NPR

In 'Soul,' Jon Batiste's Music Helps Bring Pixar's First Black Lead To Life

Batiste is one of several real-life musicians who consulted on the new Pixar film, about a middle-school band teacher who ends up in a fantastical realm called The Great Before.
In <em>Soul, </em>a middle-school band teacher makes one small misstep and ends up in The Great Before, a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth.

Pixar's new animated film Soul is the story of Joe Gardner, a middle school school music teacher with big dreams about performing jazz onstage. "Music is all I think about, from the moment I wake up in the morning to the moment I fall asleep at night," he says. "I was born to play."

"Born to Play" is the name of one of the movie's many songs composed, arranged and performed by real-life musician, Jon Batiste. He was one of several of the animated film's musical consultants, who also included Herbie Hancock, Daveed Diggs and Questlove.

"I love Joe because he has this

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