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A Review of “Pixar’s Soul (2020)”

 

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Soul is the next in the lineup of Pixar animation movies. I completely adore Pixar movies, they are always so heartwarming which is what we needed in 2020. The premise is “Joe (Jamie Foxx) is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn’t quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz – and he’s good. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have a soul”. So does this warm my “Soul” or send me straight to the Great Beyond.

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Firstly, I really love the main characters in this movie. Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is a passionate Jazz pianist and music teacher but the struggles that he goes through, on Earth, are things that would resonate with a lot of people in modern times. Joe doesn’t want his life to feel meaningless, wants to have that big moment in his life and no regrets. 22 (Tina Fey) is surprisingly not as annoying as trailers might make her up to be. 22 doesn’t want to be reborn into Earth as she doesn’t have a good view of life. A lot of the jokes she makes mostly land and she is a good contrast to Joe. What’s weird is that you emphasise with the slightly optimistic Joe but also the pessimistic 22. Both characters have great character arcs that feel believable and heartwarming.

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On that note, this movie tackles some mature themes that are not expected for a family movie. Most of the themes of life’s purpose and regrets are something that is prominent in adults, not kids. Yet it is handled wonderfully in this movie so that kids can still enjoy it while resonating with the adults. It’s very ambitious with grand ideas and definitely something unique within the Pixar animated movies. The story is also wonderful and entertaining as it is a character-driven story. It also has a very profound yet important message at the end. There are multiple phases and different type of genres within this movie such a drama story, a mystery story and even a buddy cop story halfway through the movie. However, they are all done masterfully and blend together beautifully.

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Of course, considering its a Pixar movie, visually it is stunning. The real world looks breathtaking and is probably better than real life. There is actually a lot of real-world stuff in the movie which I would say makes 40% of the movie which is not what the trailer would suggest. Additionally, the afterlife world is colorful, vibrant and mesmerizing. The soundtrack is also phenomenal with its jazz compositions in real-world and electronic, orchestral sound for the afterlife.

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Nevertheless, I do have some issues with the movie. My biggest issue with the movie is the very abrupt ending. It’s not a very satisfying ending in my opinion as it leaves with a bit too many questions rather than answers. It feels like the ending is missing some things that were essential to giving a proper resolution. Furthermore, while I, as an adult, love that Pixar went bold with deeper themes, it doesn’t feel like kids would get it and the message would just go over the kids head.

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Overall, the movie is another massive hit from the legendary studio Pixar. It’s a captivating journey with gorgeous visuals, a magnificent score, an engrossing story with relatable characters. It’s a near-perfect movie that is only slightly ruined by the ending. Soul hits the right emotional core and will no doubt resonate with a majority of the audience. It really was a good movie for my soul.


 

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