Rashad and Daveed Diggs were announced as starring in the film. In March 2020, Angela Bassett announced she was cast in the film. During the release of the film's trailer in October 2020, Richard Ayoade, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Wes Studi, Fortune Feimster, Zenobia Shroff, Donnell Rawlings and June Squibb were also announced to be in the cast. Docter said Jamie Foxx was perfect for Joe, citing his comedic skills and musical background. Foxx related the film's "bittersweet [feeling] of losing someone but gaining a vision of joy", following the death of his 36-year-old sister in October 2020. Tina Fey, in addition to voicing 22, also contributed to the screenplay, helping to write her character's lines. She considered the film, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a "helpful reminder that [life] isn't defined by achievement or attainment". Animation and design Soul is Pixar's first film to feature an African-American protagonist. Pixar and Docter were mindful of the history of racist imagery (particularly caricatured depictions of African-Americans) in animation and wanted to create black characters as well as integrate authentic African-American culture into the film's "DNA" to prevent caricatures, stereotypes, and tropes. Pixar sought to capture the fine details of the characters, including the textures of black hair and the way light plays on various tones of black skin. According to Powers, the animators used lighting in emphasizing the character's ethnic features. Cinematographer Bradford Young worked as a lighting consultant on the film. Animators used footage of several music performers, including Batiste, as reference for the film's musical sequences. By capturing MIDI data from the sessions, animators retraced the exact key being played on the piano with each note and animated the performances authentically. According to Docter, the animators assigned to specific musical instruments often either had experience playing them or a great appreciation for them. The souls were animated by the filmmakers in a "vaporous", "ethereal", and "non-physical" way. Souls were designed to depict various religious and cultural outlooks. The designs were also inspired by early drawings made by Docter. Animators created two designs for the souls in the film: one for the new souls in "The Great Before" (described as "very cute, very appealing, with simple, rounded shapes" by supervising animator Jude Brownbill) and one for mentor souls (feature distinctive characteristics since they have been on Earth). They differentiated souls from ghosts by adjusting their color