The only three certainties in life are death, taxes, andfilm delays in 2020. Keeping with that trend, Disney has pushed back its upcoming Pixar movie,Soul, from November to December, where it will now land directly on Christmas Day. Not only that, butSoulwill skip theaters entirely, releasing exclusively on the Disney+ streaming service for no additional fee.
Souloriginally eyed a release in June of 2020, though the ever present viral circumstances forced a not entirely unexpected delay to November 20th. Now, one more push has shifted the film’s premiere to December 25th. It’s not terribly surprising to see another delay, though given its relatively short jump from November to December, it’s possible this may be the final adjustment.
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Soulfollows Joe, a music teacher and small time jazz performer voiced by Jamie Foxx, who meets with an unfortunate accident that separates his soul from his body (just go with it, it’s Pixar). As a disembodied soul, it’s up to him and his new friend 22 (voiced by Tina Fey) to reunite with his body and put things back the way they were, but not without learning some poignant life lessons along the way.
Pete Docter, who directed previous Pixar hitsMonsters Inc.andUp, once again sat in the director’s chair forSoul, while the legendary duo ofTrent Reznor and Atticus Rosscontributed the film’s soundtrack. Writer Kemp Powers, known for his work onStar Trek: DiscoveryandOne Night in Miami, serves as both writer and co-director, making him Pixar’s first African-American co-director. Aside from its stellar talent behind the scenes,Soulis also notable for being the first Pixar movie to feature an African-American protagonist. The studio seemed to run with this trend in the casting process, as the film features a largely Black voice cast as well, including stars like Questlove, Angela Bassett, Daveed Diggs, and Phylicia Rashad, among others.
Soul’s delay and platform announcement comes during a turbulent time for theaters, with Cineworld only recently announcing atemporary closure of all its venues, including all Regal cinemas in the US as well as Cineworld and Picturehouse in the UK. Whether or not the announcement to release only on Disney+ has anything to do with recent theater news or is simply observing current trends, fans can rest easy knowing they won’t have to shell out an extra $30 like they did initially forMulan.
It’s good to see more and more examples of Disney embracing diversity with its films, and hopefully this is only the latest instance in a deepening trend. While some may argue that it loses some credibility due to having a white director, it’s still difficult to deny it’s an important step forward. No matter the circumstances,Soul’s Christmas Day release is sure to be a helpful decision for plenty of families.
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