The Art of Soul book brings Disney-Pixar’s creative process to life

Pixar’s latest movie, Soul, comes to Disney+ on Christmas. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into the creative process, “The Art of Soul” has you covered

Soul, Pixar’s latest film, was supposed to hit theaters on November 20th. Much like the rest of 2020, things haven’t gone according to plan. Now the latest Pixar installment will stream on Disney+ for the holiday season.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re stuck only learning about Soul through a streaming service. The Art of Soul, Chronicle Books’ latest Disney publication, dives deep into the creative process as well as the intricacy of the character and world designs of this ambitious new film.

Soul tells the story of band teacher and jazz musician Joe Gardner on his inter-dimensional journey to discover what exactly it is that makes you you. That seems like a heavy concept for what should inevitably be a children’s film, putting it more in the same category as Inside Out.

Now, Pixar is always good at putting a creative twist on imagery and figuring out the astral plane where souls reside definitely calls for some creativity. Reading the introduction by director Pete Docter honestly sounds like the love and care that went into crafting The Good Place.

Part One in The Art of Soul dives straight into the designs for Joe’s family and the different iterations the characters went through before coming to their final design. Joe teaches middle school band, so it also shows his classroom and the various students introduced in the film.

My personal favorite spread of pages are the designs for the jazz clubs—including graphics for the fluorescent signs—as well as the concert poster designs that look like they’re straight out of the real world.

Part Two dives into “The Great Beyond” and its design. One of the cooler aspects shows the comparison between the human versions of the characters and their soul equivalent. While the souls are just iridescent blobs, you can still tell who is who.

Part Three brings us back into the real world with animal designs and the street layouts of Joe Gardner’s New York.

The Art of Soul offers a glimpse into a beautiful, gorgeous ethereal realm and an interesting study on what truly makes a person themselves. It doesn’t dive too deeply into the plot of the film, but shows how much care, thought, and creative design went into the process of building this world. Any Disney or Pixar fan would love to flip through its pages.

Soul is available to stream on Disney+ starting on December 25th, and The Art of Soul can be purchased through any major retailer.