Soul, which featured an incredible soundtrack, debuted on the Disney+ streaming platform on December 25, 2020. At tonight’s 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, the Pixar film was up against four other nominees — Wolfwalkers, Onward, Over the Moon, and A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmaggedon.
NPR noted the film’s success on the awards circuit prior to its Oscar win:
In the run-up to the Oscars, Soul swept up Best Animated Feature awards from dozens of critics’ groups and film societies, including the Golden Globes, BAFTA, the AFI, the Art Directors Guild, Black Film Critics Circle, the National Board of Review, and the ANNIEs.
What is it that makes you…YOU? Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new feature film SOUL introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – 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 (voice of Tina Fey), 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. Directed by Academy Award® winner Pete Docter (“Inside Out,” “Up”), co-directed by Kemp Powers (“One Night in Miami”), written by Kemp Powers & Mike Jones, and produced by Academy Award nominee Dana Murray (Pixar short “Lou”), SOUL also stars the voice talents of Phylicia Rashad, Questlove and Daveed Diggs. It features original jazz music by globally renowned musician Jon Batiste, and Oscar® winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”), from Nine Inch Nails, composed an original score that drifts between the real and soul worlds.
Credit: Pixar
