Pixar’s ‘Soul’ story team only learned their movie was going to Disney Plus a few hours before news broke

• Pixar’s “Soul” is heading exclusively to Disney Plus on December 25.
• Until recently, the movie was set for a November 20 theatrical release.
• In an interview with Insider, three members of the story team told Insider they only learned the film was headed straight to the streamer a few hours earlier.  
• During a virtual press conference in September, co-directors Pete Docter and Kemp Powers said they wanted audiences to see it on the big screen “if it can be done safely.”
• Powers cited an early scene with the film’s protagonist, falling through an abstract setting as one that blew him away on the big screen.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The story team behind Pixar’s upcoming movie, “Soul,” found out their film was skipping theaters to debut exclusively on Disney Plus a few hours before the announcement was made Thursday. 

“We found out about it literally three hours ago,” story artist Aphton Corbin told Insider Thursday, an hour after the news broke.

Disney announced the movie — centered on a middle school band teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), who aspires to be a jazz pianist — will be available to streaming subscribers on December 25. Insider confirmed with a Disney representative that subscribers will not need to pay an extra fee to access the film, starring Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey and Phylicia Rashad.

“We’re all still processing it,” Corbin continued. “We’re feeling quite a few emotions, but I think as a studio we really value the health of everyone and we want people to be able to see this movie in a safe way and so it seemed like the best option for everyone. We’re excited for people to be able to see it and see this hard work we’ve put in the past four to five years.”

While most movies have ditched their 2020 release dates due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, “Soul” was one of a few to remain on the theatrical calendar. 

Up until last Thursday, Disney was adamant about sticking to its theatrical release date, November 20, even telling Insider that the film was still coming to theaters. 

Still, theater releases are becoming increasingly harder as they close their doors. Earlier this week, Cineworld Group announced its Regal theater chain will close its 536 theaters nationwide for the rest of the year. Regal is the second-largest theater chain in the US after AMC. Additionally, Cineworld is closing 127 theaters in the UK. 

"Soul" codirectors hoped the film could be seen on the big screen because of sound quality and one scene in particular.

During a virtual press conference for "Soul" that Insider attended back in September, codirectors Pete Docter and Kemp Powers explained why the animated movie deserved to be seen in theaters. 

"If at all possible, if it can be done safely, I would love for people to see it on the big screen," Docter said. "I think there is something just immersive about being in this space and almost surrounded by it."

"I don't think you can really replicate that in your living room while you're holding your iPhone, doing something else," he added. 

Insider previewed about the first 35 minutes of the movie earlier this year on a laptop screen. There were at least two scenes we had to stop, rewind, and watch over again because of the intricate details, coloring, and abstract world on screen. 

Co-director Powers, who was brought onto the movie in the past two years originally in a writing role, recalled one of these scenes during the press conference in which the film's protagonist, Joe, shockingly falls down a manhole. The camera follows him through an out-of-body descent into a soul world called "the great before." 

The abstract scene brings to mind Disney animated greats like "Fantasia" and the "Pink Elephants on Parade" scene from "Dumbo."

The scene, aptly called "Fall," in which Joe travels downward through a dark abyss and passes floating objects while Trent Atticus' score plays, shares the strongest parallel with "Alice in Wonderland" as the protagonist from the 1951 film similarly tumbles down a rabbit hole into a fantastical world. It's unlike anything you've really seen from Pixar or Disney for that matter.

The story team told Insider the scene wasn't based on any prior Disney films. Instead, they aimed to focus on as much abstract art as possible to bring fans into a universe that's never visited.

At the time, Powers praised the scene as one that makes a difference to see on a big screen.

"We were watching that in Dolby Sound and we [had] just watched that sequence. And I remember it stopped and me and Jonas Rivera, one of our producers, kind of looked at each other and we were like, 'Oh my God, that was incredible,'" Powers said during the press conference. "You have not heard this film and experienced this film until you've heard it in Dolby sound." 

"We want it to be safe, first and foremost," Power said of watching "Soul" in theaters, "but that being said, this is really something that's made for the big screen, and, for me at least, there's something to be lost not being able to see it that way." 

"Soul" will be available to stream for all Disney Plus subscribers on December 25.