'Soul' on Disney Plus: Release date, plot, cast, trailer, how to stream and all you need to know about Pixar's animated film
Who doesn’t like a Disney/Pixar animated feature? And if you're particularly a fan of ‘Inside Out’, then this upcoming film is definitely for you. “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,” Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company had said before the film's release.
“The world can be an exhausting and frustrating place — but it’s also full of unexpected joys, even in seemingly mundane things,” Academy Award winner Pete Docter, known for his work in ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Up’, said. “‘Soul’ investigates what’s really important in our lives, a question we’re all asking these days. I hope it will bring some humor and fun to people at a time when everyone can surely use that.”
Here’s all you need to know about ‘Soul’:
Release date
‘Soul’ premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11. Originally intended to be a theatrical release, it will be digitally released on Disney+ on December 25.
Plot
As per the official synopsis of the film given by Pixar Animation Studios, Joe Gardner, a middle school music teacher, has long dreamed of performing jazz music on stage, and finally gets a chance after impressing other jazz musicians during an opening act at the Half Note Club. However, an untimely accident causes Gardner's soul to be separated from his body and begin to proceed to the Great Beyond, and Gardner manages to escape to the Great Before, a world where souls develop personalities, quirks, and traits before being sent off to Earth. There, Gardner must work with souls in training at the Great Before, such as 22, a soul with a dim view on the concept of life, in order to return to Earth before his body dies.
Cast
Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner
The 52-year-old American actor, singer-songwriter, comedian, television presenter, and record producer is best known for his roles in films like ‘Jarhead’, ‘Dreamgirls’, ‘Miami Vice’, ‘Django Unchained’, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’, ‘Annie’, ‘Baby Driver’, and ‘Just Mercy’.
Foxx won much acclaim for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film 'Ray', for which he earned the Academy Award, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the crime film 'Collateral'. Since spring 2017, Foxx has been the host and executive producer of the Fox game show 'Beat Shazam'.
Phylicia Rashad as Libba Gardner
The 72-year-old American actor, singer, and stage director is known for her role as Clair Huxtable on ‘The Cosby Show’. It was a role that earned her Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. As a stage actor, she has a number of Broadway roles to her credit, including ‘Into the Woods’, ‘Jelly's Last Jam’, ‘Gem of the Ocean’, and ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’. In 2004, Rashad became the first Black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, which she won for her role in the revival of ‘A Raisin in the Sun’.
In films, Rashad’s acting credits include features like ‘For Colored Girls’, ‘Good Deeds’, ‘Loving Jezebel’, and more. More recently on television, she appeared in shows like ‘David Makes Man’, Empire’, and ‘ Do No Harm’.
Daveed Diggs as Paul
The 38-year-old actor, singer, producer, writer, and rapper is the vocalist of the experimental hip hop group Clipping. Diggs originated the role of and won a Grammy and Tony for, the Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson in the 2015 musical ‘Hamilton’.
Diggs has played a bunch of critically acclaimed roles in shows and films like ‘Black-ish’, ‘Wonder’, ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’, ‘Blindspotting’, ‘Snowpiercer’, and more. Aside from the Grammy and Tony, Diggs also was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead in 2018.
Creators
‘Soul’ has been directed by Pete Docter and co-directed by Kemp Powers, and written by Docter, Powers, and Mike Jones. Docter is best known for directing ‘Monsters, Inc.’, ‘Up’, and ‘Inside Out’.
Trailer
The film’s trailer is everything that fans of ‘Inside Out’ would jump on to. With its beautiful animation, Pixar and Disney bring to life a concept that live-action films could never even dream to execute. Take a look at the trailer:
Where to watch and how to live stream
Pixar's ‘Soul’ exclusively premieres on Disney+ instead of airing in theaters. You can watch it on the streaming service just in time for Christmas, on Friday, December 25, 2020. As with most Disney Plus and VOD drops, the release time should be around 12 am PT / 3 am ET / 8 am GMT on that day.
Disney+ is available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+. Visit DisneyPlus.com to subscribe and/or learn more about the service.
If you like ‘Soul’, you will also like these
‘Inside Out’
‘Monsters, Inc’
‘Up’
‘Coco’
‘Toy Story’