Soul

Soul is the latest animated film by Pixar, which was unfortunately released on Disney+ due to... reasons. It's a shame too, since this is easily one of Pixar's best movies in quite a while.

Soul is about a middle-school band teacher named Joe who believes that his goal or destiny is to play in a jazz band. He finally gets the opportunity only to die, sort of. The rest of the film revolves around Joe trying to get back to his body while also helping another soul find her passion, along with learning about how to live life to the fullest. Soul is inherently a character-driven story, there's no world-ending threat, and the closest thing the movie has to an antagonist is more of a goofy side character. Joe is a strong main protagonist with an understandable goal and some incredibly great development throughout the movie. By the end, we still don't know what Joe is going to do with his life, but he seems a lot more sure of himself and that's what matters. The other soul, 22, is also an amazing character. Despite their snarky exterior, the fact that it was so difficult for them to find a passion means that they secretly has a lot of insecurities about themselves, which all comes to play in the third act. Another highlight is the "antagonist" Terry, who is absolutely hilarious in every scene she's in, and Rachel House's unique voice helps her stick out as incredibly memorable despite how rarely she actually appears.

Soul's story is split into thirds. The first third is about Joe dying and trying to escape the afterlife, the second third is about 22 accidentally taking over Joe's body in real life, and the final third brings all of the story elements together as Joe and 22 complete their character arcs. Honestly, I think Soul peaks in its first third. The Great Beyond/Before is such a creative and visually stunning location, from the minimalist 2D Jerrys, to the vaporwave aesthetic, I really wish we got to see more of these unique locations. However, I still found myself enjoying the body swap portion of the movie. Seeing 22 learn about living first hand is great, along with Joe following along and slowly realizing what he's been missing out on. One of the best scenes in the film is the barbershop scene where 22 (in Joe's body) actually strikes up a conversation with the barber that doesn't have to do with jazz, and it ends up becoming far more fulfilling and surprisingly existentialist than if Joe had gotten the haircut himself.

Speaking of which, Soul is incredibly existentialist for a kid's movie, resulting in many people considering it to be more of an adult film. While I don't necessarily agree (it has more than enough slapstick to keep kids entertained), I do think that Soul deals with a lot of mature and thought-provoking themes that definitely left me thinking long after the film ended, and there can be a lot of interesting interpretations as well. When I first watched it, I thought Soul was about learning to branch out and be open-minded rather than sticking to a singular goal and interest, but I've since realized that it could also be about appreciating life for what it is, not wasting your life while waiting for some mythical state-of-being, and even dealing with self-esteem issues in the case of 22. I remember right after I watched Soul, I spend the next 15 minutes or so discussing my interpretation of the film with the people I watched it with. It's incredibly difficult for a movie to get me thinking as much as Soul did while also just being an entertaining animated flick in its own right, but Soul pulls it off nearly perfectly.

Visually, Soul is absolutely phenomenal. This is easily one of the most beautifully animated films ever made and it's a damn shame it couldn't be shown in theaters. A large portion of the film takes place in New York City, and I think they did a really good job depicting it, from the bustling streets, to the dark and dingy subways, to the surprisingly close-knit communities found in places like barbers and tailorshops. The whole theme about recognizing the beauty of life hits a lot harder when the movie itself is this absolutely beautiful, and it's so realistic too! There are a bunch of shots that could have easily been live-action if I didn't know I was watching a Pixar film. And there's this one shot in particular that's a top-down shot of the whole city which is easily one of the most beautiful shots I've seen in any film ever, live-action or animated. However, the visual highlight for me is easily The Great Beyond/Before. I already mentioned how unique it is earlier in the review, but the aesthetic really is something I've never seen in a Pixar film before. And the score is just as great. For a film so centered around jazz, thankfully the jazz tunes during the real life parts of the film are excellent, but I especially love the intense techno score that plays during the sequences in The Great Beyond/Before. Both halves of Soul are beautifully presented in their own way, resulting in an absolutely mindblowing visual/auditory experience.

Overall, I adored Soul. It's easily my favorite Pixar film since, probably Toy Story 3? The characters are well-written, the themes are thought-provoking, the ideas are unique, and the visuals are absolutely stunning. When my only complaint is that I wanted more of it, that's how you know it's a good movie.

5/5 Stars