“Soul” is Pixar’s newest animated film and was directed by Pete Docter with Kemp Powers, and was written by Pete Docter, Mike Jones, and Kemp Powers. It stars Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, a middle school band teacher who hopes to become a professional jazz musician. One day, Joe falls into a pothole and dies, appearing in the “Great Beyond.” Joe feels that his life was just starting to get better before he died, so he goes on a quest accompanied by a mischievous soul named “22” (played by Tina Fey) to return to Earth and live again.
The best part of the film is the animation. It is truly breathtaking and it’s some of Pixar’s finest. The environments on Earth look almost photorealistic and the animations in the afterlife are super original. Speaking of originality, “Soul” was full of it, although it did take ideas from “Inside Out,” another Pete Docter film. There are some really intriguing ideas and unique worldbuilding that is super engaging.
Another great thing about this movie was the voice acting. The two leads, Jamie Foxx as Joe and Tina Fey as 22, were excellent. They did a great job at delivering their snappy dialogue and I enjoyed all of the banter they had together. There wasn’t a single line delivered by them that took me out of the movie or made me question their voice acting chops.
Another thing that I love about the film is its deep themes. Obviously the theme of death is prevalent here, but the movie is more about what makes life enjoyable, learning to appreciate what we take for granted, and how one should make the best of their life. And as one would expect, there are a few trademark Pixar moments that will make any audience teary-eyed at parts.
I only have one significant problem with “Soul,” and it has to do with its ending. The ending, while good, felt very rushed. The movie would have benefited from being 5 minutes longer to make the ending less abrupt and more emotionally effective.
I really enjoyed “Soul.” It’s one of Pixar’s best movies in the past few years, and it has some good lessons for both children and adults. Please watch and support this film; it is a lot better than “Wonder Woman 1984,” which released on the same day.
Grade: A
My review of “Wonder Woman 1984”: https://reelopinion.com/2020/12/25/wonder-woman-1984-an-honest-review/
Your review makes me want to see this movie! It’s rare for an animated film to also be something adults will enjoy too.