Pixar have done a really profound thing by releasing Soul<\/em> on Disney+ on Christmas Day. Not only are its themes \u2013 chasing dreams and celebrating life \u2013 a wonderful reminder of what lies ahead for all of us, but it\u2019s given us something to look forward to. December 25th may be full of doubt and worry for a lot of people this year, but the release of Soul<\/em> is something we can count on to bring people together.<\/p>\n We were lucky enough to attend a digital press conference for Soul<\/em> earlier this year, and it was inspiring to be in the (virtual) company of such talented filmmakers, producers, and actors. Pete Docter revealing a lovely sketch of the interviewer right before the conference ended may have been the highlight. He’d been secretly working on it throughout the conference.<\/p>\n Soul<\/em> is something to look forward to this festive season. We\u2019ll leave you with some facts we learnt during the press conference that will hopefully help make the thought of Christmas a little easier for some of you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Great Before is where all souls are formed and shaped before they\u2019re ready to move on to Earth. Pete Docter remarked \u201cWe figured if the souls just ran amok, no one would ever get born. It would just be bedlam up there. So they need a little bit of steering.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s where the counsellors come in! They almost take on the role of kindergarten teachers. They\u2019re totally unique looking \u2013 very different from the design of the individual souls, and very different from humans too. The Great Before could be described as quite \u2018minimalistic\u2019 and abstract, and the counsellors fit right in with that aesthetic. They\u2019re based off of wire models shaped slightly to resemble a human face, but just wait until you see how they\u2019re animated! It\u2019s mesmerising. They\u2019re apparently one of the most tricky character designs that Pixar has faced yet. Also – they’re pretty much all called Jerry.<\/p>\n \u00a92020 Disney\/Pixar. All rights reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Because the world of souls is suitably very abstract and philosophical, it was difficult to settle on a \u2018look\u2019 for The Great Before. The filmmakers tried taking inspiration from Ancient Greece, but that ended up being too \u201cculturally specific\u201d \u2013 The Great Before needed to be more universal. So they turned to \u2013 World\u2019s Fair photos from the 1940s! Of course. It does kind of make sense though: it’s abstract, timeless, and borrows from all sorts of different cultures.<\/p>\n 1939 New York World’s Fair – Image by \u00a9 CORBIS<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Soul wasn\u2019t always going to be about a jazz musician. They wanted a passionate lead who was figuring out what to do with his life and how to pursue his dreams. Joe was a scientist, an artist, and an actor before they settled on jazz. And once they knew he was going to play jazz \u2013 music that originated from black communities in New Orleans – they realised he had to be black.<\/p>\n Kemp Powers and a whole team of other consultants were brought on board to make sure the film was as authentic as possible. And this was absolutely the right move \u2013 Soul oozes authenticity. Black employees at Pixar were also brought together to create a trust and were involved in the making of the film at every step.<\/p>\n Kemp Powers recalled that when Pixar first asked him for his involvement, he pointed out:<\/p>\n \u201cYou know that I\u2019m gonna be pushing for, like, a lot of black stuff. Because I can\u2019t help myself \u2026 our culture is amazing. And, a\u00a0lot of people, particularly in Hollywood, will tell you that, in order to appeal to a wide audience, you want to get away from that. And I feel the opposite. I feel, like, there is universality by going for the hyper-specificity.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00a9 2020 Disney\/Pixar. All rights reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We can all agree that this year has been an exceptionally weird one. Usually, the run-up to the year end\u2019s festivities is cause for excitement, and while I \u2013 like countless others \u2013 will be happy to see the back of 2020, I can\u2019t say that I\u2019m exactly \u2018looking forward\u2019 to what 2021 might bring. …<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":7996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,382],"tags":[402,191,383],"yoast_head":"\n1. The counsellors in The Great Before are based on simple, twisted wires<\/em><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.wasabisys.com\/upcomingpixar\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Soul-Images-4.jpeg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.wasabisys.com\/upcomingpixar\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Terry-sculpt.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
2. The settings in The Great Before had some unusual inspirations<\/em><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.wasabisys.com\/upcomingpixar\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/1939_worlds_fair_1a-e1608593151579-1.jpg\")
3. How Pixar made sure their first movie featuring a black protagonist was authentic<\/em><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.wasabisys.com\/upcomingpixar\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pixar-Soul-Barbershoop-1.jpg\")