New Soul Trailer Delivers Jazz, Death, And Pixar Magic

After a couple of years focusing on sequels to some of its biggest hits, Pixar has returned to original movies in 2020. Onward hit theaters last week, and June will see the release of another Pixar movie with a one-word title--Soul. The second trailer has now been released.

While November's first Soul trailer didn't give too much of the story away, this new promo is more plot-focused. Joe is a high school music teacher who, on the day he secures his dream gig playing at a jazz club, falls down a manhole. On the way to the afterlife, Joe's soul escapes and ends up in the 'Great Before,' where souls are given their personalities before being sent to Earth. But Joe feels he has unfinished business and, with the help of another Soul named 22, he sets about trying to get back home. The film looks like another winning mix of laughs and more emotional storytelling, with some really cool and unusual animation styles. Check the trailer out below.

Soul stars Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) as Joe, Tina Fey (30 Rock) as 22, and Phylicia Rashad (Creed) as Joe's mother, with musicians Questlove and Daveed Diggs also part of the cast. It's directed by Pixar boss Pete Docter, who also previously helmed Inside Out, Up, and Monsters Inc. Soul releases on June 19, 2020.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Docter talked about the origins of the movie's concept. "We talked to a lot of folks that represented religious traditions and cultural traditions and [asked], 'What do you think a soul is?'" he said. "All of them said 'vaporous' and 'ethereal' and 'non-physical.' We were like, 'Great! How do we do this?' We're used to toys, cars, things that are much more substantial and easily referenced. This was a huge challenge, but I gotta say, I think the team really put some cool stuff together that's really indicative of those words but also relatable."