‘Soul’ is the first Pixar film to highlight a voice cast dominated by Black actors

Pixar’s “Soul” bagged honors at the 2021 Golden Globes, bringing home Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score awards. 

A movie about an unlikely “soul searching,” “Soul” is the first animated feature from the film studio to present a voice cast, majority are Black actors. It stars Daveed, Questlove, Diggs, Angela Bassett, and Jamie Foxx as the Black, jazz-loving lead Joe Gardner.

“We can't always control what happens in the world, but like a good jazz musician, we can try to turn that into something beautiful,” the filmstrip director Pete Docter said during the virtual awarding ceremony. 

"Being able to tell a universal tale that explored the meaning of life through the prism of a Black man’s experience was a special honor, and though the details are specific, I really do believe our story is universal,” one of movie’s writers, Kemp Powers, said.

Last month, the award-giving body was criticized for the lack of diversity reflected in this year’s nomination.

Among the night’s big winners are John Boyega for the TV show “Small Axe,” Daniel Kaluuya for his performance in the film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and Catherine O’Hara for the series “Schitt's Creek.”