Pixar looks to be starting strong in 2020, as they plan on releasing not just one, but two non-sequel films next year. After Onward, Pixar’s next film will be Soul, set to release in the summer of 2020 from Up director Pete Doctor. Disney released the first official trailer for the upcoming Pixar film today.
The film centers around a music teacher named Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) who ends up in a freak accident after getting the opportunity of a lifetime. He’s then transported to the spirit world known as “You Seminar” and must figure out how to get back to the real world while also embarking on his own personal journey. The film seems to combine some of Pixar’s other work including Inside Out‘s character designs and abstract worldbuilding and Coco‘s afterlife story elements. It also seems heavily reliant on the themes of having dreams, passions and what you want to be remembered for in life, given the opening monologue Gardner delivers in the trailer.
Soul seems to be one of Pixar’s more interesting films, with its heavy focus on more abstract themes compared to their other more recent films. It’ll be certainly on the radar for animation and Pixar fans just on the themes alone, not to mention the emphasis on music. Who knows: maybe this Jazz-themed movie about the afterlife will become another classic like the majority of their ambitious projects.
Soul is set for release June 19th 2020. Watch the full trailer below: