Disney Plus to release Pixar's 'Soul'-themed animated short film

Washington [US], April 22 : Streaming platform Disney Plus is set to premiere a new Pixar animated short film based on the characters in its Oscar-nominated 'Soul' on April 30.
According to Variety, the short film chronicles prequel to the events in 'Soul'. The story follows the sceptical soul 22, voiced by Tina Fey, long before she met 'Soul' protagonist Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx in Soul).
For the short, 'Soul' editor Kevin Nolting, who last weekend won both an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award and ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Award for best edited animated feature, will step into the director's chair.
Nolting, who is a 21-year Pixar vet who also edited the Pete Docter-directed Oscar winners 'Up' and 'Inside Out' said, "While making Soul, we talked about the why of a new soul not wanting to live on Earth, but it didn't ultimately belong in that movie. '22 vs. Earth' was a chance to explore some of the unanswered questions we had about why 22 was so cynical. As a fairly cynical person myself, it felt like perfect material."
Variety reported that in the short, 22 defies the rules of The Great Before and refuses to go to Earth, enlisting a gang of five other new souls in her attempt at rebellion.
"I think the new souls make the short so fun -- the contrast of their pure innocence and delight with the cynical expectations of 22. The other new souls are what 22 once was before she took another path--purely innocent, blank slates to be guided by the counsellors in their mostly uneventful journey to the earth portal. 22 sees an opening in that and attempts to guide them herself into her way of thinking," said Nolting.