Disney-Pixar has debuted the first trailer for their upcoming animated film “Soul” starring Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey.
According to the official synopsis, the film centers on “a musician who has lost his passion for music and gets transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.”
Here’s a breakdown of the plot via PEOPLE:
The trailer introduces the world to Joe Gardner, a middle school band teacher and aspiring jazz musician voiced by Jamie Foxx, who finally gets a big break with a chance to perform at a popular jazz club.
However, things take an unexpected turn when Joe seemingly dies before he can make his dream performance, and he finds himself transported to the “You Seminar” — a place where souls come to reset before returning to a new human body.
While there, he meets soul 22, voiced by Tina Fey, and together they help other souls trapped in the “You Seminar” in order to get Joe back to Earth before it’s too late.
“We only have a short time on this planet,” Foxx’s character says in the trailer released Thursday. “You want to become the person that you were born to be. Don’t waste your time on all the junk of life. Spend your precious hours doing what will bring out the real you, the brilliant passionate you that’s willing to contribute something meaningful into this world.”
Directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Pete Docter, and co-directed by Kemp Powers, the idea for the story is 23 years in the making, per MovieWeb.
“It started with my son, he’s 23 now, but the instant he was born, he already had a personality,” says Docter. “Where did that come from? I thought your personality developed through your interaction with the world. And yet, it was pretty clear that we’re all born with a very unique, specific sense of who we are.”
The film is set in New York City, which itself serves as another character in the film, Powers said.
“I was born and raised in New York. This is the first time Pixar has gone to my hometown and I’ve been so impressed by the amount of energy that goes into making sure that everything is right. When the character’s in Queens, it looks like he’s in Queens. When he’s in Manhattan, it looks like he’s in Manhattan. It’s pretty incredible.”
And when it comes to the music that also helps illustrate the story, Docter said: “I grew up with Peanuts cartoons and the Vince Guaraldi music. I feel like it’s coursing through my veins and this is our version of that. Jon Batiste is a fantastic musician, he’s a historian yet is able to push the music forward, bringing all these different influences to the work. I sincerely hope that the jazz music in ‘Soul‘ will inspire a whole new generation.”
“Soul” hits theaters on June 19, 2020. Scroll up and watch the trailer.
