Soul Review: A Soulful Way to end 2020

Co-Directors Pete Docter and Kemp Powers deliver the best Pixar film since 2015’s Inside Out, which was also under the watchful eye of Docter. Soul is the perfect way to exit 2020 on a hopeful note.

The Covid-19 pandemic shut down the plans for many people and businesses in 2020. Soul’s main focus is on finding your passion (called a spark in the film) while acknowledging the selfish nature that such a single-minded pursuit can have on the people around you.

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Setting the Stage

Soul takes place in two primary settings. A gorgeously animated New York City and The Great Before. Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a middle school band teacher, but his true passion is playing the piano live as part of a jazz band. Joe finally gets an opportunity to sit in as a piano player for a popular jazz singer due to an invitation by one of his former students. After landing the gig, his exuberance takes over. Joe is blissfully unaware of bustling New York City around him and suffers an accident that leaves his body in a coma, while his spirit travels to another realm.

The Great Before is a place between life and death. Joe is anxious to return to his body, but his forced to serve as a mentor to Soul 22 (voiced by Tina Fey). Joe is willing to do whatever it takes to return to Earth, while 22 is ambivalent to the charms of living. To go any further into the plot would ruin the twist that Docter, Powers and screenwriter Mike Jones introduce in the film’s 2nd act. Thankfully, none of the trailers have even hinted at the twist, which is phenomenal and serves as the emotional crux of the film.

The Ensemble in Soul

Foxx is tremendous at capturing Joe’s love of jazz and sad resignation at other aspects of life. He’s excellent throughout the film, but a heart-wrenching conversation with his Mom later in the film about her dissatisfaction with Joe’s desire to be a professional musician is a standout scene for Foxx and Phylicia Rashad as Joe’s mother.

Fey is also excellent in her role and has just as much character development throughout the film as Joe. The switch in her character could have been more drawn out, but the aforementioned twist in the 2nd act understandably accelerates 22’s motivations.

Graham Norton, Daveed Diggs, Questlove and Angela Bassett turn in strong supporting performances in small, but crucial moments throughout the film.

Pixar’s Art is In The Zone Throughout

From the incredible score turned in by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor with Jon Batiste adding some Jazz compositions to Pixar’s animation, the artistry on display is breathtaking.

The music is a character in the film. Combining jazz with Ross and Reznor’s score brings the world of Soul to life. In the New York setting, the presence of jazz takes center stage, while The Great Before allows Ross and Reznor’s score to enter the spotlight.

Pixar’s animation prowess is on full display throughout Soul. The depiction of the souls in The Great Before is similar to the emotions in Inside Out but is a step above the 2015 Pixar film. New York City has a majestic quality all its own. The way in which Soul shows Joe and other characters being “in the zone” is an animation triumph. The striking imagery has a similar aesthetic to the animated sequence that accompanies “Into the Unknown” in Frozen II.

Final Thoughts on Soul

Soul is the best-animated film of the year. The animation, music and story are multiple steps above Pixar’s other 2020 release, Onward. A more deft comedic touch could of made Soul the best non-Toy Story film in Pixar’s catalog. Soul is a perfect companion to Inside Out and I can’t wait to see the next Docter directed film

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