Pixar’s Soul was released on Christmas day and was as delightful a gift as any. The film became the first Pixar film with a black character in its leading role. Soul was highly appreciated for its cultural diversity and amazing portrayal of African-American culture.
However, it has also been receiving international backlash after a white actor dubbed the black protagonist Joe Gardner in Denmark. Berlingske, the Danish national newspaper, highlighted the issues and interviewed some activists and experts who called it “structural racism.”
Joe Gardner is the main character of Pixar’s Soul. He is also the studio’s first black character, and the studio took additional steps to ensure that the film stayed true to the African-American culture.
Pixar hired Kemp Powers as a co-director for Soul to ensure that the film safe-guarded the authenticity of the story. Jaime Foxx, who has voiced Joe in the film, said, “To be the first Black lead in a Pixar film feels like a blessing.”
While the film has been receiving glowing reviews for its heartfelt story, it has also been subjected to backlash for being a part of the racist trope.
While the film seems to be promoting African-American culture by including a black character as a protagonist, it seems to have joined the long list of animated films which have been known to convert black characters into non-human beings.
Dehumanising of black characters has long been an issue of racism in the animated films. In Soul, we see the black protagonist, Joe, getting turned into a blue furry manifestation of his soul.
Another lead character in the story is 22, a lost soul, is voiced by Tina Fey in generous parts of the film, which had also led to massive backlash from the audience. Many believe that the role must have been given to a black actress.
A petition (which is inactive as of now) started circulating in Portugal in opposition to the film and asking the studio for a redo. The petition is titled, “This movie is not just another movie, and representation matters,” and over 17,000 people have already signed their support.
Initially, the film did really well with the critics as it had received all the good reviews, as reviewers in Denmark called it “a miracle” and “beautiful and life-giving.” But when the film was released on December 25, 2020, it started receiving a wave of negative responses for practicing structural racism.
The Danish version of the film is voiced by a white actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas, a decision that came as a grave disappointment to activists and scholars. After an interview with the scholars was posted in the Berlingske newspaper, a controversy erupted, which led to Nikolaj releasing a statement explaining why he had accepted the role.
“My position with regards to any job is very simple. Let the man or woman who can perform the work in the best possible way get the job,” Nikolai wrote on Facebook.
Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Scholars from Aalborg University mentioned how Denmark had always been in denial of subjecting racism. That seems understandable when we look at how the accusations weren’t adequately addressed. But it will be interesting to see what steps Pixar will take with regards to this controversy.
Soul is now available for streaming on Disney + Hotstar. To read the complete story of the controversy, head over to The New York times cover.
About Soul (2020)
Soul (2020) is an American animated dramedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Disney. The film is directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. Soul is Pixar’s first film to portray African-American culture.
The story revolves around Joe Gardner, a middle school music teacher and jazz musician, in his quest to reunite his body and Soul.
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