Soul (2020) Movie Review
Soul is the latest animated offering from Pixar, which consistently churns out memorable movies. Joe (Jamie Foxx) is a middle school band teacher with dreams of becoming a famous jazz musician. He happens to land a gig with a famous jazz musician named Dorothea. After rehearsing for the gig, Joe falls in a hole and when he wakes up he’s a soul in another dimension called The Great Beyond.
Joe desperately doesn’t want to die so he tries to escape and winds up in the Great Before. In this area, unborn souls are prepared for Earth by counselors who are all named Jerry. Joe is mistaken for a mentor and is assigned a soul named 22 (Tina Fey). 22 has been stuck in the Great Before for a long time. She doesn’t think Earth can be all that wonderful and can’t find her “spark” that would clear her to make the trip down to Earth.
In a weird twist of fate Joe and 22 go to earth but somehow 22 winds up inhabiting Joe’s body and Joe is in the body of a cat. They go on a journey together to get Joe to his jazz gig that night. Along the way, Joe learns about himself and 22 learns that Earth isn’t as bad as she initially thought.
Soul borrows some ideas from Pixar’s 2015 movie, Inside Out. Similar to creating a tangible world where emotions take on a character like in Inside Out, Soul gives a voice to each “soul” and creates a world that shows you the development of a human being. What makes Soul so impactful is that almost every adult can identify with the often mundane aspects of everyday life. It’s easy to get bogged down with all of your responsibilities and to be disappointed with how your life turned out. Soul does an excellent job of exploring the little moments that make life worthwhile and reminding you to appreciate life in all its forms.
The animation as is always the case with Pixar projects is phenomenal. You’ll get lost in the characters and the settings. The Great Beyond and The Great Before are sleek and look like it could be a video game. The music in this movie is absolutely stunning and adds a nice touch to the movie, evoking plenty of emotions that play into each scene. You’ll want to put this soundtrack on repeat, I highly recommend playing it while you take a walk.
Soul may be an animated movie but it will resonate most with the adults who watch it with their kids. It explores some adult themes about pursuing your passions and enjoying life despite its challenges. Soul is a wonderful balm for anyone who has had a rough year. It’s a reminder of some of the good parts of life and proof that everyone can find moments in life where they’re “jazzing.”
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You liked Inside Out
2. You like jazz
3. You want to be reminded of your spark for life
