Soul (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Pixar's 'Soul' (a new animated classic directed by Pete Docter & Kemp Powers) tells the story of Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), a 40-ish yr. old NYC pianist who is offered a full-time job teaching middle school band, but is ambivalent about it because he has been pursuing a Blues music career forever. On the same day he gets the job offer, Joe unexpectedly lands an amazing gig playing with famed diva saxophonist, Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). Right after getting this news, ecstatic Joe accidentally falls into a manhole and, next thing he knows, his soul is aboard an escalator up to the 'Great Beyond' {gorgeous visual rendering}. But Joe isn't ready to go yet. Desperate, he fights his way into the 'Great Before' - an ethereal, cotton candy colorful, otherworldly realm where unborn souls reside 'til they have acquired - not only the personality traits they'll have once assigned to a human body - but also an ineffable "spark" for life to enter the physical world.
New souls are given mentors (the souls of notable persons who have died) to help them prepare for their journey to Earth as humans. Joe is mistaken for a mentor & assigned to 'problem child' unborn soul #22 (Tina Fey), who has outlasted many mentors through the years (from Abraham Lincoln to Gandhi to Mother Theresa) and has yet to find her "spark", or desire to live on Earth; she's fine right where she is in pre-life. Joe, still obsessed with living, makes a deal with 22. In exchange for giving him her pass to Earth, he will help her remain where she is. But of course, this doesn't go as expected. In a mix-up, 22 ends up in Joe's body (laying near-dead in a hospital), & Joe cascades to Earth landing in the form of a therapy cat whom is sleeping on his hospital bed. Can they fix their current issue & inspire each other to get what they want out of life on Earth? Hijinks & poignant catharsis ensues.
Part valentine to R&B/part mismatched buddy flick/part mentor-student tale ... 'Soul' is terrific, with excellent animation, great jazz music, humor, creativity, & great affection for its characters & milieu. Some of the plot happenstance - especially in the 'Great Before' - will be a bit too clever/heady for children, no less some adults {it's pretty batsh*t, ha}. And some of the complex, metaphysical messages about what it means to be alive might also elude kids. It IS difficult to fully explain Soul's plot, but it makes more sense as it goes. But that would be my only significant complaint; if you can even call it that. I appreciate that this Pixar movie is - for the 1st time - is fully centered on a Black person's experiences. Foxx & Fey's lend solid voice work, supported by a solid cast which includes Daveed Diggs, Alice Braga, Graham Norton, Wes Studi & Rachel House (as a deadpan accountant for the 'Great Beyond' who knows their tally is off by one person once Joe disappears).
Pixar continues to reign supreme with its stellar animation. i.e., richly-detailed scenes in Manhattan, Joe's piano-playing sequences {wow}, the cheese on a NY pizza, the fabric on a suit, the Miyazaki-like afterlife rendering, and so on. Script-wise, I loved the playful-yet-meaningful banter btwn. Joe & 22 (especially on Earth when Joe is the cat) & the heartfelt representation of the Black community. i.e., the barber shop Joe frequents; his authentic-feeling relationship with his mom, voiced so well by Phylicia Rashad; and all the jazz performers -- there's a lived-in feeling to these portrayals & how it is all presented in the story. Again, 'Soul' may not appeal to little kids unless they get swept away by the pastel colors of the 'Great Before'. The messages are quite heavy. But oh, what great messages to complement the other fantastic aspects: compassion, mortality, pursuing dreams & what makes life truly important are themes that really strike a chord - no pun intended.
New souls are given mentors (the souls of notable persons who have died) to help them prepare for their journey to Earth as humans. Joe is mistaken for a mentor & assigned to 'problem child' unborn soul #22 (Tina Fey), who has outlasted many mentors through the years (from Abraham Lincoln to Gandhi to Mother Theresa) and has yet to find her "spark", or desire to live on Earth; she's fine right where she is in pre-life. Joe, still obsessed with living, makes a deal with 22. In exchange for giving him her pass to Earth, he will help her remain where she is. But of course, this doesn't go as expected. In a mix-up, 22 ends up in Joe's body (laying near-dead in a hospital), & Joe cascades to Earth landing in the form of a therapy cat whom is sleeping on his hospital bed. Can they fix their current issue & inspire each other to get what they want out of life on Earth? Hijinks & poignant catharsis ensues.
Part valentine to R&B/part mismatched buddy flick/part mentor-student tale ... 'Soul' is terrific, with excellent animation, great jazz music, humor, creativity, & great affection for its characters & milieu. Some of the plot happenstance - especially in the 'Great Before' - will be a bit too clever/heady for children, no less some adults {it's pretty batsh*t, ha}. And some of the complex, metaphysical messages about what it means to be alive might also elude kids. It IS difficult to fully explain Soul's plot, but it makes more sense as it goes. But that would be my only significant complaint; if you can even call it that. I appreciate that this Pixar movie is - for the 1st time - is fully centered on a Black person's experiences. Foxx & Fey's lend solid voice work, supported by a solid cast which includes Daveed Diggs, Alice Braga, Graham Norton, Wes Studi & Rachel House (as a deadpan accountant for the 'Great Beyond' who knows their tally is off by one person once Joe disappears).
Pixar continues to reign supreme with its stellar animation. i.e., richly-detailed scenes in Manhattan, Joe's piano-playing sequences {wow}, the cheese on a NY pizza, the fabric on a suit, the Miyazaki-like afterlife rendering, and so on. Script-wise, I loved the playful-yet-meaningful banter btwn. Joe & 22 (especially on Earth when Joe is the cat) & the heartfelt representation of the Black community. i.e., the barber shop Joe frequents; his authentic-feeling relationship with his mom, voiced so well by Phylicia Rashad; and all the jazz performers -- there's a lived-in feeling to these portrayals & how it is all presented in the story. Again, 'Soul' may not appeal to little kids unless they get swept away by the pastel colors of the 'Great Before'. The messages are quite heavy. But oh, what great messages to complement the other fantastic aspects: compassion, mortality, pursuing dreams & what makes life truly important are themes that really strike a chord - no pun intended.