Soul: Phylicia Rashad Reveals What She Took Away From the Pixar Film

Pixar's upcoming film, Soul, asks some big questions. The film, which arrives on Disney+ this [...]

By Nicole Drum

Pixar's upcoming film, Soul, asks some big questions. The film, which arrives on Disney+ this Friday, Christmas Day, follows jazz musician Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who finds himself embarking on a journey to help a new soul (voiced by Tina Fey) find their spark, their purpose as well as show why life is worth living when he finds himself trying to make his way back to his own life after a tragedy takes him out just as he finally gets his big break. Like so many Pixar films, there's a lot viewers can take away from the film personally and the same is true for the film's talent as well. Phylicia Rashad, who voices Joe's mother Libba in the film, says that the film allowed for her to explore a lot of things and gave her hope the entertainment industry overall.

Speaking with ComicBook.com, Rashad spoke about the film's music and other elements that make her optimistic as the things she took away from working on Soul.

"Well, it certainly did explore things that have been of great interest to me for a number of years. I can say that," Rashad said. "And what had changed in me was hope for this industry that I work in, that this industry that I work in, that I'm a part of, would make such a film, would make such an animated feature and put so much into it. I mean, animation is incredible. The music in it is so new and different for animated feature and film, particularly sometimes you hear this quality of music in the background of things, certainly in Green Book. We heard great music, yes about Don Shirley, we read that. But yeah, I became very hopeful for the entertainment industry. It's wonderful."

Rashad wasn't the only of the film's stars to come away with something emotional when it comes to Soul, Pixar's first Black-led feature film. Bassett told ComicBook.com that she was both humbled and proud of how far things have come.

"It means the world to me, and it's quite humbling to come through a time where you're raising children and you're this whole, keep it moving forward, keep striving and yet there's this ground that we have to retreat that we're just trying to move forward," Bassett said. "And so here are these firsts, you know, they may think everything is everything and it's like, 'No, we still have good trouble to get into,' as John Lewis would say, and good work to do. And just in terms of what I do can be a part of that good work. I'm really humbled and proud."

You can check out the synopsis of Soul below.

Soul follows Joe Gardner (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 (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.

Soul debuts on Disney+ on December 25th.

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