Audiences will soon be able to return to Pixar's typically charming vision of the afterlife in the Disney+ short film, 22 vs. Earth, a prequel to the studio's Oscar nominated Soul. The short comes from Pixar Animation Studios and will revisit the sceptical new soul 22 long before she ever met Joe Gardner, with set to reprise the role of the quick-witted, oft-sarcastic soul, 22.

22 vs. Earth will be set before the events of Soul and is being directed by Pixar veteran Kevin Nolting, who revealed that the idea for the short came from elements that they could not fit into the 2020 feature. "While making Soul, we talked about the why of a new soul not wanting to live on Earth, but it didn't ultimately belong in that movie," said Nolting. "22 vs. Earth was a chance to explore some of the unanswered questions we had about why 22 was so cynical. As a fairly cynical person myself, it felt like perfect material."

The Pixar short will give audiences a glimpse into 22's attempts to avoid being sent to Earth. In the short, 22 defies the rules of The Great Before and refuses to go to Earth, enlisting a gang of five other new souls in her attempt at rebellion. However, as her cohorts' activities lead to unexpected results, 22's subversive plot may actually lead to a surprising revelation about the meaning of life.

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"I think the new souls make the short so fun-the contrast of their pure innocence and delight with the cynical expectations of 22," said Nolting. "The other new souls are what 22 once was before she took another path-purely innocent, blank slates to be guided by the counsellors in their mostly uneventful journey to the earth portal. 22 sees an opening in that and attempts to guide them herself into her way of thinking."

Released straight to Disney+ last year, Soul follows Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before - a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks, and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what's great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life's most important questions.

The movie features the voices of Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, with Tina Fey as the trapped soul with a dim view of life, 22. Alongside them stars Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, and Daveed Diggs. Directed by Academy Award winner Pete Docter, who once again teams up with Pixar following work on such hits as Inside Out and Up and is co-directed by One Night in Miami's Kemp Powers with Academy Award nominee Dana Murray producing. Soul was recently nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

While Soul gave us a good idea of 22's backstory, it will certainly be a welcome experience to return to this vibrant Pixar world once again. 22 vs. Earth is scheduled to debut on Disney+ later this month on April 30. This comes to us from Pixar.

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