Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is the protagonist in "Soul."
TNSPixar's latest film "Soul" premieres on Christmas, and to celebrate they've enlisted an all-star cast for a virtual red carpet premiere on Dec. 26, with some very special musical guests: the Edna Brewer Middle School jazz band.
In "Soul," the main character Joe is a middle school band director chasing grander musical dreams. While researching the film, Pixar visited several Bay Area businesses, ranging from barbershops to tailors. For musical inspiration, they spent time at Edna Brewer Middle School in Oakland to make sure the teaching scenes rang true. Now the band is getting their moment to shine, with a performance of "Things Ain't What They Used to Be."
The Edna Brewer students served as the template for Joe's pupils, but the rest of the jazz in the film was composed and inspired by Jon Batiste, the Grammy-winning band leader of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." He was influential in not just the sound, but also the look of the film, as animators studied his movements while playing piano in order to make Joe's playing style look realistic. Batiste will play holiday music at the premiere, and voice talent from the film including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey and Questlove will also make appearances.
The event begins at 11:30 a.m. PT on Saturday, Dec. 26, and will be streaming on Disney and Pixar's social channels.
