50 Fun Facts About Soul (Pixar)

Who directed Pixar's Soul?

Docter had previously directed Monsters, Inc., Up and Inside Out, and became Pixar's chief creative officer in 2018.

Who voices Joe Gardner in Soul?

Docter noted Foxx is himself a classically trained pianist, which made him a natural fit for a jazz musician.

Who voices the cynical soul 22 in Soul?

Fey also helped write her character's lines, contributing to the screenplay.

What instrument does Joe Gardner play in Soul?

Animators captured MIDI data from Jon Batiste's sessions so every on-screen key press matched the note played.

How does Joe Gardner end up separated from his body in Soul?

His excitement after landing the gig with Dorothea Williams distracts him on the walk home.

What is the name of the realm where new souls are prepared for Earth in Soul?

It is also called the You Seminar; the Great Beyond is where Joe is headed before he escapes.

In Soul, the otherworldly soul counselors all share which name?

Terry, by contrast, is the lone obsessive soul counter who notices the count is off.

Which animal's body does Joe's soul occupy when he returns to Earth?

Co-writer Mike Jones came up with the cat idea so Joe could view his own life from outside.

What is the name of the soul counter who tracks Joe down in Soul?

Terry, voiced by Rachel House, even appears after the credits to tell viewers the film is over and to go home.

Who voices Moonwind, the sign-twirling mystic in Soul?

Moonwind regularly enters the Zone to rescue lost souls and helps find Joe's body in a hospital.

Which jazz saxophonist's quartet does Joe audition for in Soul?

Angela Bassett voices the bandleader, who hires Joe for that night's show.

Which musician voices the drummer Curley in Soul?

Curley is a former student of Joe's; Questlove also consulted on the film's jazz authenticity.

Who voices Joe's mother Libba in Soul?

Libba works as a seamstress and pushes Joe to take the full-time teaching job.

Who composed the ambient score for Soul's metaphysical scenes?

The Nine Inch Nails duo were recommended by sound designer Ren Klyce, a regular on David Fincher films.

Who wrote the original jazz music for Soul's New York scenes?

Batiste aimed for a user-friendly jazz that felt authentic but could still reach a general audience.

On which streaming service was Soul released on December 25, 2020?

Unlike Mulan, it skipped Premier Access and was free to every subscriber.

Why was Soul's theatrical release cancelled in 2020?

It had been slated for June 19, then November 20, before Disney sent it to streaming on Christmas Day.

Which short film accompanied Soul on its streaming release?

Madeline Sharafian's SparkShorts tale of a house-hunting rabbit was nominated for an Oscar.

At which festival did Soul hold its premiere?

It premiered on October 11, 2020, and was also part of the Cannes and Rome festival lineups that year.

Soul was finally released in US theaters in which year?

It arrived on January 12, 2024, alongside re-releases of Turning Red and Luca.

How many Academy Awards did Soul win?

It took Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score, and was also nominated for Best Sound.

Soul was the first Pixar film to feature what?

Pixar formed an internal Cultural Trust of Black employees and hired consultants to get the details right.

Who became Pixar's first African-American co-director through his work on Soul?

Powers' initial contract was just 12 weeks; he later co-directed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Soul's co-director wrote which play that became an Oscar-nominated 2020 film?

Regina King directed the adaptation, and Powers earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination the same year Soul won.

In which month and year was Soul first conceived by its director?

He pitched the idea to John Lasseter right after the 88th Academy Awards nominations were announced.

What profession did early drafts of Soul give Joe before he became a musician?

Docter felt a scientist did not feel naturally pure, and a musician offered a more appealing profession.

Which cinematographer consulted on lighting for Soul's Black characters?

Young's credits include Arrival and Selma; animators used lighting to emphasise the characters' features.

Critics saw the Jerrys and Terry as a nod to which 1971 Italian animated series?

Their look began as line drawings by story artist Aphton Corbin Alcordo and wire sculptures by Deanna Marsigliese.

The architecture of the You Seminar realm was inspired by what?

The filmmakers wanted a place not tied to any one culture, with a sense of awe and importance.

Effects supervisor Bill Watral compared the astral-plane sequence to which film moment?

Like Hitchcock's scene, it took months to create despite lasting only moments on screen.

Who originally recorded 'It's All Right', the song covered over Soul's end credits?

A second version, a duet with British singer Celeste, was released alongside the film.

Soul's score and songs were first released in how many vinyl-exclusive albums?

One carried the Reznor and Ross score and the other Batiste's songs, later compiled into a single digital album.

Which 2021 Pixar short shows 22 leading a rebellion before the events of Soul?

Directed by Soul's editor Kevin Nolting, it premiered on Disney+ on April 30, 2021.

In 22 vs. Earth, what is the name of 22's secret resistance movement?

The acronym stands for Anonymous Provocateurs and Other Culprits that are Against Leaving Your friends to go to Pathetic Stupid Earth.

Who wrote the short 22 vs. Earth?

The Toy Story 4 director scripted it, while Soul's editor Kevin Nolting directed.

Soul's highest-grossing international market was which country?

It took $57.9 million there; it also became Pixar's biggest ever release in Russia, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia.

Which straight-to-streaming film beat Soul's streaming minutes on Christmas weekend 2020?

Nielsen counted 2.252 billion minutes for the HBO Max release against 1.7 billion for Soul on Disney+.

What is Soul's approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes?

Metacritic scored it 83, and both the National Board of Review and AFI named it a top-ten film of 2020.

Who voices Dez, Joe's barber, in Soul?

The barbershop scene, where 22 opens up to Dez while in Joe's body, drew extra input from Kemp Powers.

Which Hamilton star voices Paul, Joe's neighborhood frenemy?

Diggs also performs a hip-hop interlude called 'Rappin Ced' on the soundtrack.

What object does Joe show 22 to bring her back from being a lost soul?

It was one of the small things she had collected while living a day in Joe's body.

What does each new soul need to complete before it can go to Earth?

The badge fills in with interests and personality traits, and its last piece is the spark.

What is 'the Zone' in Soul?

Lost souls who become obsessed end up trapped there, which is where 22 goes when she despairs.

Who voices Connie, Joe's middle-school band student?

22, in Joe's body, has one of her key conversations about life with Connie.

Which jazz legends were consulted by Pixar while making Soul?

Quincy Jones, Jon Batiste and educator Johnnetta Cole also advised on the film.

Roughly how long was Soul in production?

Docter conceived it in January 2016 and it reached Disney+ in December 2020.

Trent Reznor said he and Atticus Ross wrote how many films' worth of music for Soul?

Scenes kept shrinking or vanishing in edits, so much of the music was written for moments that no longer existed.

Which film had the director of Soul most recently helmed before it?

His daughter Elie inspired Riley in Inside Out, and he referred back to that film when designing Soul's abstract realms.

Which 22 vs. Earth recruit is the last to leave 22 for Earth?

A hug from Macaroni completes the soul's inspiration, and 22 throws her friend down to Earth.

Soul's worldwide box office gross was about how much?

Only $946,154 of that came from US theaters, most of it during the 2024 re-release.