Soul (2020)

PG Running Time: 106 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • Pixar does it again - Soul is a wonderful movie, debuting on Disney+, Christmas Day 2020, for families of all ages to enjoy.

  • Another breakthrough for representation both on and off screen, as the film features Pixar’s first Black leading character and Black-led animation team.

  • Fantastic animation, terrific vocal performances, and a bold concept help director Pete Docter add Soul to his stunning list of animated features, including Up, Monsters, Inc., and Inside Out.

NO

  • I mean…maybe you just refuse to watch animated films, no matter how good they are?

  • You have no plans to subscribe to Disney+.

  • Though not a reason to avoid the film - be aware that elements of Soul’s story may address issues of death and loss for younger viewers who react to the idea of The Great Beyond and The Great Before.


OUR REVIEW

Leave it to Pixar to basically make an animated family film about life before conception. With Soul, the animation studio’s 23rd feature film, we are taken into a world known as The Great Before. It is here, we are told, that personality traits which make us who we are first take shape. When those are determined, tiny, little round sentient beings descend to Earth and…well…you can decide among yourselves what may happen next.

Bypassing theaters because of COVID-19 restrictions and limitations, Soul debuts on Disney+ on Christmas Day, a savvy move designed to reach millions of households ready to be entertained in their pajamas, with cocoa or another beverage of choice, and everyone sharing couch space with their loved ones.

On the one hand, Soul’s streaming debut is something of a bummer when it comes to access and representation. Pixar’s first film with a Black lead is also the first Pixar film to feature a Black-led animation team. And Soul looks remarkable, not only from an animation standpoint, but from the optics of who is on screen and the story being told.

Undoubtedly millions will see Soul through their Disney+ subscription. However, the lost opportunity comes in the moments made when a Black family, or families of color, collectively experience their stories being told on the largest screen possible. Representation indeed matters and, all things considered, Soul’s significance should not be diminished, simply because we can watch it at home.

What everyone will experience when they click play may be a bit different than anticipated. Soul begins with Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a music teacher leading middle school students through band class. Though he likes the kids, teaching is not his passion and it is little more than a stopgap until he finally breaks it big as a jazz musician. Problem is: Joe is pushing his 40s and his family is about done with his chasing of a dream that seems little more than a foolish pursuit.

After a scolding from his mother (Phylicia Rashad), he nails an audition for famed jazz artist Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). She offers him a chance to play in her band for multiple nights in a local jazz club the same day his teaching gig turns into a full-time opportunity. Dorothea’s offer makes Joe believe his pursuits are valid. And in his exuberance to tell people of his good fortune and big break, he absent-mindedly steps into an open manhole, falls a really long way, and wakes up on a pathway to The Great Beyond.

And yeah – that represents what you think. And the cheerfulness of those ascending to the next plain may cause kids to ask questions and adults to hit pause on that remote control and have an impromptu family discussion. Joe, as you can imagine, is not quite ready to make that journey and runs away from the light, landing in The Great Before, where the development of traits and personalities occurs.

Soul feels like weighty stuff and under the direction of Pete Docter (Inside Out, Up, Monsters, Inc.), all of this is handled in a tender and caring way. Co-director and co-writer Kemp Powers helps underscore the sensitivity required to properly explore the notion of what makes us who we are. Are our personalities predetermined before birth? What control do we have over our actions once we begin to realize our lives as human beings?

Guiding us through the complex issues Soul has us consider, Foxx is wonderful in capturing Joe’s frustration with his circumstances, both metaphysical and otherwise. He balances inner turmoil with enthusiasm, as well as selfishness and immaturity, with a growing awareness of how his decisions have impacted his journey towards finding what makes him happy.

Tina Fey has a great deal of fun as 22, a rebellious soul who has found an infinite number of ways to disrupt the order of things and remain for an indeterminate number of years in the Great Before. The two become de facto buddies, with 22 using her knowledge to help Joe find opportunities to return to his earthly body. Their misadventures often lighten the mood and bring lots of laughs, especially when a cat named Mr. Mittens gets involved in one of their many bungled attempts.

Soul is going to play differently to younger viewers, than it will to those more grown up. Themes of responsibility, fighting for our dreams, and maximizing our time while we have it, carry deep and profound resonance. Kids will miss some of the loftier concepts, while laughing at many comedic moments Docter orchestrates exceptionally well.

All should be dazzled by the stunning animation, which balances a metaphysical world with a richly detailed New York City, and beautifully drawn characters, ranking as some of Pixar’s finest work to date. Terry, voiced by Rachel House, steals the show as a gruff, monotone “soul counter,” desperate to determine why her counts are off when tabulating numbers of those headed to The Great Beyond.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ fantastic jazz-infused melodic and emotional score simply makes the movie better, and I imagine kids will consider why they do things the way they do, why they like things a particular way, or why they may be either more open or quiet about confronting their own emotions and reactions.

At first, Soul impressed me. I thought it was a solid movie, easy to recommend. Then it hung with me for a good long while. A second viewing allowed me the opportunity to really dig deeper into its world and found nothing but, well, heart and soul pouring out of every frame. And if a movie makes you want yourself and others to be their best self, how can anyone possibly be opposed to that?

CAST & CREW

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, Angela Bassett, Cora Champommier, Margo Hall, Daveed Diggs, Wes Studi, Sakina Jeffrey, Fortune Feimster, June Squibb, Rhodessa Jones

Director: Pete Docter
Co-Director: Kemp Powers
Written by: Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers
Release Date: December 25, 2020
Walt Disney Pictures/Disney+