Pixar's Soul

[D82]

Short clip from the movie:
https://youtu.be/o5u-gc7QeGA?t=470

Q&A with the filmmakers from the London Film Festival:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOj0rT5s_U8

And some more Zoom interviews with the film's creators:
How 'Inside Out' helped inspire Pixar's next movie 'Soul'
Pete Docter Interview
Director Pete Docter, Producer Dana Murray, and Co-Director & Writer Kemp Powers Talk 'SOUL'
Dir Pete Docter, Producer Dana Murray & Writer Kemp Powers of 'Soul' | BGN Interview
Soul Interview - Kristen Lester (Story Supervisor) Michael Yates & Aphton Corbin (Story Artists)
Pixar's Soul - How Pete Docter & Dana Murray made Pixar's best film yet

The reviews look very promising! But I am confused as to why Disney has released the embargo for this movie so early— more than two months before its Disney+ release. Why waste this great buzz?

I guess it's part of their awards promotion. They decided to premiere the film at the London Film Festival and this same week it will also be screened at the Rome Film Festival. I may be wrong, but I think they don't usually put embargoes on films that premiere at film festivals. Also, this was planned before the film was moved to Disney Plus and was given a new release date. Speaking of that, I understand why they finally decided to release it on streaming, but not the new release date. Wasn't Thanksgiving a good date? Do they need more time to prepare a new marketing campaign for Disney Plus? What could be the reason for the delay?

As for the reviews, I'm also glad they are so good. However, it doesn't look like it will be a contender for Best Picture at the Oscars. The award for Best Animated Film, though, is almost guaranteed.

[Sotiris]

It reminds me of the celebrities in Coco too. Personally, I guess it depends on the way it's portrayed, but in principle, I don't mind it.

I didn't care for when they did that in Coco either. Taking a historical figure like Frida Kahlo who was a staunch critic of capitalism and American imperialism and turning her into a cartoon skeleton to sell tickets, and for an American conglomerate no less, doesn't sit well with me. I find such things disrespectful, distasteful, and exploitative.

It also gives some details about the character called Moonwind. It's even weirder than we thought.

I still don't understand how he can exist both as a soul and as a human at the same time. Does he have the ability to transform into a human and move between planes of existence? If so, how come and why only he can do that? This doesn't follow the rules the film set up for the soul world.

Speaking of that, I understand why they finally decided to release it on streaming, but not the new release date. Wasn't Thanksgiving a good date? Do they need more time to prepare a new marketing campaign for Disney Plus? What could be the reason for the delay?

This is purely speculation on my part, but maybe it was done to give themselves more time to clear up any legal issues that may come up by the change in distribution and to launch a Disney Plus-specific promotional campaign.

The award for Best Animated Film, though, is almost guaranteed.

After the tepid reviews Over the Moon got, I believe it will come down to Soul and Wolfwalkers. The only way Soul doesn't win is if Academy members are upset it bypassed theaters. Wolfwalkers is being released theatrically prior to its premiere on AppleTV+, so members might vote for it to sent a message. That's not to say Wolfwalkers won't deserve it, of course.

[Sotiris]

The antagonist being a bureaucrat who just follows the rules reminds me of Auto in Wall-E.

The latter is especially true of quota-minded Terry (New Zealander actor Rachel House), the closest the film has to a villain.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... ondon-2020

[D82]

I didn't care for when they did that in Coco either. Taking a historical figure like Frida Kahlo who was a staunch critic of capitalism and American imperialism and turning her into a cartoon skeleton to sell tickets, and for an American conglomerate no less, doesn't sit well with me. I find such things disrespectful, distasteful, and exploitative.

I see your point. Yeah, I've sometimes found these cameos from historical figures disrespectful too.

I still don't understand how he can exist both as a soul and as a human at the same time. Does he have the ability to transform into a human and move between planes of existence? If so, how come and why only he can do that? This doesn't follow the rules the film set up for the soul world.

I don't understand it either, but maybe he'll just be different from the rest of characters from the Great Before and will have abilities the others don't have. We'll see.

This is purely speculation on my part, but maybe it was done to give themselves more time to clear up any legal issues that may come up by the change in distribution and to launch a Disney Plus-specific promotional campaign.

You may be right about that.

After the tepid reviews Over the Moon got, I believe it will come down to Soul and Wolfwalkers. The only way Soul doesn't win is if Academy members are upset it bypassed theaters. Wolfwalkers is being released theatrically prior to its premiere on AppleTV+, so members might vote for it to sent a message. That's not to say Wolfwalkers won't deserve it, of course.

I agree with you about Over the Moon's chances. I think it'll be nominated, but won't win. Regarding Wolfwalkers, I don't know, more independent films like these are normally not seen by so many members as Pixar's, but it's possible that the fact that it's being released in theaters could increase its chances, as you say. Also, Cartoon Saloon has been nominated several times before and hasn't won the award, so that could be another thing in their favor. However, I still think it will be difficult for the other films to beat Soul.

The antagonist being a bureaucrat who just follows the rules reminds me of Auto in Wall-E.

At least it doesn't seem it'll be a surprise villain like Auto. It doesn't sound like it'll be a very important one either, but more of an obstacle for the protagonist or a "ticking clock" for the story.

[DisneyFan97]

I liked the Frida Kahlo Cameo and i am very sad too hear, you think it was disrespectful

I think it’s a honor to be in an animated Pixar movie


I don’t need any real historical figures cameo in Soul !

But i don’t have anything aginest it

But maybe i am I am biased because i am a
staunch supporter of capitalism and American imperialism, but let's not get into politics, i liked Coco enough to give it a 7 out of 10.
I might add that in Swedish Frida Kahlo was voiced by a very famous actress and impersonator, who did a great jobb.

[Farerb]

I wanted to write this in the 2020 oscar thread, but I see that it is locked? So I'll write here instead since the topic came up.

My prediction for nominees are:
1. Soul
2. Wolfwalkers
3. Onward
4. Over the Moon
5. The Croods: A New Age (probably? I can see others here as well)

I do think that Soul is the apparent winner, I don't think the academy will dismiss it for lack of a theatrical release because they did change the rules (and LA's and New York's theaters are closed anyway so I doubt it'll make a difference). The voters will most likely get a screener (not that they'd need one though).
As for the Best Picture - D82 is right. I don't think Soul will get a nomination, though I think Pixar will try hard to push it. It also might get extra credit for having a more diverse cast.

[estefan]

Maybe it's because I grew up playing "Carmen Sandiego" games, reading Asterix comics and seeing historical figures represented in animated shows like "Animaniacs" and "Histeria", but I've never had a problem with animated films depicting historical figures, whether for purposes of parody or respectability. So I didn't think twice seeing Frida Kahlo in "Coco." She's a well known part of Mexican culture, so it's understandable she would appear in a film celebrating Mexican culture. These are public figures and unless the estate objects, it's fair game for filmmakers and creators to include them in animated movies and shows.

I wanted to write this in the 2020 oscar thread, but I see that it is locked? So I'll write here instead since the topic came up.

My prediction for nominees are:
1. Soul
2. Wolfwalkers
3. Onward
4. Over the Moon
5. The Croods: A New Age (probably? I can see others here as well)

I do think that Soul is the apparent winner, I don't think the academy will dismiss it for lack of a theatrical release because they did change the rules (and LA's and New York's theaters are closed anyway so I doubt it'll make a difference). The voters will most likely get a screener (not that they'd need one though).
As for the Best Picture - D82 is right. I don't think Soul will get a nomination, though I think Pixar will try hard to push it. It also might get extra credit for having a more diverse cast.

Netflix also has "The Willoughbys", which was well received when it premiered on the service earlier this year, and they handled the American release of the second Shaun the Sheep movie "Farmageddon." I thought Henry Selick's "Wendall & Wild" might also be released this year, since Netflix already put up a page for it. But it's apparently still being animated, so I guess not.

GKIDS usually submits a bunch of animated movies every year, so one of the slots could go to one of them. Then there's the question mark of "Connected." Sony currently has it listed as TBD 2020, although they might also release the movie in February to keep it within the extended eligibility period.

[Farerb]

Yeah there are other animated films, which is why the last one is a question mark. IDK maybe even Into the Moon, but I'm pretty certain that Soul, Onward and Wolfwalkers will be nominated.

[D82]

New trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs--6c7Hn_A

I wanted to write this in the 2020 oscar thread, but I see that it is locked? So I'll write here instead since the topic came up.

My prediction for nominees are:
1. Soul
2. Wolfwalkers
3. Onward
4. Over the Moon
5. The Croods: A New Age (probably? I can see others here as well)

I do think that Soul is the apparent winner, I don't think the academy will dismiss it for lack of a theatrical release because they did change the rules (and LA's and New York's theaters are closed anyway so I doubt it'll make a difference). The voters will most likely get a screener (not that they'd need one though).
As for the Best Picture - D82 is right. I don't think Soul will get a nomination, though I think Pixar will try hard to push it. It also might get extra credit for having a more diverse cast.

You're right, that thread is locked. I wonder why. At least apparently, there doesn't seem to be anything in it that caused it to be locked. I would maybe swap The Croods for the Shaun the Sheep sequel, but I quite agree with your predictions. That's if there are five nominees. According to this article, there's a small risk there could be just three if not all animated films scheduled for this year are released during the eligibility period:

It looks as though 16 animated films will be eligible for this race, which will allow five nominees in this category. Anything less would allow only three nominees, which hasn’t happened since 2010. We’re not out of the woods yet because some still don’t have “official” releases as of yet.

[D82]

I'm not sure if all these voice actors and their roles were already known or not:

Phylicia Rashad, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Daveed Diggs, and Angela Bassett were announced for the cast early on. Newly revealed additions include Graham Norton as spiritual sign twirler Moonwind, Thor: Ragnarok's Rachel House as count-obsessed Terry, comedian Donnell Rawlings as Joe's barber Dez, and June Squibb as Gerel.

Voicing the Counselors, who describe themselves as manifestations of the universe dumbing itself down so that feeble human minds can comprehend them, are The New Mutants' Alice Braga, The Mandalorian's Richard Ayoade, Woke's Wes Studi, Bless the Harts' Fortune Feimster, and The Affair's Zenobia Shroff.

Source: https://ew.com/movies/pixar-soul-trailer-jamie-foxx/

[Farerb]

You're right, that thread is locked. I wonder why. At least apparently, there doesn't seem to be anything in it that caused it to be locked. I would maybe swap The Croods for the Shaun the Sheep sequel, but I quite agree with your predictions. That's if there are five nominees. According to this article, there's a small risk there could be just three if not all animated films scheduled for this year are released during the eligibility period:

It looks as though 16 animated films will be eligible for this race, which will allow five nominees in this category. Anything less would allow only three nominees, which hasn’t happened since 2010. We’re not out of the woods yet because some still don’t have “official” releases as of yet.

I haven't even thought about the possibility that there won't be enough films thus having only three nominees. In that case it's going to be tough.

[D82]

The Australian trailer is different from the domestic one and has a lot of new footage including some of the cameos from historical figures.

[Sotiris]

At least it doesn't seem it'll be a surprise villain like Auto. It doesn't sound like it'll be a very important one either, but more of an obstacle for the protagonist or a "ticking clock" for the story.

Yes, it's a plus he's not a surprise villain. Based on the new trailer, it seems his role is more of the cop who is on a fugitive's tail (like maybe how Max functioned in Tangled) and less of a traditional villain. He did seem a bit sinister in the trailer though.

You're right, that thread is locked. I wonder why. At least apparently, there doesn't seem to be anything in it that caused it to be locked.

I had it locked a long time ago because DisneyFan97 kept spamming it and forgot to unlock it. It's open now. Feel free to take the Oscar discussion there, if you'd like.

According to this article, there's a small risk there could be just three if not all animated films scheduled for this year are released during the eligibility period.

Last year, the Oscar rules changed and they removed the requirement of having to have 8 eligible features to activate the category. There was no mention of the requirement of having 13 to 15 eligible features for there to be four nominees and 16 or more for there to be five. I assumed they removed it altogether as it's not present in their general rules or the animation-specific ones, but maybe that's not the case. By the way, Variety's list is horribly inaccurate. They are listing a lot of films that aren't eligible for this year's awards. They included films that changed their dates and will be released next year as well as films that were released last year.

The Australian trailer is different from the domestic one and has a lot of new footage including some of the cameos from historical figures.

It's interesting that in some overseas trailers, the focus is more on 22 than Joe. I wonder how the film will manage to accommodate the arcs of both characters. The cameos from historical figures were innocuous enough. I don't think they will bother anyone, except maybe in the case of Mother Teresa.

[Sotiris]

European Theater Operators are upset with Disney again.

Euro Cinemas Rep Calls Out Disney For ‘Soul’ Switch To Streaming; Says Theater Operators Are “Shocked & Dismayed”
https://deadline.com/2020/10/soul-europ ... 234595614/

[D82]

Jazz Music and the Afterlife: Here's How Pixar's Soul Came to Be
https://io9.gizmodo.com/jazz-music-and- ... 1845281613

Yes, it's a plus he's not a surprise villain. Based on the new trailer, it seems his role is more of the cop who is on a fugitive's tail (like maybe how Max functioned in Tangled) and less of a traditional villain. He did seem a bit sinister in the trailer though.

You're probably right. By the way, I'm confused about that character's gender. Terry is a male name, but the character is voiced by Rachel House and it looks as if their "hair" was worn in a bun.

I had it locked a long time ago because DisneyFan97 kept spamming it and forgot to unlock it. It's open now. Feel free to take the Oscar discussion there, if you'd like.

That's OK. Thanks for unlocking it!

Last year, the Oscar rules changed and they removed the requirement of having to have 8 eligible features to activate the category. There was no mention of the requirement of having 13 to 15 eligible features for there to be four nominees and 16 or more for there to be five. I assumed they removed it altogether as it's not present in their general rules or the animation-specific ones, but maybe that's not the case.

Thanks for the info. Then most likely there'll be five nominees this year after all.

The cameos from historical figures were innocuous enough. I don't think they will bother anyone, except maybe in the case of Mother Teresa.

Yeah, Mother Teresa's cameo is also the one I was doubting whether it was crossing the line or not.

[Sotiris]

Jazz Music and the Afterlife: Here's How Pixar's Soul Came to Be
https://io9.gizmodo.com/jazz-music-and- ... 1845281613

I'm a bit confused. In all the articles I read regarding the music, they state that Batiste wrote new songs for the film, but so far the only piece of his that was released was a cover that he re-arranged and performed. Did he actually write new material for the movie or did he just put his own spin on pre-existing music and that was simply miscommunicated to the press?

By the way, I'm confused about that character's gender. Terry is a male name, but the character is voiced by Rachel House and it looks as if their "hair" was worn in a bun.

Terry can be a female name too. It functions as diminutive nickname for both Terence and Teresa.

[D82]

I'm a bit confused. In all the articles I read regarding the music, they state that Batiste wrote new songs for the film, but so far the only piece of his that was released was a cover that he re-arranged and performed. Did he actually write new material for the movie or did he just put his own spin on pre-existing music and that was simply miscommunicated to the press?

I also think it's a bit strange they haven't previewed any of the original songs yet. It occurred to me that maybe what he wrote were instrumental pieces instead of songs, but then they wouldn't call them songs, would they? Maybe it's what you say. I guess we'll soon find out.

Terry can be a female name too. It functions as diminutive nickname for both Terence and Teresa.

Oh, I didn't know that. Then I guess there's no doubt that the character is female.

[Sotiris]

I also think it's a bit strange they haven't previewed any of the original songs yet. It occurred to me that maybe what he wrote were instrumental pieces instead of songs, but then they wouldn't call them songs, would they?

I think that might be the case. Batiste may have written new instrumental music for the film, but not songs. In interviews, they always talk about how he scored the part of the film set the real world, while Reznor & Ross scored the parts set in the Soul world. They never talk about him writing songs specifically or ask him about his songwriting process. They only reference his work as a composer. I had assumed that Batiste wrote both new score and songs, but it might be just the former after all. I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

[D82]

I think that might be the case. Batiste may have written new instrumental music for the film, but not songs. In interviews, they always talk about how he scored the part of the film set the real world, while Reznor & Ross scored the parts set in the Soul world. They never talk about him writing songs specifically or ask him about his songwriting process. They only reference his work as a composer. I had assumed that Batiste wrote both new score and songs, but it might be just the former after all. I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

You're right, they don't mention anything specific about the songs in those interviews. We'll see, but it's a bit suspicious.

[Disney Duster]

Thank you for that link D82! It was a great, really interesting read! But they sounded like no other film is made with everyone giving ideas and the best ones getting picked. That's how every Disney animated film is made, long before Pixar!