Soul 2020

Movie · 101 min · English · October 11, 2020

Animated Comedy-drama Fantasy comedy-drama

Directed by Pete DocterWritten by Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers

Starring Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Phylicia Rashad

A 2020 American animated fantasy film, Soul was directed by Pete Docter and co-written by Mike Jones and Kemp Powers. The movie was produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures and features the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, and Angela Bassett. The story centers on Joe Gardner (Foxx), a middle school educator and jazz enthusiast who enters a coma after an accident. His soul becomes separated from his body, and he must find a way to reunite them before his chance to perform as a jazz musician arrives.

Docter developed the concept of Soul in January 2016, exploring how individual personalities form and the idea of determinism. He first discussed the concept with Jones, proposing that souls have their own identities and characteristics within spacetime. For authenticity, the production team worked closely with jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock and Terri Lyne Carrington. Musical scenes were created using recordings by musician Jon Batiste as reference. In addition to Batiste's original compositions, musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film’s soundtrack. The production took four years and cost approximately $150-200 million dollars.

Soul made its debut at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2020. Originally set for release on June 19 and November 20, the film's theatrical launch was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It premiered directly on Disney+ on December 25, 2020, along with the short film Burrow, and showed in theaters where streaming wasn't available. In the United States, it opened in cinemas on January 12, 2024. Critics praised the film for its animation, writing, themes, emotional resonance, music, and sophisticated content. Box office receipts reached $122 million against a $150 million budget. The National Board of Review and the American Film Institute honored Soul as one of the top ten films of 2020. At the 93rd Academy Awards, it received three nominations and won two awards, along with many other honors.