Sneak Peek To Disney & Pixar’s Soul

During their panel discussion from Essence Festival of Culture, American anthropologist/educator Dr. Johnnetta Cole and globally-renowned jazz pianist Jon Batiste partnered with the filmmakers from Disney & Pixar’s “Soul,” director Pete Docter, co-director and screenwriter Kemp Powers and producer Dana Murray to offer a sneak peek of the film.

The sneak peek features the song “Parting Ways” written, produced and performed by Cody ChesnuTT. Both Dr. Cole and Jon Batiste, who lent his expertise to the jazz arrangements and compositions in “Soul,” serve as cultural consultants on the film.  

What is it that makes you...YOU? This November, 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”), the movie also features the voices of Phylicia Rashad, Ahmir Questlove Thompson and Daveed Diggs.