The animated ‘Soul‘, Pixar‘s first film with a Black lead character and primary black cast, won the Oscar for Best Animated Film and for the Best Score. “Soul,” which went straight to Disney+ last year, won beating films including Onward, Over the Moon and A Shaun the Sheep Movie.’Soul’ Wins Big at 93rd Academy Awards
In his acceptance speech, co-director Pete Docter described Soul as “a love letter to jazz….it’s a noble pursuit.”
In the virtual Oscars press room, Docter elaborated further: “We were looking for something that would be fun to watch, some artist’s journey kind of a thing. And jazz, you don’t get into jazz to get rich and famous, you do it because you love it. And then as we got into it, we realized, boy, this has so many relevant features in terms of what life is all about, of using whatever elements are thrown at you, and then using improvisation to make it personal, to make it beautiful, and that just seemed like it fit.”
The Oscars, which are one the most respected award ceremonies in the world of was back for their 93rd year. ‘Soul’ Wins Big at 93rd Academy Awards
Unlike lots of other big events that have taken place over the last year, the 2021 Academy Awards were held in person. However, the ceremony did look a little different this time around. Nominees were invited to attend either the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood where the Oscars are normally held, or at Union Station in Los Angeles. Those who weren’t able to make the awards in person could also join from a number of different satellite locations.
Soul revolves around a Black protagonist, Joe (Jamie Foxx). Though initially directed by Pixar veteran Docter, Star Trek: Discovery writer Kemp Powers (“One Night in Miami)” was brought in to co-write and co-direct, and Powers really developed the character of Joe. Other Black creators from outside Pixar — including composer Jon Batiste, voice actors Daveed Diggs and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young and Grammy winner producer, drummer for the Roots, Questlove helped develop the movie as well.
“This is the first film not just with a Black protagonist, but there’s a whole range of different Black characters with different skin tones,” Powers told EW. “There was a large learning curve, I think, for our lighting team, and Bradford came in and consulted with them on a number of occasions.”
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