Look, we love “Soul” and all its existential arcs, but we honestly haven’t found enough closure for one of its characters. Show of hands: Who here was hoping 22 would magically pop up with more of a narrative at the end?
If you wanted to know more about the snarky Earth-hating soul, this year’s Oscars Best Animated Film actually has a spin-off starring 22. Released on April 30, “22 vs. Earth” reintroduces 22—who isn’t so thrilled with the idea of living—in The Great Before.
Take it as a tour to the land of unborn humans before all the events that transpired in “Soul.” According to Mashable, this short film allows us to uncover the depths of 22’s cynicism more. It may be a prequel and won’t give us answers post-body swap with Joe, but it might actually help us understand 22’s decisions in the full-length flick more (as if we’re not already cynics ourselves).
22 is definitely up to something. See 22 vs. Earth, an Original Short Film streaming April 30 on Disney+ 🌎
Posted by Soul on Tuesday, April 27, 2021
Directed by Pixar veteran Kevin Nolting, “22 vs. Earth” follows 22 recruiting five new souls as part of her rebellion. However, her members’ actions will lead to a surprising revelation of life’s meaning.
“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, according to Deadline. “‘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.”
“22 vs. Earth” is streaming on Disney+.
Watch the teaser here:
Read more:
‘Dreams’ aren’t the end-all, be-all in ‘Soul’ (and that’s okay)
Grab the tissue box, Pixar’s ‘Float’ is free to watch online
Learn how to draw Pixar’s characters straight from the artists
Still from “Soul”