Prequel to Oscar Winner 'Soul' is Coming to Answer Why 22 Disliked Earth

After securing two Oscars for animated feature and original score for "Soul", Pixar said it was releasing the prequel, “22 vs Earth,” a short film that digs deeper into the why the grumpy character didn't want to be born.

Airing on April 30 via Disney+, the short film's trailer shows the life of the dispirited 22 (voiced by comedy veteran Tina Fey) in The Great Before prior to meeting jazz pianist Joe Gardner, the main star of the full-length film. Here, she is seen enlisting five new, notably enthusiastic, souls to join her in resisting life on Earth.

According to its director Peter Nolting, the short will offer perspective on what led to the character's nihilism, which was one the award-winning film's main plot devices that helped deliver its poignant take on life's meaning. 

"All during the making of ‘Soul,’ we wondered why she didn’t want to be born,” Nolting told trade publication Indiewire.

“What made her the way she was? All these little souls go to Earth and she seems to have this problem,” Nolting added.

 Watch the trailer here: 

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