Raymand "Ray" Gardner is a minor character in Disney/Pixar's 2020 animated feature film, Soul. He is the father of Joe Gardner.
Appearances[]
Soul[]
While mentioned in dialogue, Ray does not physically appear until during a flashback sequence where Joe Gardner (in his soul form) sees a flashback of him as a child being skeptical of being taken to listen to jazz music while being taken by his father, which Ray tells his son to give his experience of listening to jazz music a try which Joe started liking the music.
Later, when Joe argues with his mother, she tells him about his hard work of how tough being a musician was on his father, which she explains that her husband had her, explaining that her shop paid the bills, explaining about what would happen if she is no longer in her tailor shop, which Joe replies about his father feeling the same way about his reason for living. When Libba decides to give Joe a suit for his performance with Dorothea, she explains to her son that his father would love it if he were there.
Later during a montage of Joe's memories, Ray appears in a flashback listening to music with his son when he was young and later when Joe plays piano to cheer up his aging father. Ray makes no further appearances afterwards.
Pixar Popcorn[]
In "Soul of the City", Ray appears in one scene where Libba gives her husband a taste of her cooking.
Trivia[]
- In the movie it’s hinted that he is dead, since he's only seen in flashbacks, however in Pixar Popcorn it’s revealed that he is alive; it would be possible that this takes place before the film or just non-canon.
- It’s possible he has some sort of disease, that leaves Libba to take care of him.
- He may have been named after Ray Charles, a real-life jazz musician. Coincidentally, Jamie Foxx, Joe's voice actor, has previously played as Charles himself in the 2004 biographical film Ray.
Gallery[]
