Soul movie review

MOVIE TITLE: SOUL

Released exclusively on Disney+ on Christmas Day 2020. Unlike the live-action remake movie Mulan, there was no extra charge to watch the movie. Yay! It’s the first Pixar feature film not to be released in movie theaters.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 40 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

“This is not a kid’s movie.” I watched this thought-provoking, very inventive movie with family members and friends ranging in age from 20 to 67 and that was the final consensus. Pixar has asked us to think about feelings a lot in recent movies. First, they asked, “What if toys had feelings?” We loved Toy Story and all its sequels. Then, they asked us, “What if feelings had feelings?” and we adored Inside Out (Theatrical). Now the question is, “What if souls had feelings?” The question to be asked now is “Do you like this movie?”

This sweet movie isn’t what you think it’s going to be like. It’s much more sophisticated, introspective, and serious. If you liked the psychological and philosophical concepts in the movies Inside Out (Theatrical) and Coco (Theatrical Version), you’ll be intrigued by this story. It’s not just a film but a lesson on how to live your life.

It might just be the perfect ending to a crazy year in 2020 to remind us to be grateful for every moment we have in our unpredictable, beautiful, challenging lives. Talk about an out-of-body experience…

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

A spirit slaps another spirit
There is no profanity other than mentioning hell.
This is a very deep movie. The concepts are quite advanced for young children and they might actually be bored.

THEMES:

Purpose and passion
Find your unique spark, pursue your dreams
There’s nothing wrong with you if you don’t know your purpose yet. It’s a journey.
The meaning of life
It’s the little joys of everyday life that bring us meaning and happiness
Where should your focus be in life? What are the things that, at the end of the day, will really matter in the end?

THINGS I LIKED:

The animation is fantastic with so many rich details and textures, and complex facial expressions. The fingers on the piano keyboard are amazing. It’s Pixar. It’s amazing.
I love that the title refers to both soul music and our inner soul.
This is the first Pixar film to feature an African American protagonist. The characters really look like actual people. In order to honor and accurately portray African Americans, several famous, black celebrities were hired as consultants: Daveed Diggs, Quincy Jones, Jon Batiste, Questlove, Herbie Hancock, and more.
Jamie Foxx, who voices Joe Gardner and is an incredible actor, is also a talented musician. Surprisingly, this was his very first voice-acting experience in an animation!
Tina Fey voices the soul named 22 and is fantastic, as expected. She helped write the character’s lines in the screenplay. It’s entertaining to hear the voice of a middle-aged white woman coming out of a black character.
You’ll get a real flavor of New York City. I loved the contrast between the loud, busy city with the quiet, serene moments of “The Great Before”.
Nice foreshadowing.
The movie asks children and adults to consider some very profound ideas such as life-before-life in a pre-mortal world and life after death.
“Mystics without Borders.” ha ha
I love a good twist…or two!
The magic of pizza. Yes!
Disney and Pixar are masters at including fun Easter eggs in their films. In this movie, there are soooo many! For example, there are name tags of some of the former mentors that 22 had. Listed on her wall are the names of Michael Jackson, Prince, Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs, Aretha Franklin, and the late Pixar director Joe Ranft. Cute.
Animators worked at home to finish the film during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the rolling credits at the end, it lists their names and reads, “in homes at least six feet away from each other in the Bay Area…”
Look for the famous “Pizza Planet” truck from Toy Story in the “Hall of Everything” scene in the movie. You can also see a broccoli pizza at the pizza counter from the movie Inside Out (Theatrical).
John Ratzenberger is a staple in Pixar films. Even though his name is not credited in the film, Pete Docter revealed that he does a cameo in the film.
Peter Docter also directed Monsters, Inc. (super adorable movie), so he used the number 2319 on the subway train, which is the same number in Monsters, Inc. that stated a human sock had entered the monsters’ world. Cute.
A lot of thought was put into this movie. During the 5 years of development, the story team presented 73,811 storyboards!
The character’s name “22” is a reference to the paradox “Catch-22”. In this movie’s plot, the only way to find out if life is worth living is to actually live life.
Keep watching the rolling credits until the end to see another quick clip.
Music is one of the characters in the movie. If you love jazz, you’re really going to enjoy the musical score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. They’re sure to be nominated for an Academy Award. That being said, I don’t know that it will convert anyone new to jazz.
I love how the scenes that happen on earth feature bright colors, while those in “The Great Before” are soft pastels. I believe all things are created spiritually before they’re created physically, so I was impressed that the color palette illustrated that very idea so well.
Some have said that Joe’s perspective appeals to adults while 22’s perspective appeals to kids.
The opening scene was totally adorable and a respectful tribute to teachers.
Some of Pixar’s movies have been labeled as emotionally manipulative, but this movie tugs on your heartstrings in a way that is earned.
Tons of great voice cameos! Just check out the rolling credits at the end of the movie and you’ll be surprised at how many big stars were involved as the voice talent.
The movie has heart and you really feel the love that the filmmakers obviously had while creating this.
I thought it was cute that the movie suggested that people who are generally considered to be on the fringe like hippies and yogis might actually be the ones who have figured out how to live!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s a delightful movie to watch once but not one that kids are going to want to watch over and over again. It provides a lot of opportunities to think about your life, but it’s not super entertaining for kids to watch. This is not your typical Disney princess movie!
There are a lot of advanced words and cultural references that kids simply won’t understand.
This is the very first Pixar movie to not show the title card until the very end of the film. Different, right?
There isn’t much humor. When I watched the movie with my family and friends of various ages, each person only laughed once. It’s much more contemplative than entertaining.
No Pixar short played before the movie. So sad! I always look forward to those so much!

FUNNY LINES:

* “Gotta get to bed. We old.” – Joe’s mother

“I just use this voice because it annoys people.” – 22 (Tina Fey)
“For a time, I was a lost soul myself: Tetris.” – CMoonwind (Graham Norton)
“You can’t eat dreams for breakfast, Joey.” – mom “Then I don’t want to eat.” – Joe (Jamie Foxx)

INTERESTING LINES:

“How are you going to spend your life?” – Terry (Rachel House) “I’m not sure, but I’m going to live every minute of it.” – Joe (Jamie Foxx)
“The tune is just an excuse to bring out the YOU.” – Joe (Jamie Foxx)
“The zone is the space between spiritual and physical.” – 22 (Tina Fey)

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