Jamie Foxx says it feels ‘amazing’ to make history as the first black lead in a Disney Pixar movie

He’s making history as the first African-American lead in a Disney Pixar movie.

And on Thursday night’s The Project, Jamie Foxx said it feels ‘amazing’ to be part of such a historical moment in movie-making, saying the world needed this ‘good, good news’ following the challenging year that has been 2021.

‘I don’t think that it’s just good enough to be first African-American, we had to turn it into something fantastic… and I believe that we did it. I’m so happy to be a part of it,’ the 53-year-old said of the new movie, Soul.

As host Lisa Wilkinson asked Jamie if the timing of the movie felt ‘just right’ because of the Black Lives Matter movement this year, he responded: ‘Oh my goodness, yes.

‘We’ve gone through so many challenges, and we give so much to the culture, so much to society, so when we are going through these terrible things, it is beautiful to have a light.

‘It’s beautiful to have something that we can watch, and escape and be entertained and get some smiles from. We are in need of some smileage!’ 

In the movie, Jamie voices middle school music teacher Joe Gardner, who suffers a mysterious ‘soul-separating’ accident.

In the existential fantasy, Joe passes away – but instead of going to heaven, he ends up meeting a group of souls-in-training that help him find his way back to Earth to play a jazz gig at the Half Note Club.

The film already has a whopping 98 per cent score on movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, and airs exclusively on Disney Plus from Christmas Day.

Tina Fey stars as 22, a soul trapped in the ‘Great Before’ with a dim view of life.

Lisa also spoke to Tina, who explained why the positive film is so important after a year of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Now more than ever, we are feeling that our best laid plans that we may have had for our lives may not come true in the exact order that we want them to. 

‘So, we need to be able to find moments of joy and connectedness where we can.

‘I think that’s important to know. That you may have a great dream to be something really fantastic when you grow up, but you should also enjoy your life on the way.’