It was directed by Pete Docter and co-directed by Kemp Powers, both of whom co-wrote it with Mike Jones,[c] and produced by Dana Murray.

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 Joe Gardner (Foxx), a middle school teacher and aspiring pianist who falls into a coma following an accident and seeks to reunite his separated soul and body in time for his big break as a jazz musician.

Apart from Batiste's original jazz compositions, musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film's score.

Soul premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2020, and was scheduled for theatrical release on June 19 and November 20; however, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film received acclaim for its story, craftsmanship, themes, characters, ideas, creativity, animation, sound design, musical score and emotional weight.

In New York City, pianist Joe Gardner teaches music part-time at a middle school while dreaming of playing jazz professionally.

Mistaken for a mentor, Joe is assigned to 22, a stubborn soul who has been in the Great Before for thousands of years and hopes to avoid Earth.

They meet Moonwind, a sign twirler who regularly enters the Zone to rescue lost souls, who helps the duo locate Joe's soulless body in a hospital.

In the meantime, 22 settles into Joe's body and starts to find enjoyment in trivial things like food, wind, and music.

Joe plays piano and enters the Zone to return 22's badge but discovers she has become a lost soul, obsessed with the idea that she has no purpose.

[12] Sakina Jaffrey, Calum Grant, Laura Mooney, Peggy Flood, Ochuwa Oghie, Jeannie Tirado, and Cathy Cavadini provide the voices of Doctor, Hedge Fund Manager, Therapy Cat Lady, Marge, Dancerstar, Principal Arroyo, and Dreamerwind.

[9] Soul began development in January 2016 following the announcement of the 88th Academy Awards when director Pete Docter pitched an idea for a new film to then-studio head of Pixar John Lasseter.

In his first meeting with co-writer Mike Jones, Docter pitched an idea set in the astral plane involving souls with personalities.

Pixar eventually settled on portraying the film's main character as a musician because they wanted an appealing profession for the audience.

[19] Powers based several elements of Joe on his personal life, but wanted the character to "transcend [his] own experience" in order to make him more accessible.

These consultants included musicians Herbie Hancock, Terri Lyne Carrington, Quincy Jones, and Jon Batiste; educator Johnnetta Cole; and stars Questlove and Diggs.

[21] In August 2019, it was announced that Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad and Daveed Diggs had joined the cast.

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.

[4] Docter said Jamie Foxx (himself a classically trained pianist) was perfect for Joe, citing his comedic skills and musical background.

[31] The design of soul counselors ("Jerrys") originated from line drawings made by story artist Aphton Corbin.

[17] Reznor and Ross were brought in on the recommendation of sound designer Ren Klyce, who had worked extensively with the duo in David Fincher films.

[62] Following the release of Soul on Disney+, research firm Screen Engine reported that 13 percent of viewers watched the film, and it over-indexed among parents, particularly mothers.

The consensus reads; "A film as beautiful to contemplate as it is to behold, Soul proves Pixar's power to deliver outstanding all-ages entertainment remains undimmed.

[75] Several journalists praised Soul for its craftsmanship,[76][77] which they saw as an exercise of Docter's expertise,[78][79] as the film was considered a return of Pixar's form by some critics.

Kaleem Aftab of IndieWire felt the narrative "[veered] off in many unexpected directions, so that even the inevitable end point feels just right.

Kirsten Acuna from Insider felt that "the studio had taken a few steps backward" in their racial "sensitivity" as Soul used the same trope of "turning Black characters into creatures".

[87] Molly Freeman of Screen Rant acknowledged the film's "message about the meaning of life and finding purpose, but it's messy and only made muddier by the questions the movie sets up then fails to answer.

"[88] Charles Pulliam-Moore of Gizmodo wrote that "Soul comes across less like an earnest and casual celebration of everyday Blackness, and more like a twee depiction of it that's meant for white audiences' consumption.

"[89] Namwali Serpell of The New Yorker published an extensive critical essay of the film, citing among other issues, "Not only does Twenty-two use Joe as a vehicle but the movie must also make the grandiose and grotesque claim that he has learned to live through her" and concluding that "The most glaring artistic error in 'Soul' is its misprision—its elision, really—of what soul means for black culture.