5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend

December 24, 2020December 23, 2020

By Zach Johnson

The holiday celebrations will continue into the weekend with a block of Christmas-themed episodes of The Simpsons airing on Freeform Friday morning. NBA Christmas Day on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Deportes will also return Friday, with the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Los Angeles Lakers game set for primetime. And don’t miss the short film Burrow or the feature film Soul, both hailing from Pixar Animation Studios and debuting on Disney+ that day. Then, on Sunday, Disney Junior will air a New Year’s Eve-themed episode of Fancy Nancy.

The Simpsons—Friday, December 25, at 7 a.m. ET on Freeform
Your “presents” is requested as the final day of Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” begins with a block of Christmas-themed content. Episodes will include “Homer vs. Dignity” (Season 12), “Holidays of Future Passed” (Season 23), “Gone Boy” (Season 29), and more.

NBA Christmas Day: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers—Friday, December 25, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Deportes
ABC and ESPN’s Christmas Day tradition is back for the 19th consecutive season! The primetime game will feature the highly anticipated Western Conference matchup between LeBron James and the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks. ESPN’s Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, Rachel Nichols, and Jeff Van Gundy will be on site to call the action. Prior to the primetime game, ABC’s Christmas Day coverage will tip off at 2 p.m. ET with Jalen Rose, Maria Taylor, Jay Williams, and Adrian Wojnarowski, which will feature Taylor’s exclusive interview with three-time NBA Champion Steph Curry. The NBA Countdown team will then return to ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Burrow—Friday, December 25, on Disney+
In Disney and Pixar’s new short film, directed by Madeline Sharafian and produced by Mike Capbarat through Pixar’s SparkShorts program, a young rabbit embarks on a journey to dig the burrow of her dreams, despite having no idea what she’s doing. Rather than reveal to her neighbors that she’s in over her head, she digs herself deeper and deeper into trouble. After hitting (bed)rock bottom, the young rabbit learns there’s no shame in asking for help.

Soul—Friday, December 25, on Disney+
Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx), a middle school band teacher with dreams of becoming a jazz musician. He can’t believe his luck when he gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play with the legendary Dorothea Williams (voice of Angela Bassett) at the hottest club in New York City. But before he can tickle the ivories onstage, one small misstep takes him to The Great Before, a fantastical place where new souls get their interests, personalities, and quirks before going to Earth. There, he meets a precocious soul named 22 (voice of Tina Fey), who—despite being mentored by everyone from Albert Einstein to Mother Teresa—has never understood the appeal of the human experience. Joe figures if he can mentor her, maybe he can make it back to Earth in time for his big gig. But as he tries to show 22 what makes life great, he may just discover the answers to questions he never even thought to ask about his own life.

Fancy Nancy—Sunday, December 27, at 12 p.m. ET on Disney Junior
In the all-new episode “New Year’s Nancy,” Nancy (voice of Mia Sinclair Jenness) wants to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve… but she quickly realizes that staying awake is harder than she thought! Then, in “Nancy’s Gift to Grandpa,” Nancy creates a work of art using chalk in order to cheer up Grandpa (voice of guest star George Wendt) on an icy day.

Fantasia at 80: Exploring Ponchielli and Dukas

December 23, 2020December 21, 2020

By Katie Strobel, Walt Disney Archives

We’re continuing our Fantasia (1940) composer series by exploring the life and music of Amilcare Ponchielli and Paul Dukas.

“The Dance of the Hours” (Act III, Scene 2) from La Gioconda (1876), streaming now on Disney+
Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886)
Fantasia: 01:36:10-01:49:19

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1897), streaming now on Disney+
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Fantasia: 00:28:48-00:39:06

Fantasia at 80: Exploring Bach — *Fantasia* (1940) character model sheet

Amilcare Ponchielli, in the second half of the 19th century, ranked amongst the most admired Italian opera composers such as Verdi and Puccini, now superstars of the Italian opera world. In fact, Puccini was one of Ponchielli’s students at the Milan Conservatory where he taught composition! But Ponchielli’s name has not stood the test of time as the others’ have.

However, thanks in great part to Fantasia (1940), we know of Ponchielli’s composition “Dance of the Hours,” which symbolizes the conflict between darkness and light. The music we all know and love from the segment of dancing ostriches, elephants, hippos, and alligators is specifically Act III, Scene 2 from Ponchielli’s opera La Gioconda (1876). “Dance of the Hours” was originally a ballet interlude; however, it became more popular than the entire opera itself!

Like Ponchielli, we may not know the name Paul Dukas were it not for the starring role of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia (1940). Dukas was born into a musical family, studying, and eventually teaching, at the Paris Conservatoire. He was also a music critic and an editor of early French music. Dukas may not have gained much great international fame because he stuck to more established forms of composition without developing a strong style of his own. Plus, he was very critical of himself and destroyed much of his own work!

When it comes to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Dukas was a bit of a one-hit wonder. Similar to Mussorgsky’s St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain, Dukas wrote The Sorcerer’s Apprentice as a tone poem, a symphonic and descriptive one-movement musical piece. The work is based on a poem of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and through musical themes, orchestration, and rhythm, Dukas gives the listener a clear picture of a sorcerer, a sorcerer’s apprentice, and the enchantment of brooms.

So where else can you see (or hear) Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice? Check out Fantasia and Fantasia/2000 streaming now on Disney+, and the Walt Disney Records album below. Be sure to check back for our spotlight look at Pyotr Tchaikovsky!

Fantasia/2000 (2000), streaming now on Disney+

00:40:40-00:51:32

The Legacy Collection: Disneyland

“Fantasmic!”
- 00:02:00-00:02:50

Did You Know? La Gioconda (“The Joyful One”) is also the Italian title of a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci: the Mona Lisa!

In case you missed it, check out our spotlight look at Modest Mussorgsky!

Disney Treasures From The Vault – Coming Soon to D23

December 22, 2020

By the D23 Team

D23 Members, get ready for an all-new line of limited-edition plush, brought to you by Amazon, for 2021.

“Disney Treasures From The Vault” is a unique collection that celebrates some of the most beloved Disney characters from the first 50 years of the Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Archives Team opened the Disney Vaults to share vintage Disney artwork from the 1930s through the 1970s to serve as the inspiration for our collection.

On, the first Thursday of each month, D23 Members will be the first to find out about the new plush available on Amazon. The following day, on Friday, the plush will be available for sale.

Stay tuned for more information very soon!

Meet the Characters of Disney and Pixar’s Soul

December 22, 2020January 8, 2024

By Zach Johnson

What is it that makes you… you? The answer to that question lies in Soul, the 23rd feature film from Pixar Animation Studios. Making its theatrical debut on January 12, the story hails from the minds of director and screenwriter Pete Docter, co-director and screenwriter Kemp Powers, and screenwriter Mike Jones. It features an all-star cast, led by Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, who bring to life original characters who have differing perspectives on what makes life on Earth so special.

Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx)
Since childhood, Joe has dreamed of being a professional jazz pianist. Currently, he’s a middle-aged middle school band teacher… but that’s never stopped him from dreaming. Now, his dreams are finally in reach, thanks to a last-minute opportunity to play in jazz legend Dorothea Williams’ quartet. “It’s like a basketball player who wants to play in The Garden,” says Foxx. “I was born with a similar spark. I came out singing and telling jokes.” But when a fateful misstep sends him to The Great Before—a place where souls get their interests, personalities, and quirks—Joe must somehow return to Earth before it’s too late.

22 (Voice of Tina Fey)
A precocious soul, 22 has spent hundreds of years at the You Seminar, where new souls must meet several requirements before going to Earth. She’s met them all—except one. But that’s just fine with 22, who has never been interested in life on Earth anyway. “When 22 is sarcastic or skeptical of something, it’s really because she’s so afraid of it,” says Fey. “She needs to open her mind up to possibilities and push past her fear. I think that’s something I can relate to and I think hopefully a lot of viewers of the movie will relate to.”

Libba Gardner (voice of Phylicia Rashad)
Joe’s mother is his biggest fan… but she’s not afraid to tell him the truth, either. Libba has owned a successful tailor shop in Queens for decades, and as the primary breadwinner for her family (Libba’s late husband was a struggling musician), she knows a life in the arts can be unstable. She encourages Joe to find a backup plan, but she ultimately hopes he finds his spark. “Just because you push somebody to follow their dream, that doesn’t mean you’re not giving them a gut check,” says Rashad. “Sometimes that’s a real gut check, to tell somebody to follow that dream—to tell them to dare to be bold enough to believe in it.”

Dorothea Williams (voice of Angela Bassett)
A world-renowned jazz legend, Dorothea is a master saxophone player. She exudes confidence, on- and off-stage, and she’s not one to suffer fools. Dorothea gives Joe the opportunity of a lifetime by inviting him to join her quartet for a performance at The Half Note jazz club in New York City. “She’s the gatekeeper of her own excellence,” says Bassett. “She’s the gatekeeper of all that she’s built. And she takes it very, very seriously. So, of course, she’s gonna approach the music with that same degree of excellence and passion.”

Moonwind (voice of Graham Norton)
All Moonwind needs to get in the zone is a street corner and sign to twirl! The activity helps him mentally and spiritually journey to a mystical place called The Astral Plane, where he saves lost souls from their uninspiring, stressful lives. According to Murray, “He was once a lost soul himself when he spent too much time playing video games. But he left that life behind to seek true meaning as part of a group called Mystics Without Borders. They find souls lost in dream fields and help them reconnect with their bodies.” Television host Norton “delivers a great level of intensity,” adds animation supervisor Jude Brownbill, “and you want to put that in both his Earth form and when we see him in The Astral Plane.”

The Counselors (voices of Richard Ayoade, Alice Braga, Fortune Feimster, Zenobia Shroff, and Wes Studi)
The Counselors—all named Jerry—run the You Seminar, where they shepherd dozens of new souls before they’re sent to Earth. “We figured if the souls just ran around amok, no one would ever leave,” says Docter. “It was just be bedlam up there. They need a little bit of steering, so the universe kind of dumbs itself down in some form that we wanted to look not like another soul and not like a person from Earth.” Each Jerry is a unique expression of the universe, meaning one can be positive while another can be negative. But the one thing that unites them all is an unlimited passion for helping souls find their spark.

Terry (voice of Rachel House)
Tasked with keeping track of the entrants to The Great Beyond, Terry can be a bit obsessive about her job. (OK, a lot obsessive.) Each Jerry does their best to tolerate Terry, whose fixation with “The Count” can be aggravating—especially if it’s off. So, after Joe takes a detour to The Great Before, Terry grows determined to fix the tally. “I’m so enamored by her,” says the film’s producer, Dana Murray. “She turned out to be the perfect antagonist.”

Curley (voice of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson)
One of Joe’s former students, Curley is part of Dorothea Williams’ jazz quartet. When the need for a piano player arises, Curley suggests his favorite teacher. In addition to voicing the drummer on screen, Questlove also served as a cultural and music consultant. “One of my proudest moments with being involved in this entire production was that they came to me asking for music advice. My answer, as I do with anyone, is I make playlists,” he says. “I made them a bunch of playlists of songs I felt would be played in the background.”

Dez (voice of Donnell Rawlings)
Joe’s longtime barber is a good listener. Always friendly, Dez lets his clients talk about anything they want—which for Joe, of course, is jazz. “He’s a comedian,” Murray says of Rawlings. “We loved his voice—the grittiness. It fit really well with the character design.”

Paul (Voice of Daveed Diggs)
Known as the neighborhood cynic, Paul generally has something negative or sarcastic to say about whoever enters Dez’s barber shop. Over time, most people have learned to tune him out… but even so, Joe remains one of his top targets. In addition to lending his voice to the character of Paul, Diggs also served as a cultural consultant for the film. “I was one of many people who came to see the early versions of the film and give my thoughts,” recalls Diggs. “They had long discussions, and every word would get written down; follow-up questions would be asked. It was really impressive to see the care with which they tried to craft this piece and to make sure that they heard from a wide variety of people.”

Go behind the scenes of Soul in the current issue of Disney twenty-three, offered exclusively to D23 Gold and Gold Family Members as a benefit of their membership.

Padma Lakshmi’s Cinnamon Tea Cookies

December 21, 2020

Award-winning cookbook author, host, and executive producer of Hulu’s Taste the Nation, Padma Lakshmi, shared a recipe with D23 for a tasty wintertime treat perfect to enjoy on a cool winter’s day with a hot cup of tea.

Makes approximately 30 cookies1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
10 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Sift all dry ingredients except the sugar together in a bowl. In another bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth. Combine contents of both bowls together to form a cohesive cookie dough.

3. Using your hands, make small balls about 1 inch in diameter with the dough. Place these balls 2 inches apart on a nonstick baking sheet or line a shallow sheet pan with parchment paper and fill.

4. Bake these in the oven for 12–15 minutes or until just medium brown. Cool on a rack and store in airtight containers. Should last for up to 2 weeks.

In Taste the Nation, award-winning cookbook author, host, and executive producer Padma Lakshmi takes audiences on a journey across America, exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity, and our history—ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.

All episodes of Taste the Nation are now streaming, only on Hulu.

JUST ANNOUNCED: Take a First Look at Snow White’s Enchanted Wish at Disneyland Park

December 21, 2020

By the D23 Team

Our friends at Disney Parks Blog have been covering the ongoing renovation of the classic Disneyland attraction Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Today is the perfect day for an update on this exciting transformation—after all, it is the 83rd anniversary of the premiere of Disney Animation’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. Our first update: Disney Parks Blog has shared that the attraction has been reimagined and renamed as Snow White’s Enchanted Wish!

While Disneyland park has been closed, Walt Disney Imagineering has been putting the finishing touches on this cherished attraction, which will be ready to welcome guests when we reopen our theme parks at a later date. While you may recognize some familiar elements in the attraction, you’ll also spot some enhanced story details and all-new scenes. Take a look at the sneak peek the Blog just shared:

Imagineers have updated this classic Fantasyland attraction using state-of-the-art audio and visual technology, including new music, LED black lighting, laser projections, and a new animation system. You’ll recognize beloved characters in new appearances, such as Snow White cheerfully dancing and twirling with the Seven Dwarfs in their cozy cottage. You may even notice the scent of Doc’s handiwork—a baking apple pie—wafting through the air, before heading “off to work we go!”

You’ll be singing “Heigh-Ho” along with the new shadow projections that bring to life the dwarfs as they march happily off to work in the mine. All that glitters in the mine is not gold—in fact, it now sparkles with updated shimmering lighting effects and glittering jewels all around.

Wishing for more coverage on Snow White’s Enchanted Wish? Stay tuned to D23.com for more updates as they are announced!

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Week

December 21, 2020December 18, 2020

By Zach Johnson

Nat Geo WILD will celebrate the “Pol-idays” this year with a 12 Days of Dr. Pol Marathon, beginning December 21 and continuing through the New Year. As an early present, two of our favorite holiday films—Home Alone and The Mistle-Tones—will air this week before Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” comes to a close. And ABC will offer fun for the whole family with its debut of The Greatest Showman on Christmas Eve, followed the next morning by the fan-favorite annual special Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Celebration.

12 Days of Pol—December 21–January 3 on Nat Geo WILD
This holiday season, the network is having snow much fun with 12 festive days of The Incredible Dr. Pol, followed by all-new episodes beginning January 2, 2021. And as a special gift, the all-day marathons will also include behind-the-scenes stories from Dr. Pol himself!

Home Alone—Tuesday, December 22, at 5:10 p.m. ET on Freeform
In this 1990 classic, the McCallister family travels to Paris to celebrate Christmas. There’s just one problem: They’ve accidentally left 8-year-old Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) behind! Unsupervised and unencumbered by his family’s absence, Kevin relishes his new role as man of the house. It’s not all fun and games, of course. Soon, he learns that bumbling burglars Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) have been robbing his neighbors and set their sights on his home—meaning Kevin alone will have to defend it.

The Mistle-Tones— Wednesday, December 23, at 9:30 a.m. on Freeform
In this 2012 film, the day has finally come for Holly (Tia Mowry) to audition for the Snow Belles, a holiday singing group founded by her late mother. Unfortunately, ice queen Marci (Tori Spelling) is in charge of casting… and she’s threatened by Holly. So, Holly creates her own musical group, The Mistle-Tones, and challenges her rivals to a Christmas Eve sing-off.

The Greatest Showman—Thursday, December 24, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC
Making its network broadcast debut, the award-winning musical stars Hugh Jackman as the sensational showman P.T. Barnum. Given his knack for publicity and promotion, he decides to give showbiz a shot, rising from nothing to create the Barnum & Bailey circus. Featuring catchy musical numbers, exotic performers, and daring acrobatic feats, his spectacle quickly takes the world by storm to become the greatest show on earth. Rounding out the film’s all-star cast are Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle, Rebecca Ferguson as Jenny Lind, Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz, Michelle Williams as Charity Hallett-Barnum, and Zendaya as Anne Wheeler.

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Celebration—Friday, December 25, at 10 a.m. ET and 9 a.m. CT/PT on ABC
Join hosts Tituss Burgess and Julianne Hough as they spread holiday cheer across Walt Disney World Resort. Featuring appearances by actor Keegan-Michael Key and Tik Tok creator Alex Ojeda, the annual holiday special will include Disney cast member highlights and a look into Disney Dreamers Academy, as well as special sneak peeks at the attraction Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the series WandaVision, and the animated feature film Soul. In addition to Burgess and Hough, performers will include Jon Batiste, Keedron Bryant, the Florida A&M University Gospel Choir, Becky G, Trevor Jackson, Tori Kelly, and Maddie & Tae. Be sure to keep an eye out for beloved Disney characters popping up in unique ways!

Fantasia at 80: Exploring Mussorgsky

December 21, 2020December 21, 2020

By Katie Strobel, Walt Disney Archives

We’re continuing our Fantasia (1940) composer series by exploring the life and music of Modest Mussorgsky.

St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain (1867), streaming now on Disney+

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)

Fantasia: 01:49:20-01:59:18

The 19th-century composer, Modest Mussorgsky, was a member of the Russian nationalist school known as “The Mighty Five.” Along with composers Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, and Rimsky-Korsakov, these five made music that was inspired by folk melodies, rhythms, and orchestrations. Rimsky-Korsakov (of “Flight of the Bumblebee” fame), in particular, saw original talent in Mussorgsky, but also deemed his music “absurd” with “unsuccessful orchestration.” In fact, it is Rimsky-Korsakov’s own re-working of the music we hear in the “Night on Bald Mountain” segment of Fantasia (1940).

Originally titled St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain by the composer, Mussorgsky aimed to create a “tone-picture” for the orchestra, lending beautifully to the vision of Fantasia (1940) in which images were especially created to describe already-existing music. As was original to the composition via Russian folklore, and what we can see in the film, the work in both forms paints a picture of dark and phantasmagorical spiritual revelry atop and around a shadowy mountain.

However, St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain was a complicated composition for Mussorgsky: After thinking he had done a great job, his mentor scrutinized it so much that Mussorgsky was left trying to make improvements. It wasn’t until after Mussorgsky’s death that his friend Rimsky-Korsakov re-worked this piece to make it playable in concerts. He gave it a brighter sound with more formal control, but one could say that that also eliminated Mussorgsky’s original dark and rough feeling in the piece.

So where can you see (or hear) Mussorgsky’s St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain? Check out Fantasia (1940) and The Simpsons, streaming now on Disney+, and the Walt Disney Records album below! And be sure to check back for our next spotlight look at Amilcare Ponchielli and Paul Dukas!

The Simpsons (TV, 1989-present), streaming now on Disney+

“Simpsons Bible Stories” (1999) – Season 10, Episode 18
- 00:19:41-00:19:50

“Them, Robot” (2012) – Season 23, Episode 17
- 00:06:08-00:06:15

“The Last Traction Hero” (2016) – Season 28, Episode 9
- 00:15:57-00:16:18

“Stop or My Dog Will Shoot” (2007) – Season 18, Episode 20
- 00:16:21-00:16:41 – Here you can hear another well-known Mussorgsky piece, Pictures at an Exhibition: “The Great Gate of Kiev.”

The Legacy Collection: Disneyland

“Fantasmic!”
- 00:15:18 – Here you will start to hear St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain.

Did You Know? Mussorgsky originally intended for St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain to be an episode in his opera Sorochintsy Fair.

In case you missed it, click here to see our previous spotlight look at Franz Schubert!

Muppet Babies Returns on January 4—Plus More in News Briefs

December 18, 2020

By Courtney Potter

**Season Three of Disney Junior’s Muppet Babies Debuts This January**

They’ll make your dreams come true—with all-new adventures, starting next month! Season three of Disney Junior’s Emmy Award®-nominated series Muppet Babies will premiere Monday, January 4, at 5 p.m. EST on Disney Junior and in DisneyNOW, and will introduce a new Muppet named Rozzie, the newly adopted sister of Fozzie Bear!

In the season three premiere, Fozzie shares the news that his family is adopting a little sister, and he’s worried that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a big brother. Consequently, Fozzie’s friends use their imaginations to enroll him into “Rizzo’s Big Bruddah School.” (We have a feeling Fozzie will “graduate” with flying colors.)

The reimagined, CG-animated Muppet Babies follows the hilarious playroom antics of a young Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, and Summer Penguin, and is Disney Channel’s No. 1 series with kids ages 2 through 5. Based on the original Emmy Award-winning series, the show is executive produced by Tom Warburton (Codename: Kids Next Door), and Matt Danner (Gravity Falls) will be co-executive producer and supervising director for season three. And speaking of Danner, earlier this year, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Preschool Animated Program for voicing Kermit, Rowlf, Mr. Waldorf, Beaker, and Chef. Kudos on that sensational, celebrational, Muppetational work!

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend

It’s a holly jolly holiday around the world of Disney, with so much to watch that you may have to brew up a second pot of hot chocolate to get you through. So, what can you expect? Why, nothing less than the sure-to-be-amazing season two finale of Disney+’s The Mandalorian! Plus, it’s time once again for ABC’s annual Christmas-adjacent airing of the iconic 1965 film The Sound of Music. All told, these are “a few of our favorite things” for watching over the next couple days. Get it? “Favorite Things”? Fraulein Maria? (We crack ourselves up.)

New Music-Filled Featurette From Disney and Pixar’s Soul

One of the incredible aspects of Disney and Pixar’s upcoming animated feature Soul is its music… With the film set in two distinct worlds—bustling New York City, and the fantastical cosmic realms of The Great Before—it called for two styles of music that will help shape and define each world. Renowned musician and Grammy® nominee Jon Batiste provides the original jazz compositions and arrangements for Soul, while Oscar® winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network) created an original score that will drift between each realm. For an inside look at how some of that was accomplished, check out the brand-new featurette, above.

In related news, Walt Disney Records is set to release several albums inspired by the film: the Soul Original Motion Picture Soundtrack; the Soul Original Score vinyl album; and Music From and Inspired by Soul vinyl album. The digital soundtrack—which features the songs “Rappin Ced” performed by Daveed Diggs, “Parting Ways” performed by Cody ChesnuTT, and Batiste’s cover of the Curtis Mayfield classic “It’s All Right”—as well as both vinyl albums will be available beginning Friday, December 18!

The Proud Family Producers to Develop Projects for Disney

Cool news for fans of awesome things (hey, that’s us!): Influential producers Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar have entered into a multiyear overall deal with Disney that calls for them to produce animated and live-action series and movies for Disney Branded Television. They’ll work closely with executives at Disney Channels and Disney Branded Television to bring their inspired storytelling to all manner of audiences. This new agreement provides Farquhar and Smith an incredible way to develop emerging talent, as well as leverage their own combined experiences to bring unique projects and voices to Disney.

Among many other things, Smith and Farquhar are the producers behind the groundbreaking animated series The Proud Family, which—18 years after its Disney Channel premiere—is still beloved for its characters, stories, humor, and messages about inclusion and cultural diversity in a super-smart, modern way. All episodes are currently available to stream on Disney+, home to the upcoming revival series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (premiere date TBA). We can’t wait to see what else these two über-talented humans have in store!

ICYMI: All the Investor Day News That’s Fit to… Post

The Walt Disney Company’s recent Investor Day was a holiday gift of truly epic proportions—for it included the announcements of so many incredible upcoming projects, we almost couldn’t keep track. But we did! (We’re pretty good at that kinda stuff.) And we have a complete rundown of what you can expect in the months and years to come. Take a gander and mark those calendars for veritable scads of mind-blowing films and TV series to look forward to.

**Go Behind the Scenes of The Mandalorian Season Two**

As we previously mentioned, this very weekend features the second season finale of the mega-hit The Mandalorian. Yup, it’s sadly season-finale time already… but don’t you fret, because there’s still some new Mandalorian-related content coming very soon to Disney+.

The streaming service will bring viewers behind the scenes of the groundbreaking season in a brand-new hour-long “Making of Season Two” documentary special, premiering Friday, December 25! In this new installment of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, filmmakers and cast provide unprecedented access to the storytelling decisions and innovations that went into season two of the Emmy® Award-winning series.

Featuring immersive on-set footage that places viewers in the center of the filmmaking process, the special explores the production of all eight episodes in season two—from early concept art through the groundbreaking technology introduced in the series.

In related news, Disney, Lucasfilm, and Google have teamed up to bring the world of Mando and friends to life through a new, immersive The Mandalorian AR Experience app. Users can now interact with characters from the Emmy® Award-winning series in their own homes, discovering hidden features while re-creating scenes from season one. Retrace the Mandalorian’s steps, find the Child, and harness the Force as virtual versions of the characters appear via the Google Pixel app—which you can download by clicking here. (Available on 5G Google Pixels and other select 5G Android phones that have Google Play Services for AR updated.)

First Look at Disney Channel’s Secrets of Sulphur Springs

Are you a fan of ghost stories? What about mysteries full of time-travel and intrigue? Then have we got a show for you… Secrets of Sulphur Springs, a brand-new live-action series for kids and families, will premiere on Friday, January 15, at 8 p.m. ET/PT with a special one-hour uninterrupted programming event on Disney Channel. Following the premiere event, new episodes of Secrets of Sulphur Springs will be presented Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel, beginning January 22.

Set in the fictional Louisiana town of Sulphur Springs, the series follows 12-year-old Griffin Campbell (Preston Oliver), whose world has been turned upside-down after his father Ben (Josh Braaten) moves the family from Chicago to take over an abandoned hotel property, The Tremont. The Campbell family, which also includes Griffin’s mother Sarah (Kelly Frye) and his younger twin siblings, Wyatt (Landon Gordon) and Zoey (Madeleine McGraw), moves into The Tremont in hopes of restoring it to the colorful vacation destination it once was. But on his first day at his new school, Griffin hears rumors that the hotel is haunted by the ghost of Savannah (Elle Graham), a girl who disappeared decades ago. He meets and befriends Harper (Kyliegh Curran), a thrill-seeking classmate, and soon they discover a secret portal that allows them to travel back in time and uncover clues about this astonishing town mystery.

Leading into Secrets of Sulphur Springs’ debut is the season five premiere of BUNK’D at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT, guest starring original cast member Peyton List, reprising her role of Emma Ross. Looks like we’ll be kickin’ off the new year with some great TV!

Exclusive Q&A with Soul Musician Jon Batiste

December 18, 2020January 24, 2024

By Zach Johnson

Jamie Foxx may provide the voice of Joe Gardner in Soul, but Jon Batiste provides his hands. “When you see Joe’s hands playing in the film, that’s Jon’s playing,” producer Dana Murray says. “Our animators studied reference footage of Jon at the piano to capture details of how he plays—everything from how his fingers move to the breaths he takes.” Grammy® nominee Batiste handled the original jazz compositions and arrangements for the film, while Oscar® winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed an original score.

In an exclusive Q&A with D23, Batiste opens up about his work as a musician and a consultant on Soul, making its theatrical debut January 12.

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club: In your first meetings with Pixar, what were some of the early ideas you pitched director Pete Docter and co-director Kemp Powers, who wrote the script with Mike Jones? And how did that evolve as production progressed?

Jon Batiste (JB): I pitched the idea of putting together a large, multi-generational ensemble that would feature a range of musicians from living jazz legends to young lions. We were able to do that over the course of several recording sessions, which is a historic feat! The age range of the band is 95 years old to 19 years old. I mean Roy Haynes, who played some drums for us, played with Louis Armstrong!

D23: Are there any specific jazz musicians that inspired your work on Soul?

JB: I created a unique style for the film that was influenced by Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Roy Hargrove, Cassandra Wilson, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, and many, many others.

D23: What made you want to get involved with a Pixar film—and Soul in particular?

JB: Pixar is home to some of the world’s best storytellers. Also, Pixar has such a distinct style, which is something artists all strive for. It’s rare to be able to blend wholesomeness and high artistry, all wrapped in universal themes that draw from a diverse range of cultures and sensibilities. These are all core values of mine and no one else in the world does it like Pixar can at such a high level. It’s been a dream come true.

D23: Were you in touch with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to make sure your compositions complemented each other, or did you want to keep that separate?

JB: The songs and the score mostly exist in separate worlds—Earth and The Great Before—so it worked better for us to not communicate at the start of the creative process since we wanted there to be a contrast between the two worlds. Once we were further into the process, we played each other some of the music, and that’s when their music started to influence my approach more. There are moments when our worlds collide, and for those moments, we collaborated on the music together. It really was the blending of two worlds. My creative process was completely different from theirs. Figuring that out with them were some of my favorite moments in the studio.

D23: Soul aside, what are your favorite music memories associated with Disney and Pixar?

JB: The music in Aladdin changed my life. What a brilliant score and remarkable way to incorporate middle eastern culture. The 1953 animated Peter Pan with music done by Oliver Wallace was orchestrated beautifully! So was Fantasia! Also, the music Randy Newman wrote for Toy Story stands in the top five of all-time great movie music for me.