Pixar’s Soul is set to debut on Disney Plus Friday, December 25th! In a surprise holiday gift, Disney is offering the film for free on the streaming service with no additional rental fees. Starring Jamie Foxx, the flick tells the story of a struggling New York jazz musician who pays the bills with a teaching gig. Early reviews have been smashing, so there are plenty of reasons to get excited for a Soul movie night in!

The Trailer

Life is full of possibilities, you just have to know where to look. Watch the new trailer for Disney and Pixar’s Soul, streaming this Christmas only on #DisneyPlus. #PixarSoul pic.twitter.com/tHRKzmy5cS

— Soul (@PixarSoul) October 15, 2020

#PixarSoul is a must-see. It has these twists and turns that I didn’t anticipate that made me like it even more. And it’s so black. They did a great job with this movie. pic.twitter.com/qZAVLHwM4y

— deray (@deray) December 24, 2020

Set Up Your Group Watch

Disney+ recently updated to include a new group watch feature that helps keeps your stream in sync with a friend’s. While the service doesn’t offer text chat or live personal video feed we recommend using the group watch feature and then hopping into a Facebook Messenger chat with your friends.

The Music

Set the mood for the evening right! We built a Soul party playlist that includes both jazz classics as well as songs from the movie’s soundtrack. The bulk of the film’s jazz tunes were written by veteran John Batiste while the rest of the score was tackled by Trent Reznor. We left out the…erhm…harder to listen to songs….and stuck to easier evening listening.

Bonus viewing points if you watch a live rendition of “It’s All Right” from the new Disney Christmas Celebration.

Enjoy the holidays with @WaltDisneyWorld and the #DisneyChristmasCelebration, airing Christmas morning on @ABCNetwork. Watch @JonBatiste perform “It’s All Right” from #PixarSoul, streaming Friday on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/vyqNq4ozXK

— Soul (@PixarSoul) December 23, 2020

The Decor

Blue is the theme of the evening! We opted for blue glass plateware, bowls, and cups. Jazz is all about feeling free so opt for organic shapes and textures!

Adding in fresh white flowers adds a lovely finishing touch to complete the look.

Lighting

We love to use a colored LED bulb to really help set the mood for our movie nights. A blue hue fits the evening so well! This is an investment that will keep on giving!

String lights around the TV help add a little extra glow.

The Food

What better food to serve up with the jazz flick than Chicken and Mickey Waffles? Chicken and waffles were a huge staple in the Harlem jazz scene when hungry musicians would eat out in the wee morning hours post gig. We whipped up some delicious fried chicken and opted for Mickey waffles over the standard fair because isn’t every food tastier when it’s Mickey-shaped?

Soul Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless

• 1 Tbsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 ½ cups buttermilk

• 3 large eggs

• 1 Tbsp hot sauce

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• Canola or vegetable oil

Instructions

Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then cut into ¼” thick strips. Place chicken in a large bowl with salt and pepper, then cover and let sit for 2 hours.

• In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce. In a second large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and garlic powder.

• Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet, then begin coating chicken. Dip each piece of chicken first in the flour mixture, then in the buttermilk, then again in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Transfer to wire rack, then repeat until all chicken strips are coated.

• Meanwhile, fill a large cast iron or heavy bottom pan with oil until it’s about 2” high. Heat over medium-high until oil reaches about 350 F. You want to cook the chicken around ~325F, but the temperature will drop when you add the chicken.

• When oil is hot, carefully add about ~8 pieces of chicken, depending on the size of your pan, and cook, turning every 1-2 minutes, until all chicken is a golden brown color and has an internal temperature of 160 F, about 6-7 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a clean wire rack, then repeat cooking remaining chicken.

Mickey Waffles

We use the actual official Disney Parks waffle mix – Golden Malted Waffle Waffle and Pancake mix. You can find it on Amazon! We follow the box instructions and finish them up in a Mickey waffle iron coated with coconut oil spray (you can score our waffle iron here.)

For a lower day of prep option, you can freeze your previously prepared waffles and toast ‘em right before showtime.

Plate It Up

Plate your waffles with bread and butter pickles on the side and a healthy dash of your favorite hot sauce!

Snacks

We added in pizza bites to evoke the NYC classic dish! Blue candies, salted “drumstick” pretzels and yogurt covered pretzels rounded out our movie eats.

For dessert? What better than the iconic New York black and white cookie. They’ll hold up super well during the film and as Jerry Seinfeld exclaims you can always, “look to the cookie!”

The Drink

We’re shaking up a boozy bourbon drink that conjures up all the images of sipping on the cocktail in a smoke-filled jazz club. This one will even win over the bourbon skeptic in your life!

The Soul Swizzle

Ingredients

• 2 cups bourbon

• 1 black tea bag, preferably Luzianne

• 1 ounce fresh lime juice

• 3/4 ounce simple syrup

• 8 mint leaves

• 1 mint sprig, for garnish

• Ice cubes, plus crushed ice for serving

Instructions

In a 1-quart jar, steep the bourbon with the tea bag for 2 hours; discard the tea bag. Fill a shaker with ice and add the lime juice, simple syrup, mint leaves and 2 ounces of the tea-infused bourbon; shake well. Strain into an ice-filled collins glass and garnish with the mint sprig; serve immediately.