At first glance, Pixar’s Soul comes up as just another Pixar movie. But on closer inspection, your assumptions might be proven wrong. Pixar’s Soul is loaded with cool trivia and amazing Easter Eggs. Get ready to embark on an epic adventure. This is Pixar’s Soul and by the end of this list, you will be smiling and maybe find a little bit of your soul too.
The New York Setting Was So Uncannily Accurate It Reminded Angela Bassett Of Her Neighborhood In Hell’s Kitchen
Angela Bassett plays Dorothea Williams in the movie. The legendary actor has spent most of her childhood in New York. Her childhood was spent hopping around from one neighborhood to another. She has gone on record to state that she love New York. But she never got the time to visit her old neighborhood. When Bassett first saw the New York setting of Soul, it took her breath away. She claims everything about the movie’s New York, down to the grime and dirt were so authentic it reminded of Hell’s Kitchen.
Hidden References To Other Famous Pixar Movies
Soul is more than just a movie. It was also designed to pay homage to the legacy of Pixar and its award winning journey in the animated genre. There are tons of references to popular Pixar movies. The Pizza Planet Truck, a running trope in many Pixar movies like Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc, can be seen in soul’s Hall of Everything. The Axiom from Wall-E, the Adventure spirit from Up, as well as the Whale from the Marine Life Institute of Finding Dory can also be seen in the scene.
Unique Credit Roll Signifying the New Normal
Soul was painstakingly difficult to make considering its a high profile project. It was a flagship venture that was delayed time and time again by Pixar. In the end, it was released under an exceptional scenario courtesy of COVID-19. The credit roll also states the fact. The credits reflect the “Six Feet Away” Rule. It is a blink and you will miss it trivia.
Jamie Foxx’s Joe Gardner’s Unique Origin Story
Jamie Foxx and the Director of Soul first wanted his character to be an actor or a scientist before settling for a Jazz musician. The real reason Joe Gardner was a career Jazz musician was because Pete Doctor thought the lead character harnessing the power of Jazz like a hobby would mean a massive insult to the culture of Jazz. And it was essential that Joe Gardner was black to reflect on the African-American influence on this popular genre of music.
Why Tina Fey’s Character Is Named 22
Tina Fey plays the cute and bubbly 22 in Soul. But ever wonder why her character has such an odd name. Turns out, there is a reason as to why is that as well. Pixar has released 22 movies in total before they released soul. Starting from Toy Story in 1995 to Onward in 2020, together the entire Pixar library is made up of 22 movies.
Return Of The Pizza Rat
In 2015, a certain meme went viral on the internet. It was the picture of a rat dragging a piece of pizza in New York. Soul actually has an incredible reference to that meme. In the 2020 movie, there’s a scene where a rat is seen dragging a piece of pizza across the street. Many people who have watched Soul might have missed the significance of that scene. Well now you know.
The Movie Is Unapologetically African-American And It takes Pride In It
In a previous interview, Kemp Powers, who co-directed Soul with Pete Doctor, stated something very intriguing. it seems Kemp Powers was instructed by the top brass at Pixar and Disney to keep the movie out of controversial topics involving African-American culture. Basically Disney wanted the movie to not be unapologetically embracing Black Culture. Kemp Powers remained defiant. Instead, he reasoned with the studio to make him do the exact opposite. He said that his argument was – You don’t hate the Godfather movies or The Sopranos if you are Italian. So why can’t African-Americans not have their pop-culture anchor in Soul?
Dorothea Williams Was Also There In Onward
Dorothea Williams is played by Angela Bassett in Soul. But a little known fact is that she also had a cameo appearance in the 22nd Pixar movie – Onward. It is less of a cameo and more of a reference. Dorothea Williams’s name pops up on the cover of a Vinyl Record in Onward.
The Monsters Inc Easter Egg
If you are a fan of the Monsters Inc movie, you would know what the number 2319 signifies. Code 23-19 is the code for child contamination. When George accidentally has a sock stuck to his fur, that’s the code everyone shouts and have him quarantined. In the subway station, the train has the number 2319 pasted on one of the coaches. That was a pretty good nod to Monsters Inc.
The Pixar Lamp Has a Cameo In Soul
Before Pixar made us lose our ways in the wonderful world of animation they came up with, the first ever character they created was the Pixar lamp. The iconic lamp has appeared in all Pixar movies, jumping and replacing the “I” in Pixar during the opening credits. The Pixar Lamp also appears in Soul. You can see Luxo Junior along with the Pixar Lamp and Logo make a short but sweet cameo.
The Great Walt Disney Appears As Well
Inside Doctor Borgensson’s Hall of You, there’s a very interesting statue everyone might have missed. An elderly man is holding a kid and pointing at oblivion. This is in clear reference to the iconic Partners statue that can be found in Disneyland. The Magic kingdom Statue is of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse holding hands.
Pixar Has a Lucky Charm
John Ratzenberger is an actor who has been in literally every Pixar movie. The actor shot to fame after being the cheers mailman. Ratzenberger is also there in Soul although his role is uncredited. He voices “We are looking for something different” inside the hall of You. Pixar never makes a movie without John Ratzenberger in it.
