Pete Docter's 'Soul' Full Trailer Previews 'The Great Before'
After a run of sequels, Soul is the second original Pixar film in a row. Director Pete Docter has described it as a sort of 'spiritual successor' to Inside Out. Docter's last film was a critical and commercial hit back in 2015, and Pixar will obviously be hoping that his follow up will follow suit.
The latest trailer has been released, and it gives us a much better look at the film's story than we saw in the earlier teaser. The film follows middle-school music teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) as he's given the chance to make his dream come true and play at a legendary Jazz club. The very same day he falls prey to a freak accident- and wakes up in the realm of the souls.
Not ready to leave, Joe makes a run for it, and lands himself in 'The Great Before'- the place where souls gather before they travel to Earth. Joe teams up with one of these new souls 22 (Tina Fey) to try and get back to his body.
The first teaser did a wonderful job of showing us Joe's home, creating a brilliant sense of atmosphere that feels like a real living city. There's more of that here- showing Joe's school and the Jazz club- but it's much more focused on his adventure beyond. We've seen the afterlife in a Pixar film before, but the beforelife is something pretty new. In comparison to the colourful land of the dead in Coco, the design here is extremely stark, simple and minimalist. There are still some impressive visuals to be seen, but so far it seems to be missing the "wow!" factor that results from some of Pixar's most impressive animation.
The film also stars the voices of Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Ahmir Questlove Thompson and Daveed Diggs. Renowned musician Jon Batiste, contributes original Jazz music written for the film, while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross compose the score. Pete Docter writes and directs alongside co-director Kemp Powers. Mike Jones was also on board as a writer.
Soul is currently expected in US and UK cinemas on June 19, 2020.
Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.
