Disney recently released their new trailer for Soul, and it looks like a wonderfully uplifting family tale.
The film is co-directed by Pete Doctor and Kemp Powers, both of whom wrote the screenplay with Mike Jones. The animated fantasy follows a musician voiced by Jamie Foxx whose soul goes to a purgatory-like place after his unexpected death. Not through with life on earth, he teams up with another soul voiced by Tina Fey to try and get back into a human body.
Soul Official Trailer
The trailer for Soul promises classic Pixar: Detailed animation, an original premise, emotional heart-tugging, and top-tier voice talent. This could easily join the tear-jerking ranks of Toy Story 3, Up, and Inside Out (the latter two were also directed by Doctor). I’d imagine many families will flock to it based on the company’s reputation for high-quality original ideas as well as its availability at home for Disney Plus subscribers.
Two potential concerns are overly childish humor and Tina Fey’s cynic character. While children are obviously a prime demographic of the Disney company, their best films are those that can reach kids and adults on varying levels. Some of the more recent Pixar outings have struggled to balance the kid appeal with more mature storylines (The kids in my Cars 3 screening were quiet as church mice), but this gag could very well be an isolated moment in what is otherwise a family-oriented feature.
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Cynical leads in kids films are nothing new, and Fey seems ideally fit for her character, but it all depends on how the character is written. If done right, her character could be another classic member of Pixar’s cuddly catalogue. If done wrong, she could bring the film down for adults. It’s too early to tell, but I’m personally hoping for the best as Foxx and Fey rarely attach themselves to bad projects.
Soul stars the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Daveed Diggs, Phylicia Rashad, and Angela Bassett. It is co-directed by Pete Doctor and Kemp Powers with a screenplay by Doctor, Powers, and Mike Jones. As of this writing, Soul will enter the digital pearly gates of Disney Plus for free on December 25th, 2020.
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