Director Pete Docter on the similarities between Jamie Foxx and his character in Soul

Pete Docter’s animated drama Soul introduces Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. However, 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 (voiced by Tina Fey), who has never understood the appeal of the human experience.

Soul premieres worldwide on December 25 and will be exclusively available on Disney+ Hotstar Premium.

Speaking about the similarities between Jamie Foxx and his character Joe Gardner, director Pete Docter says, “Jamie Foxx never stops. He’s such a go-getter, and we wanted that for Joe as well. Like Jamie, Joe’s not a guy who’s just going to give up. He continues to push for his dreams.”

Soul has a star-studded ensemble voice-over cast that includes Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Angela Bassett, and Daveed Diggs. The film co-directed by Kemp Powers and produced by Academy Award nominee Dana Murray, while the story and screenplay have been written by Docter, Mike Jones and Powers.