Soul: Pixar enlists Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey in new film

From Toy Story to, um, Toy Story 4, Pixar has mastered the art of making grown adults cry over anthropomorphised objects, animals and emotions. Many have lamented the studio’s decision to exhaust all of their existing films for their franchise potential with sequels to The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and more.

Starting next year, Pixar is returning to what they do best: finding the emotional power in original stories. 2020 will treat audiences to two new films from the studio, Onward in March and the jazz-inspired Soul.

Soul looks to be another ambitious venture for the studio. Set in the world of jazz, the film follows a middle school music teacher who dreams of playing for a crowd. However, an accident causes his soul to be separated from his body and taken to a centre where souls develop a passion for the unborn child they will embody.

Jamie Foxx lends his voice as the leading jazz teacher, Joe Gardner. Co-starring with Foxx is Tina Fey, who portrays a soul called 22, who has a pessimistic view on life after being trapped in the centre for years.

Taking the reigns for the film is director Pete Docter, who is no stranger to exploring those existential ideas of the self, having directed Inside Out, which follows the adventures of the emotions residing in a young girl’s brain.

Until more information trickles out, Soul remains as one of Pixar's more elusive and intriguing films. But if the film follows in the grand traditions of the studio's output, tissues are an essential item for the cinema trip.