Soul (2020)
Coming as the newest feature from Pixar and the first to release exclusively through Disney+, Soul is yet another inventive and hard hitting outing for legendary animation director Pete Docter. Following a New York jazz musician named Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) who seems to be on the verge of achieving his dream of pursuing music for a living as he dies in an accident and has to find a way to get his soul back into his body with the help of a young unborn soul named 22 (Tina Fey) searching for their purpose in life; Soul tackles some of the largest thematic questions Pixar has ever touched before. From what the purpose of life is to the relationship between life and death, Soul is sure to resonate deeply with many but at times seems to bite off more than it could chew.
Being a Pete Doctor project it comes as no surprise that Soul is a completely original film which stands as refreshing in its own right considering the lack of original projects made to this scale in the current cinematic climate. Even if there are some visual ties that could be made to the director's previous work Inside Out, Soul quickly crafts its own fresh and unique identity creating a world that is fun to explore and beams with inspiration around every corner. Largely taking place somewhere between life and death, Soul very quickly has to build a world that makes sense and sets up the future plot and drama that will make up the film's 106-minute runtime which is something the film accomplishes near flawlessly. With a blend of creative animation which wisely uses a blending of various styles alongside an extremely welcoming vocal cast, audiences will quickly find themselves enchanted by the world they find themselves in and excited to see what comes next.
Where the world-building within Soul is undeniable, the film also features a memorable cast of characters that speak authentically to the real world. Joe is incredibly personable and vulnerable in a relatable sense as he ponders what his life means and what he can do to find true happiness and value from his limited time on earth which plays nicely into the juxtaposition his character has with 22 who is experiencing the world for the first time and often offers a more magical outlook on what Joe sees as the mundane pieces of the human experience. Where both characters play an obvious role in the optimistic vs. cynical dynamic, neither feels limited by this structure. 22 doesn't see a purpose in living a life on earth but that doesn't mean that they can't enjoy the journey they find themselves on and while Joe is supposed to show the power of inspiration and passion, that doesn't mean his character can't have down moments where he genuinely questions what life truly can offer. The side characters are also quite memorable especially considering how tiny their roles often are. All the characters found in the space between life and death are likeable and memorable while everyone on earth feels like some of the most realistic representation of average people found on film before. The film carries a constantly authentic voice which is hard to find in any film, much less an animated feature which speaks to the craft of the film's screenplay.
This realism is also felt through the visuals of the movie. Coming from Pixar it would be more notable if the animation was weak rather than as strong as it is. As already mentioned, the space between life and death is incredibly creative with rather simple animation blended with detailed CGI to create an inviting and visually dynamic world that is exciting to explore without feeling distracting. The real world is also stunning. The use of lighting and shot composition creates some truly jaw dropping moments but it is becoming clear that realistic CGI is going to be hitting a ceiling sooner than later. Where 10 years ago Soul's animation would have been unbelievable, the modern animation genre has set the bar so high that this level of craft is nearly to be expected. Where the real world within Soul is dynamic, it already is clear that it lacks some of the shock factor that previous CGI films have accomplished with their levels of realism and as the genre continues the battle to capture the real world in as realistic animation as possible is going to become far less as impressive sooner than later. Still, the animation within Soul is undeniable and where there are only a select few scenes that feel unforgettable the general feeling from the animation within the feature is still that of being impressed.
Rounding out the conversation surrounding the technical elements within Soul, the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is also predictably strong considering the talent both have proven to have in the past but Jon Batiste truly feels like the standout of the soundtrack with his jazz compositions that breath an added life into the project. Where it has been touched already, it also needs to be reinforced how good the lead vocal performances are. Jamie Foxx specifically feels like the standout with a thoughtful and transformative performance that is near unrecognizable. It is so easy to view Joe not as a character but as a living and breathing person largely due to Foxx's performance which gives him life. Tina Fey also perfectly captures the character of 22 who often is confused and conflicted. Without a visual space to express herself in, Fey needed to give a focused and precise performance to get the inner conflict of her character from the script and onto the screen which she accomplishes perfectly.
The one area of Soul that drops the ball at times is its screenplay. Where the character dialogue is consistently strong, it is clear that the film was a bit lost at times with how to move the plot. As soon as something as heavy as death is introduced as a stake for characters it demands a certain level of respect and focus. The idea that going into the afterlife and forever accepting death is overlooked as a motivation and instead the character of Joe is concerned with making a musical performance feels distracting and unrealistic, almost trivializing what should be one of the heaviest stakes of any Pixar film to date. Without getting into spoilers, the ending is also incredibly rushed and underwritten. It feels clear from the beginning that certain scenes will be included in the end to wrap the journey of Joe up nicely but instead the film quickly throws everything together in a matter that largely lacks any sense of poetry or purpose. The film wants a happy ending but also has a plot that demands sacrifice and the film sadly chooses one of the weakest ways to get the best of both worlds without even then properly paying off the story up to that point. Where this is far from enough to devalue the film to come before the ending, it does end the film on a bit of a sour note.
Still, Soul is yet another strong and largely inspired outing for Pixar. Where the film might not reach the masterpiece level that the company has reached multiple times or the same emotional gut punch of Onward from earlier this very year, Soul speaks to an authentic questioning of the human experience that will both entertain audiences and leave an impact on them. The film is a technical marvel and really does show the power and originality that the studio and Pete Docter still has. Being widely available on Disney+ for no extra charge there is very little reason not to check the film out for oneself.
Being a Pete Doctor project it comes as no surprise that Soul is a completely original film which stands as refreshing in its own right considering the lack of original projects made to this scale in the current cinematic climate. Even if there are some visual ties that could be made to the director's previous work Inside Out, Soul quickly crafts its own fresh and unique identity creating a world that is fun to explore and beams with inspiration around every corner. Largely taking place somewhere between life and death, Soul very quickly has to build a world that makes sense and sets up the future plot and drama that will make up the film's 106-minute runtime which is something the film accomplishes near flawlessly. With a blend of creative animation which wisely uses a blending of various styles alongside an extremely welcoming vocal cast, audiences will quickly find themselves enchanted by the world they find themselves in and excited to see what comes next.
Where the world-building within Soul is undeniable, the film also features a memorable cast of characters that speak authentically to the real world. Joe is incredibly personable and vulnerable in a relatable sense as he ponders what his life means and what he can do to find true happiness and value from his limited time on earth which plays nicely into the juxtaposition his character has with 22 who is experiencing the world for the first time and often offers a more magical outlook on what Joe sees as the mundane pieces of the human experience. Where both characters play an obvious role in the optimistic vs. cynical dynamic, neither feels limited by this structure. 22 doesn't see a purpose in living a life on earth but that doesn't mean that they can't enjoy the journey they find themselves on and while Joe is supposed to show the power of inspiration and passion, that doesn't mean his character can't have down moments where he genuinely questions what life truly can offer. The side characters are also quite memorable especially considering how tiny their roles often are. All the characters found in the space between life and death are likeable and memorable while everyone on earth feels like some of the most realistic representation of average people found on film before. The film carries a constantly authentic voice which is hard to find in any film, much less an animated feature which speaks to the craft of the film's screenplay.
This realism is also felt through the visuals of the movie. Coming from Pixar it would be more notable if the animation was weak rather than as strong as it is. As already mentioned, the space between life and death is incredibly creative with rather simple animation blended with detailed CGI to create an inviting and visually dynamic world that is exciting to explore without feeling distracting. The real world is also stunning. The use of lighting and shot composition creates some truly jaw dropping moments but it is becoming clear that realistic CGI is going to be hitting a ceiling sooner than later. Where 10 years ago Soul's animation would have been unbelievable, the modern animation genre has set the bar so high that this level of craft is nearly to be expected. Where the real world within Soul is dynamic, it already is clear that it lacks some of the shock factor that previous CGI films have accomplished with their levels of realism and as the genre continues the battle to capture the real world in as realistic animation as possible is going to become far less as impressive sooner than later. Still, the animation within Soul is undeniable and where there are only a select few scenes that feel unforgettable the general feeling from the animation within the feature is still that of being impressed.
Rounding out the conversation surrounding the technical elements within Soul, the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is also predictably strong considering the talent both have proven to have in the past but Jon Batiste truly feels like the standout of the soundtrack with his jazz compositions that breath an added life into the project. Where it has been touched already, it also needs to be reinforced how good the lead vocal performances are. Jamie Foxx specifically feels like the standout with a thoughtful and transformative performance that is near unrecognizable. It is so easy to view Joe not as a character but as a living and breathing person largely due to Foxx's performance which gives him life. Tina Fey also perfectly captures the character of 22 who often is confused and conflicted. Without a visual space to express herself in, Fey needed to give a focused and precise performance to get the inner conflict of her character from the script and onto the screen which she accomplishes perfectly.
The one area of Soul that drops the ball at times is its screenplay. Where the character dialogue is consistently strong, it is clear that the film was a bit lost at times with how to move the plot. As soon as something as heavy as death is introduced as a stake for characters it demands a certain level of respect and focus. The idea that going into the afterlife and forever accepting death is overlooked as a motivation and instead the character of Joe is concerned with making a musical performance feels distracting and unrealistic, almost trivializing what should be one of the heaviest stakes of any Pixar film to date. Without getting into spoilers, the ending is also incredibly rushed and underwritten. It feels clear from the beginning that certain scenes will be included in the end to wrap the journey of Joe up nicely but instead the film quickly throws everything together in a matter that largely lacks any sense of poetry or purpose. The film wants a happy ending but also has a plot that demands sacrifice and the film sadly chooses one of the weakest ways to get the best of both worlds without even then properly paying off the story up to that point. Where this is far from enough to devalue the film to come before the ending, it does end the film on a bit of a sour note.
Still, Soul is yet another strong and largely inspired outing for Pixar. Where the film might not reach the masterpiece level that the company has reached multiple times or the same emotional gut punch of Onward from earlier this very year, Soul speaks to an authentic questioning of the human experience that will both entertain audiences and leave an impact on them. The film is a technical marvel and really does show the power and originality that the studio and Pete Docter still has. Being widely available on Disney+ for no extra charge there is very little reason not to check the film out for oneself.