History Trivia / Soul

*** Speaking of Trent and Atticus, it's quite unexpected for them [[NightmareFuel/NineInchNails of all people]] to do anything even remotely related to Disney, much less score a movie for them.

** This is also Pete Docter's first directorial efforts since the Music/RandyNewman-backed ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' not to be scored by Creator/MichaelGiacchino, instead working with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Music/NineInchNails, with [[Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert Jon Batiste]] providing all the jazz piano music. Since the film was centered around music ''and'' needed something to animate Joe's piano playing to, Docter needed more immediate musical feedback from the composers rather than waiting until the picture was locked before handing it off to a composer to score it with a full orchestra.

** Trent Reznor initially created a score that imitated the style Music/RandyNewman, but Pixar threw it out, complaining that they wanted something new, not another version of Newman.

* WordOfGod: [[https://twitter.com/Powerkeni/status/1345117802449915906 According to co-director Kemp Powers]], Mr. Mittens came back to life because "the cat had nine lives". A sequence depicting Mr. Mittens returning to his body was storyboarded, but was discarded.

* ActorSharedBackground: Creator/JamieFoxx, like Joe, is a classically trained pianist, although Foxx didn't perform any of the music in the film.

** Co-writer and co-director Kemp Power drew inspiration from his own experiences as a creative struggling to achieve his dream as well as his deep love of jazz.

* Creator/TrentReznor initially created a score that imitated the style Music/RandyNewman, but Pixar threw it out, complaining that they wanted something new, not another version of Newman.

* ImageSource: For HippieName.

** Co-writer and co-director Kemp Power drew inspiration from his own expereinces as a creative struggling to achieve his dream as well as his deep love of jazz.

** This is also Pete Docter's first directorial efforts since the Music/RandyNewman-backed ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' not to be scored by Creator/MichaelGiacchino, instead working with [[Music/NineInchNails Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross]], with [[Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert Jon Batiste]] providing all the jazz piano music. Since the film was centered around music ''and'' needed something to animate Joe's piano playing to, Docter needed more immediate musical feedback from the composers rather than waiting until the picture was locked before handing it off to a composer to score it with a full orchestra.

* CelebrityVoiceActor: In the Japanese dub, Joe is voiced by musician and actor Kenta Hamano, which some tokusatsu fans can recognize him as Kyu Saijo in ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' and Uncle Death in ''VideoGame/LetItDie''.

* WriteWhatYouKnow: Joe's story about working to achieve a singular goal, then wondering what to do with the rest of his life once he had, was inspired by Pete Docter going through a similar existential crisis after the massive financial and critical success of ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' made him wonder if there was anything left for him to accomplish as a filmmaker.

** The first Pixar film in which their "good luck charm" Creator/JohnRatzenberger isn't credited, nor is his cameo particularly apparent, unlike past films where even his most minor of roles would play up the presence of his distinct voice for humor. As it turns out, his voice never appears, but his ''[[InkSuitActor likeness]]'' [[https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2021/01/01/john-ratzenberger-pixar-soul-cameo/ can be spotted in the subway station]].

* PlayingAgainstType: For composer Trent Reznor, the etherial, ambient music he created for the Great Beyond and Great Before scenes is a far cry from the angry IndustrialMetal he creates as Music/NineInchNails or the edgier techno music that he and Atticus Ross have composed for video games and Creator/DavidFincher movies.