22 vs. Earth

22 vs. Earth
22 vs. Earth
	Official poster
Directed by	Kevin Nolting
Written by	Josh Cooley
Produced by	Lourdes Marquez Alba
Starring	Tina Fey; Richard Ayoade; Alice Braga;
Cinematography	Andy Grisdale; Luke Martorelli;
Edited by	Noah Newman
Music by	Trent Reznor; Atticus Ross;
Production; company	Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by	Disney+
Release date	April 30, 2021;
Running time	6 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

22 vs. Earth is a 2021 American animated short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Directed by Kevin Nolting and written by Josh Cooley, the short stars 22, a character who originated in the 2020 Pixar feature film Soul, as she forms a short-lived rebel alliance to stop souls from reaching Earth. It was released on Disney+ on April 30, 2021.^[2]^[3]

Plot

Prior to the events of Soul, 22 unsuccessfully attempts to dissuade a fellow soul from leaving the Great Before and going to Earth. Resenting Earth for taking away every friend she has ever had, 22 decides to abduct five souls and indoctrinate them into a secret resistance movement called the "APOCALYPSE" (standing for Anonymous Provocateurs and Other Culprits that are Against Leaving Your friends to go to Pathetic Stupid Earth).

To stop others from finding their inspiration, 22 leads the other five souls (whom she nicknames Macaroni, Zimmy, Peanut, D-Pac, and Moonbeam), but her recruits quickly find theirs and leave for Earth. Soon the only remaining recruit is Macaroni, who gives 22 a hug as her only remaining friend, but their devotion completes their inspiration. 22 throws Macaroni to Earth, vowing that Earth will never take her like it has taken her friends.

The two soul counselors observe 22 and wonder when she will go to Earth and discover the meaning of life. One of them asks what that meaning is, but the other's response is cut off by the closing credits.

In a post-credits scene, the soul counselor is seen having learned the meaning of life, stating their feelings of being underwhelmed.

Cast

Tina Fey as 22^[1]^[3]
Alice Braga^[1] and Richard Ayoade as two soul counselors in the Great Before who are each named Jerry
Juliana Alcorn as New Soul
Micah Chen as Moonbeam
Adela Drabek as Peanut
Aiyanna Miorin as Zimmy
Karee Ducharme as Macaroni
Samantha Ho as D-Pac
Azriel Dalman as Neptune
Angelica Pascoe (voice)

Production

According to 22 vs. Earth director Kevin Nolting, who also served as the editor for Soul, the short was created to provide an explanation for why 22 did not want to go to Earth.^[2] He defined the short film by saying, "if we were making a movie about her, [22 vs. Earth] would be the mid-point and Soul would be the third act". Soul director Pete Docter instructed Nolting to make the short "more kid-friendly" than what Nolting was used to making.^[2]

Reception

Gray Houser of Monorail News praised the short, calling it "laugh out loud" and "perfect", while seeing potential for a series of short films following 22 in the Great Before.^[4] Jinal Bhatt of Hauterrfly awarded the film four out of five stars, calling it "a nice little insight into why 22 is a loner and despises Earth so much".^[5] Tanzim Pardiwalla of Mashable rated the film 3.5/5, saying that while the short did not answer many questions, it was a welcome addition to Soul.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Pardiwalla, Tanzim (April 29, 2021). "Pixar's 'Soul' Spinoff Short '22 vs. Earth' is a Delightful Trip to the Great Before". Mashable. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Desowitz, Bill (April 27, 2021). "'22 vs Earth': Pixar Follows 'Soul' with a Prequel Short About the Skeptical Sidekick". Indiewire. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "First Clip and Poster for Pixar's SOUL Prequel Short Film 22 VS. EARTH". GeekTyrant. Burbank, California. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
^ Houser, Gray (April 29, 2021). "Review: "22 Vs. Earth"". Monorail News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
^ Bhatt, Jinal (April 30, 2021). "'22 vs Earth' Review: Prequel Short To Disney Pixar's 'Soul' Sparks Joy With Its Take On The Meaning Of Life!". Hauterrfly. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.

External links

22 vs. Earth at IMDb
22 vs. Earth on Disney+

[Mashable-1] Pardiwalla, Tanzim (April 29, 2021). "Pixar's 'Soul' Spinoff Short '22 vs. Earth' is a Delightful Trip to the Great Before". Mashable. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.

[Indiewire-2] Desowitz, Bill (April 27, 2021). "'22 vs Earth': Pixar Follows 'Soul' with a Prequel Short About the Skeptical Sidekick". Indiewire. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.

[Geek-3] "First Clip and Poster for Pixar's SOUL Prequel Short Film 22 VS. EARTH". GeekTyrant. Burbank, California. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2021.

[4] Houser, Gray (April 29, 2021). "Review: "22 Vs. Earth"". Monorail News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.

[5] Bhatt, Jinal (April 30, 2021). "'22 vs Earth' Review: Prequel Short To Disney Pixar's 'Soul' Sparks Joy With Its Take On The Meaning Of Life!". Hauterrfly. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.

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