Let’s Talk “Soul” – Essence Festival Panel and NEW Trailer!
Disney & Pixar’s Soul is the next highly anticipated animated film of the year. Set to be released on November 20th, this film asks viewers to discover what makes you… YOU? Not only has Pixar debuted a brand new trailer for the film, but also special footage from the panel at the virtual ESSENCE Festival.
New Trailer Released
“Music moves people.” A new trailer released on Saturday begins, introducing Joe, the main character of Soul. Joe, voiced by Jamie Foxx, is a middle school band teacher with a deep passion for music. His journey through the film is one of self-discovery and the deeper meaning of life. View the trailer above for a sneak peek at this inspiring story, in addition to the moving soundtrack!
ESSENCE Festival Panel
American anthropologist Dr. Johnetta Betsch Cole gives an emotional introduction to the panel. She describes her experience at Pixar’s inclusion summit: “I still remember being genuinely impressed by the stated commitment of Pixar colleagues to stay on their journey toward a more diverse and inclusive culture. I can testify that the colleagues at that studio own their responsibility to make sure that their films tell the stories of all of us.”
Soul director Pete Doctor, along with producer Dana Murray and co-director/screenwriter Kemp Powers participated in the panel. They describe the journey working on this film, celebrating jazz music and the black community.
Doctor explains that “Our soul is really the center of who we are. It’s the essence of us, it is our makeup of what passions and inspirations we have. We wanted our main character in the film to have those passions born into him as well.”
Keeping the Story Authentic
Powers shares his intent to keep the film as culturally relevant as possible. “I don’t represent every single black man’s experience. For the process of making “Soul”, it’s really important that we invited a lot of other black voices into the fold, in the creation of not just Joe, but all of the characters of the film.”
A team of African American consultants contributed their insight to the film every step of the way. According to Powers, this helped to make the film as “authentic and truthful as possible.” The panel also includes an appearance by jazz pianist Jon Batiste, who lent his talents to the film’s score. Be sure to watch the panel and new trailer for yourself!
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