Jamie Foxx voices Joe Gardner, a middle school teacher more focused on becoming a jazz musician.
Every musician knows the phrase suffer for ones art.
Thats whereSoul, one of two original Pixar feature films premiering in 2020, begins.
Disney/Pixar
But, as Pixar movies tend to do, things get existential.
On the surface,Soulstrikes similar notes to that of PixarsInside Out(2015) andCoco(2017).
Despite the similarities to past Pixar films, Powers reiterates Murrays sentiment.
We went in a completely different direction than any of the other films that Petes done, he says.
Its hard to contain our enthusiasm over how much people are going to be surprised by what they see.
With his soul at You Seminar, Joe meets 22, a soul who loathes humans and avoids earth.
According to Docter, shes the teenager with the attitude: You know, its all boring and dull.
Blindspottings Daveed Diggs,The Cosby Shows Phylicia Rashad, and The Roots drummer Questlove also voice roles inSoul.
says Docter, whonow heads Pixar.
All of them said vaporous and ethereal and non-physical.
We were like, Great!
How do we do this?
Were used to toys, cars, things that are much more substantial and easily referenced.
As Docter notes, the Pixar minds wanted a profession the audience could root for.
They thought about science and chemistry, but nothing felt so naturally pure as a musicians life.
Yet, on one level, [its] somewhat selfish, Docter adds.
Once we landed on music, it really set the trajectory for the rest of the film.
Its also a journey that feels endlessly relatable for anyone who defines their lives based on career achievements.
For Docter, he sees Joe as a metaphor for filmmaking.
Ive been doing animation for 30 years, he says.
He recognizes that, without that obsessiveness to write, he wouldnt be where he is today.
I would maybe have said that at certain times in my life.
Soul, the director continues, is an exploration of, where should your focus be?
Perhaps well find our own answers to those questions when the film hits theaters on June 19, 2020.
