Interview (Written): The Filmmakers of “Soul”

A conversation with the storytellers behind the new Pixar movie Soul.

As a self-confessed Pixar nerd, I am always excited when one of the new movies is released. With Soul, their 23rd feature length film, the movie debuts on Disney+ this weekend.

Here is an excerpt from a /film interview with Pete Docter (director/story and screenplay by), Kemp Powers (co-director/story and screenplay by), and Dana Murray (producer). Note: Mike Jones also has a story by and screenplay by credit.

There’s a scene in the first half of the movie in which Joe revisits moments of his life that is quietly devastating, and near the end of the film, we see some of those same moments again, but through a different lens. Did you know from the start that that was going to be the “classic Pixar” scene that makes people cry?

Pete: It was maybe the second or third pass — let me answer it this way: I knew from the beginning I wanted Joe to be able to have this epiphany that the small moments in his life were what it was about, and it felt right that that would be at the piano, the instrument of his passion. But exactly how that connected to anything else was a discovery later. I know we have that scene, Kemp, where he walks through his life and it’s pathetic, and I think we just boarded it straight, looking for pathetic moments. And maybe the third or fourth pass through, somebody had the idea of connecting those.

Kemp: Yes. That’s what it was. Initially, it was this idea of a museum of your life, and it was comparing Joe’s failed life to that of a real mentor, which is all of these moments of success. And it was after several passes, like, “Oh, what if all these failed moments, if you just look at them from a different perspective, are actually transcendent moments?” Joe is unfairly judging his own life as not valuable, as not good, and when seen through 22’s eyes, it’s actually kind of amazing. In that period at the end when he’s at the piano, his first glimpses are actually her memories in his body. That’s what triggers this new look at his entire life going all the way back. Which, God knows, talk about notes sessions about “Are people going to understand this?”, that was a lot of them.

— —

One of the big ideas this movie addresses is the clash between creativity and pragmatism. As creative people yourselves, I’m sure you’ve probably wondered at some point if you should give it all up for something more stable and secure. Talk a little about the message you wanted to put into the world with this movie.

Pete: Pixar’s full of all of these people who succeeded in spite of their parents being like, “You’re going to be a doctor!” and they’re like, “No, Mom, I’m an artist!” My parents were artists, too, so I kind of cursed them, like, “You didn’t give me somebody to fight against!” They were actually super important and encouraging throughout my whole career, so I don’t really have that specific struggle the way I know a lot of people do. Kemp, I know you had some struggles.

Kemp: I certainly had that struggle. No one thought this was even a real job. So yeah, it’s been bizarre. This year, having a few movies coming out, I think my family doesn’t quite know what to make of it. Because it’s this thing that I’ve been doing all this time — and of course I’ve been a playwright, but plays are different. Plays run at a theater, and my family has gone to see my stuff at a theater. But seeing Disney commercials and stuff like that, they’re like, “Are you kidding me?” I guess deep down in their minds, my mom might have thought that maybe I would end up doing something else, even at this age. She’s finally like, “All right, that’s what Kemp does.”

Dana: My parents were pretty encouraging, and I also joke that I was the third child and they were sort of like, “Whatever! You seem fine!”

A trailer for the movie Soul:

I’m a huge Pete Docter fan. Up is my favorite Pixar movie and Inside Out is right up there. With Soul, Docter continues to explore the inner workings of human consciousness and even spirituality.

For the rest of the /film interview, go here.

For 100s more interviews with screenwriters and filmmakers, go here.