Soul is a 2020 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Kemp Powers, and produced by Dana Murray, from a screenplay by Docter, Powers, and Mike Jones. The film stars the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, and Angela Bassett. It follows a pianist, Joe Gardner (Foxx), who is killed in an accident before his big break as a jazz musician and seeks to reunite his separated soul and body. Docter conceived Soul in January 2016, examining the origins of human personalities and the concept of determinism. He pitched the idea about spacetime involving souls with personalities, during his first meeting with Jones. The film's producers consulted various jazz musicians, including Herbie Hancock and Terri Lyne Carrington, and animated its musical sequences using the sessions of musician Jon Batiste as a reference. Apart from Batiste's original jazz compositions, musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film's score. Production on Soul lasted for four years on an approximate $150million budget. This was the first Pixar film to feature a black lead. Soul premiered at the London Film Festival on October 11, 2020, and was scheduled to be theatrically released on June 19 and November 20. However, the feature was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Soul was released direct-to-streaming on Disney+ on December 25, 2020, and in theaters in countries without the streaming service. Soul was well-received by critics for its craftsmanship, story, characters, and musical score. Organizations like the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named the film as one of the top ten films of 2020. Soul was nominated for three awards at the 93rd Academy Awards, winning two, and received numerous other accolades. Plot In New York City, pianist Joe Gardner teaches music part-time at a middle school while dreaming of playing jazz professionally. When he receives an offer for a full-time teaching position, his mother Libba urges him to accept it. Joe learns famous jazz musician Dorothea Williams has an opening in her quartet and auditions at a jazz club. Impressed with Joe's piano playing, Dorothea hires him for that night's show. As Joe heads off, his excitement distracts him, and he falls into a manhole down the sewer drain. Joe finds himself as a disembodied