Disney and Pixar Announce a SOUL Animated Prequel Short Film 22 VS. EARTH

Disney and Pixar have announced that they are producing a new animated short film that will serve as a prequel story to Soul.

The short is titled 22 vs. Earth, and it will explore 22’s time in the Great Before prior to the events of the film. Tina Fey is set to reprise her role. In the short,

“22 defies the rules of The Great Before and refuses to go to Earth, enlisting a gang of five other new souls in her attempt at rebellion. However, as her cohorts’ activities lead to unexpected results, 22’s subversive plot may actually lead to a surprising revelation about the meaning of life.”

Kevin Nolting, director of the short, said in a statement:

“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. 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.

“I think the new souls make the short so fun—the contrast of their pure innocence and delight with the cynical expectations of 22. The other new souls are what 22 once was before she took another path—purely innocent, blank slates to be guided by the counselors in their mostly uneventful journey to the earth portal. 22 sees an opening in that and attempts to guide them herself into her way of thinking.”

Earth is set to premiere on Disney+ on April 30.