Movie Review: Soul

Movie Review: Soul                                                                                                      12-27-20

Soul tells the story of a jazz musician named Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), who dreams of performing alongside the more famous Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). After falling into a manhole, Joe gets transported out of his body into a realm between life and death, a place where souls get their personalities and quirks before going to Earth. Now, to get back into his own body, Joe has to help an unborn soul codenamed 22 (Tina Fey), who doesn't want anything to do with Earth.

Like my idol Rachel, I had trouble reviewing this movie. Yes, it does have beautiful animation and paper-thick characters, but the story is definitely more for adults than for kids. Soul deals with self-doubt, existential crisis, and the biggest question of all: What is the meaning of life?

Philosophical questions aside, another thing to enjoy about Soul is the blending of 2D and 3D animation. Remember how a few years ago, DreamWorks abandoned plans for a film about shadows that would've mixed 2D animation and 3D? Well, it seems like Pixar beats DreamWorks once again on a technological level with the legion of Jerrys, who watch over unborn and deceased souls.

In conclusion, Soul is a great film for adults, but kids won't seem to like it that much.

I'm so sorry that this review is so short. I was having a difficult time writing this review, and I recommend reading Rachel's review of this movie.

Pixar 44: SOUL or Is it ok for Pixar to Release a Film for Adults? (rachelsreviews.net)

Because this film has so much going on, I decided not to give it a rating. Also, if any of you have been following me on Facebook, you may have noticed that I do a weekly poll on what should've won the KCA for Favorite Animated Movie. Because of Soul's deep subject matter, I unfortunately won't include it in that poll when the time comes.