Christmas day and now we have a new trailer that showcases more of the movie and makes it known to look out for the film on Disney's streaming service. The new trailer gives us a glimpse into the musical life of Joe Gardner, voiced by Jamie Foxx. However, due to one wrong move, Joe finds his body-less self stuck in a realm of souls ready to move on. Panicked…...
- 10/15/2020
- by Gaius Bolling
- JoBlo.com
Disney has debuted a new trailer for Pixar animation ‘Soul’ marking its move to Disney+ on Christmas Day.
Related: Soul Review – Lff 2020
The film introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22 (voice of Tina Fey), who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.
Related: Pete Docter and Dana Murray on making the profoundly moving Soul and...
Related: Soul Review – Lff 2020
The film introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22 (voice of Tina Fey), who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.
Related: Pete Docter and Dana Murray on making the profoundly moving Soul and...
- 10/15/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Last week we were excited to share Disney Pixar’s announcement that Soul would make its debut on Disney+ on December 25, 2020. Today Disney Pixar dropped the newest trailer for the film. Soul introduces Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), a middle-school band teacher with a serious passion for jazz music. Joe is on the […]
The post New Trailer For Disney Pixar Film ‘Soul’ Debuts Today appeared first on Cinelinx | Movies. Games. Geek Culture..
The post New Trailer For Disney Pixar Film ‘Soul’ Debuts Today appeared first on Cinelinx | Movies. Games. Geek Culture..
- 10/15/2020
- by Jess Salafia Ward
- Cinelinx
Available exclusively on Disney+ beginning Dec. 25, 2020, Disney and Pixar’s feature film “Soul” introduces Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher with a serious passion for jazz music.
The story is particularly relatable to the artists behind it. For Jamie Foxx, who lends his voice to Joe, it begins with jazz. “Like Joe, I hear music in everything,” said Foxx. “When you’re a jazz artist, man, you talk a little different: ‘Hey, cat!’ I got a chance to go to a few jazz fests and meet Herbie Hancock, Chick Correa—hang out with those guys. They have a way of talking, a way of dressing—everything funnels toward their music, toward the jazz.”
But director Pete Docter, who shares Foxx’s love of music, conceived of the character before jazz entered the picture. “I’ve been so lucky to work with some incredible people and make movies that have been seen around the world,...
The story is particularly relatable to the artists behind it. For Jamie Foxx, who lends his voice to Joe, it begins with jazz. “Like Joe, I hear music in everything,” said Foxx. “When you’re a jazz artist, man, you talk a little different: ‘Hey, cat!’ I got a chance to go to a few jazz fests and meet Herbie Hancock, Chick Correa—hang out with those guys. They have a way of talking, a way of dressing—everything funnels toward their music, toward the jazz.”
But director Pete Docter, who shares Foxx’s love of music, conceived of the character before jazz entered the picture. “I’ve been so lucky to work with some incredible people and make movies that have been seen around the world,...
- 10/15/2020
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"Whoa! It's my life... Can you help me get back?" Disney has released another new full trailer for Pixar's Soul, which is now set for a streaming debut on the Disney+ service starting Christmas Day. They decided to pull the movie from its theatrical release in November, and show it virtually right away. Soul is about a jazz musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself. Featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, Tina Fey as "22", Daveed Diggs, Phylicia Rashad, and Ahmir-Khalib Thompson. In addition, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole worked as a cultural consultant on the film, and musician Jon Batiste wrote original jazz songs for it. The previous full-length trailer debuted in March, but this new one is the best of them all (so...
- 10/15/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Pixar Animation Studios’ highly anticipated film, “Soul,” isn’t set to premiere on Disney+ on December 25, but early critics’ reviews indicate the “visually glorious” animated feature will be worth the wait. Oscar-winning director Pete Docter (“Up” and “Inside Out”) is at the helm of this “densely packed, exquisitely executed” feature that recently screened at BFI London Film Festival.
As of this writing the film, which is Pixar’s first with a black lead character, has a MetaCritic score of 91 based on seven reviews. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, “Soul” has a perfect 100% freshness rating based on 13 independent reviews to date. Kaleem Aftab from “IndieWire” writes, “Like some of the best jazz compositions, it uses traditional framework to veer off in many unexpected directions, so that even the inevitable end point feels just right.”
This Oscar contender for Best Animated Feature follows middle school band teacher Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx...
As of this writing the film, which is Pixar’s first with a black lead character, has a MetaCritic score of 91 based on seven reviews. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, “Soul” has a perfect 100% freshness rating based on 13 independent reviews to date. Kaleem Aftab from “IndieWire” writes, “Like some of the best jazz compositions, it uses traditional framework to veer off in many unexpected directions, so that even the inevitable end point feels just right.”
This Oscar contender for Best Animated Feature follows middle school band teacher Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx...
- 10/12/2020
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Is an ‘Utterly Mind-Blowing,’ ‘Genuinely Profound’ ‘Captivating Journey,’ Critics Say
The pandemic may have pushed “Soul” out of theaters, but if critics’ reviews of Pixar’s latest film are any indication, it is on its way to becoming known as one of the animation studio’s finest films.
While only a handful of reviews have been published so far from the film’s screening at the London Film Festival, “Soul” has been effusively praised as one of Pixar’s most visually and thematically ambitious stories yet. The film follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a music teacher who risks his financially stable job to fulfill his dream of a jazz career.
But just when he nails the audition, a freak accident hurtles him into a dimension of souls, where he is offered a chance to return to his life if he can teach a stubborn soul-in-training named 22 (Tina Fey) that life is worth living.
Under special rules instituted by the Academy...
While only a handful of reviews have been published so far from the film’s screening at the London Film Festival, “Soul” has been effusively praised as one of Pixar’s most visually and thematically ambitious stories yet. The film follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a music teacher who risks his financially stable job to fulfill his dream of a jazz career.
But just when he nails the audition, a freak accident hurtles him into a dimension of souls, where he is offered a chance to return to his life if he can teach a stubborn soul-in-training named 22 (Tina Fey) that life is worth living.
Under special rules instituted by the Academy...
- 10/12/2020
- by Rosemary Rossi and Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Pixar’s Soul will be celebrated for many things, but chief among them should be the platform it gives, in American animation, to the great art form of jazz. We have come a long way from Jerry Seinfeld in Bee Movie, voicing a bee named Barry B. Benson, trying to woo a human character by inquiring, “Ya like jazz?”
Soul likes jazz very much. That’s a rare certainty in this ambitious film, which attempts to contemplate nothing less than the root of all human experience on this planet. It’s directed by Pete Docter, making his fourth feature for the famed animation house, who holds perhaps the best batting average of all the Pixar regulars. Monsters Inc. and Up in the 00s, and Inside Out in the last decade are benchmarks not just of the medium of animation, but also of imaginative storytelling in art meant for mass consumption.
Soul likes jazz very much. That’s a rare certainty in this ambitious film, which attempts to contemplate nothing less than the root of all human experience on this planet. It’s directed by Pete Docter, making his fourth feature for the famed animation house, who holds perhaps the best batting average of all the Pixar regulars. Monsters Inc. and Up in the 00s, and Inside Out in the last decade are benchmarks not just of the medium of animation, but also of imaginative storytelling in art meant for mass consumption.
- 10/12/2020
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
We've got good news and bad news. The good news is that Disney and Pixar's Soul is being released for free on Disney+. The bad news is that we'll now have to wait until Dec. 25 for its premiere. Due to Covid-19, Soul's original release date of June 19 had initially been delayed for a theatrical run on Nov. 20 before it was ultimately moved to Disney+. "We are thrilled to share Pixar's spectacular and moving Soul with audiences direct to Disney+ in December," Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a statement to Variety. "A new original Pixar film is always a special occasion, and this truly heartwarming and humorous story about human connection and finding one's place in the world will be a treat for families to enjoy together this holiday season."
Soul follows the story of middle-school band teacher Joe Gardner, who gets the chance to help another person...
Soul follows the story of middle-school band teacher Joe Gardner, who gets the chance to help another person...
- 10/11/2020
- by Grayson Gilcrease
- Popsugar.com
There are moments, watching Disney-Pixar’s latest release Soul, in which the ambition of the Emeryville-based animation house astounds in ways it hasn’t quite achieved in years. Moments of abstract expression that feel entirely unique to its new film, and yet wholly in keeping with the DNA that has made Pixar the standard bearer for family animation. The movie, which makes its world premiere bow this evening at a socially distanced London Film Festival screening, tackles existential themes without ever disregarding its core, family audience. And when it’s at its best, Soul is a joy to behold.
What is it that defines us? Director Pete Docter’s new movie imagines a plane of existence called The Great Before, in which our personalities are determined before we’re ever sent to Earth to be born. A plane of existence in which every soul must find its spark of particular...
What is it that defines us? Director Pete Docter’s new movie imagines a plane of existence called The Great Before, in which our personalities are determined before we’re ever sent to Earth to be born. A plane of existence in which every soul must find its spark of particular...
- 10/11/2020
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
If 2020 had worked out differently, Pixar’s “Soul” would have started its run back at Cannes — the first Pixar effort since “Inside Out” to do so — ahead of a much-anticipated theatrical release. Like a lot of promising cinema on the docket for earlier in the year, those plans fizzled, but the “Soul” train keeps chugging along. The winding path is appropriate for a movie steeped in observations about life’s unpredictable turns. While Disney’s decision to bypass a theatrical release for the film to post “Soul” straight onto Disney+ on Christmas Day doesn’t do any favors to the sorry state of exhibition, “Soul” is well worth signing up for the service, as .
It’s also historic: As the first entry in the Pixar canon to center on a Black character, this magical crowdpleaser has obvious representational value, so it’s especially gratifying to see how well it epitomizes the proverbial Pixar touch.
It’s also historic: As the first entry in the Pixar canon to center on a Black character, this magical crowdpleaser has obvious representational value, so it’s especially gratifying to see how well it epitomizes the proverbial Pixar touch.
- 10/11/2020
- by Kaleem Aftab
- Indiewire
Pixar’s Soul is no longer coming to theaters in the United States. Instead, the movie is being released through Disney+ on Christmas Day. This is a real shame, because the journey that middle school band teacher and aspiring jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) takes from New York City to the ethereal plane of The Great […]
The post The Making of Pixar’s ‘Soul’: From The Real World to The Great Before and Beyond appeared first on /Film.
The post The Making of Pixar’s ‘Soul’: From The Real World to The Great Before and Beyond appeared first on /Film.
- 10/9/2020
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Streaming service Disney+, with more than 60 million subscribers, will premiere director Pete Docter's CG-animated feature "Soul", produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, December 25, 2020:
"...'Joe Gardner' (Foxx), a middle school music teacher, has long dreamed of performing jazz music onstage and finally gets a chance after impressing other jazz musicians during an opening act at the 'Half Note Club'.
"However, an accident causes Gardner's soul to be separated from his body and transported to the 'You Seminar', a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child.
"Gardner must work with the souls in training, including '22', a soul with a dim view on life after being trapped for years ' in order to return to Earth before its too late..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Soul"...
"...'Joe Gardner' (Foxx), a middle school music teacher, has long dreamed of performing jazz music onstage and finally gets a chance after impressing other jazz musicians during an opening act at the 'Half Note Club'.
"However, an accident causes Gardner's soul to be separated from his body and transported to the 'You Seminar', a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child.
"Gardner must work with the souls in training, including '22', a soul with a dim view on life after being trapped for years ' in order to return to Earth before its too late..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Soul"...
- 10/9/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
‘Soul’ Preview: Pixar’s First Black-Led Feature Takes a Celestial Turn to Ponder the Meaning of Life
After making the Oscar-winning “Inside Out,” Pixar director and Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter suffered a mid-life crisis. As he experienced an emotional void, he began to ponder the meaning of life. The result is the existential follow-up, “Soul,” Pixar’s first Black-led feature. “I was feeling anxious,” he told IndieWire at a virtual junket. “‘Inside Out’ landed so well, but I had this existential fear that maybe all of this is meaningless: Am I supposed to be doing this [animation]?
The movie is about Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a struggling middle-school band teacher from Queens, who finally gets a gig playing piano at the Half Note in Manhattan, only to fall in a manhole. But he leaps off the monochromatic stairway to The Great Beyond and lands in The Great Before, a celestial training center where new souls are formed before birth. There he’s assigned to mentor the rebellious prankster,...
The movie is about Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a struggling middle-school band teacher from Queens, who finally gets a gig playing piano at the Half Note in Manhattan, only to fall in a manhole. But he leaps off the monochromatic stairway to The Great Beyond and lands in The Great Before, a celestial training center where new souls are formed before birth. There he’s assigned to mentor the rebellious prankster,...
- 10/9/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
In 2015 Pixar and director Pete Docter brought us Inside Out, a brilliant, moving exploration of how our emotions affect our relationships as we grow older. The Oscar-winning film’s script was heavily inspired by the filmmakers’ research into neuropsychology and the mysteries of how the human mind works. Now five years later, Docter and a new team have gone in a completely different direction–the metaphysical–with Soul.
Den of Geek was given a chance to view the first 20 minutes of the film and speak afterward with Docter, co-writer Kemp Powers, and producer Dana Murray about what may be Pixar’s most unabashedly gorgeous and advanced animated film to date.
Soul stars Jamie Foxx as the voice of Joe Gardner, a New York City middle school teacher whose dream of becoming a professional jazz musician seems to end prematurely when an accident sends him to The Great Before. This is...
Den of Geek was given a chance to view the first 20 minutes of the film and speak afterward with Docter, co-writer Kemp Powers, and producer Dana Murray about what may be Pixar’s most unabashedly gorgeous and advanced animated film to date.
Soul stars Jamie Foxx as the voice of Joe Gardner, a New York City middle school teacher whose dream of becoming a professional jazz musician seems to end prematurely when an accident sends him to The Great Before. This is...
- 10/9/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
While so many movies that were planning to be released in theaters this year have gotten pushed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, “Soul” won’t be one of them. The Walt Disney Company announced on Thursday that the new original feature from Pixar Animation Studios will debut exclusively on Disney Plus on December 25, 2020. In international markets where Disney+ isn’t available, “Soul” will be released theatrically with details to follow.
This hot Oscar contender follows middle school band teacher Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one day, he finds himself in a fantastical world known as The Great Before, a place where new souls develop before they arrive on Earth.
SEEPixar’s ‘Onward’ on Disney Plus: The perfect family film to stream during these unmagical times
“Soul” is directed by Pete Docter,...
This hot Oscar contender follows middle school band teacher Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one day, he finds himself in a fantastical world known as The Great Before, a place where new souls develop before they arrive on Earth.
SEEPixar’s ‘Onward’ on Disney Plus: The perfect family film to stream during these unmagical times
“Soul” is directed by Pete Docter,...
- 10/9/2020
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Disney has announced that Pixar’s ‘Soul’ will debut exclusively on Disney+ on December 25, 2020.
In international markets where Disney+ isn’t currently or soon to be available, ‘Soul’ will be released theatrically, with dates to be announced.
“We are thrilled to share Pixar’s spectacular and moving ‘Soul’ with audiences direct to Disney+ in December,” said Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “A new original Pixar film is always a special occasion, and this truly heartwarming and humorous story about human connection and finding one’s place in the world will be a treat for families to enjoy together this holiday season.”
The film introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great...
In international markets where Disney+ isn’t currently or soon to be available, ‘Soul’ will be released theatrically, with dates to be announced.
“We are thrilled to share Pixar’s spectacular and moving ‘Soul’ with audiences direct to Disney+ in December,” said Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “A new original Pixar film is always a special occasion, and this truly heartwarming and humorous story about human connection and finding one’s place in the world will be a treat for families to enjoy together this holiday season.”
The film introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great...
- 10/9/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Disney is rerouting Pixar’s “Soul” to Disney+, where it will debut exclusively on the platform on Christmas Day. Unlike “Mulan,” “Soul” will be free of charge to all Disney+ subscribers.
In international markets where Disney+ isn’t currently or soon to be available, “Soul” will be released theatrically, with dates to be announced. “Soul” had been initially scheduled for a Nov. 20 release date.
“We are thrilled to share Pixar’s spectacular and moving ‘Soul’ with audiences direct to Disney+ in December,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said. “A new original Pixar film is always a special occasion, and this truly heartwarming and humorous story about human connection and finding one’s place in the world will be a treat for families to enjoy together this holiday season.”
“Soul” is directed by Pete Docter and is written and co-directed by Kemp Powers along with producer Dana Murray. It’s the story of Joe Gardner,...
In international markets where Disney+ isn’t currently or soon to be available, “Soul” will be released theatrically, with dates to be announced. “Soul” had been initially scheduled for a Nov. 20 release date.
“We are thrilled to share Pixar’s spectacular and moving ‘Soul’ with audiences direct to Disney+ in December,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said. “A new original Pixar film is always a special occasion, and this truly heartwarming and humorous story about human connection and finding one’s place in the world will be a treat for families to enjoy together this holiday season.”
“Soul” is directed by Pete Docter and is written and co-directed by Kemp Powers along with producer Dana Murray. It’s the story of Joe Gardner,...
- 10/8/2020
- by Jeremy Fuster and Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
At Saturday’s massive D23 Expo in Anaheim, Disney flexed its powerful movie muscles in both live-action and animation, emphasizing cultural diversity and legacy building. Among the standouts were sneak peeks of the “Mulan” live-action remake and Pixar’s “Soul”, with the studio’s first predominantly all-black cast (led by Jamie Foxx as an aspiring jazz pianist). And the common thread was the richness of family in all its various forms.
In fact, Walt Disney Studios’ co-chairman Alan Horn literally underscored the point when kicking off the presentation: “You’re not just fans, you’re family,” he told the crowd of 6,800 in D23 Hall.
Here are nine key takeaways from the D23 movie presentation.
1. Goodbye to the “Skywalker Saga”
Horn began by introducing Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams to bid farewell to the “Skywalker Saga” with the ninth and final “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (December...
In fact, Walt Disney Studios’ co-chairman Alan Horn literally underscored the point when kicking off the presentation: “You’re not just fans, you’re family,” he told the crowd of 6,800 in D23 Hall.
Here are nine key takeaways from the D23 movie presentation.
1. Goodbye to the “Skywalker Saga”
Horn began by introducing Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams to bid farewell to the “Skywalker Saga” with the ninth and final “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (December...
- 8/25/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
While making their presentation at D23, Pixar revealed casting information and plot details about Soul, a film with a highly intriguing premise. Soul takes place both in our world and a mysterious cosmic realm where new souls learn how to be souls. When a human music teacher, Joe Gardner, accidentally finds his way to this […]
The post Pixar Reveals Voice Cast and Details About ‘Soul’ appeared first on Cinelinx.
The post Pixar Reveals Voice Cast and Details About ‘Soul’ appeared first on Cinelinx.
- 8/24/2019
- by Becky O'Brien
- Cinelinx
Disney’s Pixar revealed Saturday at the D23 Expo that the animation studio’s new film Soul will be toplined by Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey. The pic is set to be the second original Pixar film for 2020 after March’s Onward, and it has a June 19, 2020 release date.
Directed by two-time Oscar winner Pete Docter, who was joined by co-director/writer Kemp Powers and writer Mike Jones on Saturday, the film takes place between New York City and the never-before-seen cosmic realms and “The You Seminar,” the fantastical place where we all discover our unique personalities. The tagline: Ever wonder where your passion, your dreams and your interests come from? What is it that makes you … you?”
The voice cast will also include Daveed Diggs, Phylicia Rashad and Questlove. The original score will come from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with new jazz music from Jon Batiste.
The studio...
Directed by two-time Oscar winner Pete Docter, who was joined by co-director/writer Kemp Powers and writer Mike Jones on Saturday, the film takes place between New York City and the never-before-seen cosmic realms and “The You Seminar,” the fantastical place where we all discover our unique personalities. The tagline: Ever wonder where your passion, your dreams and your interests come from? What is it that makes you … you?”
The voice cast will also include Daveed Diggs, Phylicia Rashad and Questlove. The original score will come from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with new jazz music from Jon Batiste.
The studio...
- 8/24/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey are among the cast starring in Pixar’s “Soul,” the animation studio’s most existential film yet — and its most jazzy.
Pixar’s new creative head, two-time Oscar winner behind classics like “Monsters Inc.,” “Up” and “Inside Out,” Pete Docter, appeared at the D23 Expo on Saturday to share details of the studio’s summer release.
Prior to D23, there was very little known about “Soul,” with Disney only releasing this cryptic logline: “Ever wonder where your passion, your dreams and your interests come from? What is it that makes you… You? Pixar Animation Studios will take you on a journey from the streets of New York City to the cosmic realms to discover the answers to life’s most important questions.”
Also Read: Tom Holland Appears at Disney's D23 After Sony Spider-Man Split: 'It's Been a Crazy Week'
The film will explore the You Seminar,...
Pixar’s new creative head, two-time Oscar winner behind classics like “Monsters Inc.,” “Up” and “Inside Out,” Pete Docter, appeared at the D23 Expo on Saturday to share details of the studio’s summer release.
Prior to D23, there was very little known about “Soul,” with Disney only releasing this cryptic logline: “Ever wonder where your passion, your dreams and your interests come from? What is it that makes you… You? Pixar Animation Studios will take you on a journey from the streets of New York City to the cosmic realms to discover the answers to life’s most important questions.”
Also Read: Tom Holland Appears at Disney's D23 After Sony Spider-Man Split: 'It's Been a Crazy Week'
The film will explore the You Seminar,...
- 8/24/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
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