I know that this is a digital release (which I usually don't do in-depth reviews of) but it was originally meant for a theatrical release, and it's a new film from Pixar, so we'll go ahead and do one anyway.
Soul is one of two Pixar films from 2020, and also one of two original Pixar films from 2020, which is more than welcome considering how weak a year for film it ended up being and also based on the overload of follow-ups this studio has produced over the last ten years or so, a couple of which haven't been all that good. Despite this, I still had some concerns. I liked the look of the down-to-Earth story that the film portrayed in the first half of the teaser trailer, but wasn't so sure if I wanted it to turn into another story set in another world with a ton of childish gimmicks that distract from some genuinely dramatic stuff. But, some good reviews and reactions came in, and after finally getting Disney+, I was able to check it out.
Joe Gardner is a down on his luck school band teacher, who dreams of performing Jazz with one of his favourite musicians. He gets a chance to do this gig of his dreams, but unfortunately falls into a hole and dies beforehand. After escaping the great beyond, he finds himself in a place known as the great before, and has to work with an unborn soul named 22 in order to get back to his life and fulfill what he believes to be his purpose.
Let's get the obvious Pixar pros out of the way. The animation is expectedly stunning, with the real world having extreme fidelity while also being nicely stylised, and the land of the souls being wonderfully colourful and ethereal. The score is also one of the best in any Pixar film; coming from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, it's appropriately abstract and generally beautiful. This studio somehow manages to outdo themselves on these aspects that I previously thought they couldn't do much better on, which is largely commendable.
I also found the voice acting to be particularly good in this, not least from the big names like Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, but also from people like Graham Norton and Richard Ayoade, both of whom were really funny and should definitely do more voice work.
But, by far the best thing about Soul is the theming. It has a more intellectual stance compared to most other Pixar movies, which is much appreciated from me. As someone who studies philosophy and often thinks about existential ideas, I found the story of this film really profound. I love the way it explores the supposed meaning of life and what we believe to be our purposes, and suggesting that life isn't really about those things but really just about living every moment as it happens. That's some really deep stuff and it's handled almost effortlessly. The way music is also interwoven into this story is really well done too. I love these mature, bold ideas and the fact that Pixar implemented them into a story so expertly just made me smile. There's a particular montage that consists of no words but just peaceful piano playing that essentially summarises the idea at its core, and I couldn't help but smile at how perfect it was.
Despite all this, there are some problems with this movie. I think my biggest issue is that this story, at least in my eyes, could've worked just as well if not better had it been completely in the real world and without the augmentations of the soul world. While I do think it was creative, visually interesting, and beneficial for conveying the film's message, I did find it weighing the film down because I was far more interested in what was going on in the real world and occasionally found it distracting. The whole second act of the film also didn't land right with me. I understood what it was doing in retrospect, but as it was on, it was quite annoying and a bit childish, undermining the really mature aspects of the film for me by kind of dumbing them down.
Pete Docter is definitely the best of Pixar's directors when it comes to crafting messages and I think he has some of the best ideas, but I also think he is often restricted by a need to appeal to children. I'd really like to see this studio take a stab at making a film for an adult audience. Yes, I am aware that the universality of their films is a wonderful thing, but that's not to say that something a bit more grown up can't work on at least one occasion. Look at films like Princess Mononoke or The Breadwinner, two animated films that are not made for children, from studios that have made child-friendly content in the past, that both work really well. Animation is just a medium at the end of the day and one that has more to it than just telling stories to children. Pixar definitely have the talent and ideas to make something in the same league, so I think Disney really ought to take the family-friendly shackles off and let them give it a go. I'm not saying I want all their films to be this way from now on, I'd just like to see them give it a try, because Soul, along with films like Ratatouille and The Incredibles, is proof that they can. But, then again, artistic license comes after ensuring the greatest profits for big companies like this so I guess not then.
As a whole, I was really satisfied with Soul. While I do think it's a story that could've functioned better with a completely mature tone, I still really liked the way it was told. The intellectual ideas, the creative world-building, and more phenomenal animation and music really made this a pleasant watch. It has its problems but the good things are just too good to be weighed down by them. Hopefully this paves the way for more great original content and maybe, just maybe, something more adult-centred too.
I'm going to give Soul a 9.0/10
Also, as I'm sure you can imagine, I love Disney+ and have been using it quite a lot. I'll definitely be checking out Hamilton and Mulan (2020) shortly as well as the countless Disney films I've wanted to watch for ages. I've also been watching The Mandalorian and it's pretty great.
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