Title – Soul (2020)

Director – Pete Docter (Inside Out) & Kemp Powers (feature debut)

Cast – (voices of) Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Richard Ayoade

Plot – Middle aged New York based musician/music teacher Joe (Foxx) finds himself in between life and death and teamed up with long suffering soul known as 22 (Fey) as the two begin to find out the meaning of life and what it means to be alive together.

“You can’t crush a soul here. That’s what life on Earth is for”

Review by Eddie on 29/01/2021

Doing what they do best; somehow managing whimsical animation charm with heartwarming stories for adults, Pixar rectify the disappointing Onward with the soulful Soul, a new addition to upper shelf of Pixar releases that might not be top of the class but gets mightily close on more than a few occasions.

Unleashed in a majority of Western territories straight to Disney+ in light of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis that plagues many parts of the world, Soul is the type of animated treat that would’ve been perfectly suited to the wonders of big screen movie watching but thanks to some creative storytelling and a typically strong showing of craftsmanship, Pete Docter and Kemp Powers fantasy adventure, that is founded on some very relatable life ponderings, is still a joy to behold.

To be perfectly honest, Soul is not suited to the younger of Disney fans, the film’s at time very adult ruminations and questions about finding ones purpose in life and meaning of a happy existence will fly over the heads of anyone under the age of 10 but its unlikely many adults would be able to watch Soul without feeling some sense of moving within, as it brings home some powerful and important messages for us all.

There’s nothing particularly new being said here with Doctor and Powers covering familiar ground in most instances but the imagination and excitement they bring to the table makes things feel fresh and intriguing, especially with the abundant joys of witnessing a wonderfully recreated New York City or soul filled “after/before” life come to be before our very eyes, majestically combined with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s inventive score.

Following Jamie Foxx’s long-suffering jazz musician Joe on a journey of self discovery in light of finally scoring his potential big break into the music industry that also includes a budding friendship and story of learning with long standing soul #22 (voiced enthusiastically by Tina Fey) when Joe finds himself on deaths door suddenly, Soul walks along a path many viewers will have walked upon previously but the film never drags or takes any unnecessary detours as it rollicks along at a break neck pace towards an assured and lovingly staged finale.

It’s one of Pixar’s most human films yet, similar in nature to Up and Inside Out, with the tale of Joe managing to feel relatable and deep without every trying to preach and while the balance could’ve done with more aimed at the youngsters who are likely to be left tired of Soul’s plot movements and dialogue heavy situations, we can be thankful that Pixar is still managing to produce such worthwhile films under the creativity of their boundless animated oriented minds.

Final Say – 

It may lack that special magic that makes the best Pixar films all-time greats and has very little accessibility for its younger watchers but Soul is a fantastic new addition to the Pixar catalogue and one of the most memorable animated outings in years.

4 New York Knicks smack-downs out of 5