Pixar’s Soul (2020)

[Cap]

 

Okay, it’s here! Discuss all that jazz below!

[charlie Jatinder]

I don't really know how to put it in words, but the third act ruined the whole thing for me. Didn't like Gardner at all. Unlike Inside Out which also follows the same, "keep making up the stuff as we go about life" premise, this fails to make it believable to me. I am gonna go thumbs down. 4/10.

Edited December 28, 2020 by charlie Jatinder

[Cap]

Well, I ugly cried at that. I’m still digesting it. But the short of it is: the animation looks stunning, the concept art is gorgeous, and the story is classic Pixar that makes you ugly cry. I was also impressed with the confidence they had to create such an adult movie.

[filmlover]

Pete Doctor has become the most reliable director working for Pixar today, and he's delivered easily their best movie since...his previous movie, Inside Out...with his latest, Soul. While even lesser efforts from the studio tend to be at least enjoyable (like Onward), the absolute best ones from them make the viewer actually feel something, and they show they haven't lost any of their power here. This is a movie that makes observations about the value of life far more complex than one would expect from something that would've been marketed as a major children's attraction (had unfortunate circumstances not caused a change in how it was released into the world) in a way that feels organic and not at all condescending. But not just that, it's also a wonderful adventure full of warmth, laughs, terrific voice performances (Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey provide plenty of personality to some of the more memorable characters in the studio's history), a memorable Reznor/Ross score, and the level of dazzling animation we expect nothing less of from Pixar (there's never been a better animated replication of NYC than the one depicted here). This would've been a treat to see on the big screen. Coming at the end of a year that has provided plenty with an existential crisis, here is the one movie that reminds us all of the wonders of life itself. A

 

Also kudos to them for keeping that "go home" gag at the end of the credits in even though it was announced this was never going to play in movie theaters months ago.

[Jamiem]

10/10. Film of the year for me.

[Melosh]

Perfect film to show anyone that calls animation just “kid” stuff.Also perfect film to explain to people that just because a movie(or any work of art)is suitable for children and families, doesn’t mean it’s any less mature and adult.

[Webslinger]

In a cinematic year defined largely by delays and disappointments, Pixar’s Soul – a film that skipped theatrical release entirely thanks to the ongoing effects of the pandemic and distributor Disney’s ability to simply release the film to its own streaming platform – is an absolutely joyous and delightful experience whose message takes on even greater significance in the cultural context in which it arrives. On paper, it is the most thematically complex and ambitious effort Pixar has tackled since co-writer/director Pete Docter’s previous film, Inside Out; in execution, it is also their best film since that point, and a film that belongs alongside their top-shelf work. Like Docter’s previous film, Soul succeeds in translating a heady concept beautifully and imbuing it with deeply felt humanity, effective humor, genuinely surprising and engaging plot points, and a remarkable emotional throughline that connects more clearly and poignantly than any other film of its year. The presence of a “spark” that completes a soul’s personality is a vital part of this film’s universe, and that creative spark is evident in just about every facet of this film’s production; it’s clearly a labor of love from Docter and all other players involved, and that passion resonates in moments large and small alike. Much like Docter’s other Pixar films, it works just as beautifully in its manic setpieces as it does in its smaller, more emotionally driven moments. As is customary of Pixar, the animation is beautiful, and the film’s conceptions of the various settings its characters inhabit are uniformly gorgeous; though I was happy to see the film in any form, I did find myself thinking at multiple points that I wished I could have seen it theatrically rather than on a TV screen. As is true of the best of Pixar’s work, it also features terrific work from its voice cast, where Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey are perfect fits in the lead roles. Foxx gives an impressively lived-in performance as Joe, a protagonist whose journey calls on him to see the value in a seemingly mundane existence; in this capacity, Foxx works as both a relatable, likable everyman and a talented, passionate artist whose appreciation for his life runs deeper than he originally realizes. Fey’s wry comedic skills are utilized to excellent effect as the reluctant soul whom Foxx’s soul ends up mentoring, and she sells the character’s cynicism and wonderment to equally convincing effect. There is also a plethora of well-cast and well-performed supporting voices, though the highlight for me – and likely for other viewers who have seen Hunt for the Wilderpeople – is Rachel House as a supernatural being obsessed with an accurate count of souls. In an ordinary year with a wider array of offerings – or at least a wider array of offerings available to ordinary plebes like this reviewer – Soul might “just” be among the handful of best films of the year. But in a weird year where blockbusters and prestige pics alike have jumped ship with hopes that 2021 will be different (or delayed their release patterns in accordance with the Academy’s eligibility extension) and where life itself has become so strange that many of us need a reminder of how great the seemingly little things of our pre-pandemic lives were, Soul stands out as one of the most uniquely memorable and affirming cinematic experiences of a very strange time.

 

A

[charlie Jatinder]

93% approval. 8.7 avg rating.

[MOVIEGUY]

This was pretty okay. The cat stuff was funny. The Knicks joke was great. I really liked Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score, I'm listening to it now. 

 

I don't really know what the movie was trying to say about souls getting their personalities before they're born... or how that applies to real life. I can appreciate that they're telling these metaphysical, existential stories but the metaphor gets really messy here, to the point that I didn't really know what was going on in the last act. Coco is a much better exploration of life and death and the power of music, and does a much better job of explaining the rules of its universe. Honestly Coco is the only Pixar movie post Toy Story 3 that has captured their early magic, I love that one. This one's kinda just another fine, perfectly watchable Pixar movie.

[cannastop]

So I watched only some of this while it was on in the background somewhere, but it was kind of BS that they had that voice switch up.

[John Marston]

It was okay. I don't know that Pixar is capable of making a bad movie. But I keep reading all these reviews that this was Pixar's best movie yet. They must have seen a different movie than I did.

The story is okay. Hardly Pixar's best. I don't know that it would even make my Top 5.

 

[lilmac]

Pixar never disappoints. Soul reflects their commitment to Story, lived-in characters and a penchant for films that appeal to all four quadrants. I especially loved the "life is an ocean" metaphor towards the end of the film:

 

Quote

“I heard this story about a fish, he swims up to an older fish and says: ‘I’m trying to find this thing they call the ocean.’ ‘The ocean?’ the older fish says, ‘that’s what you’re in right now.’ ‘This’, says the young fish, ‘this is water. What I want is the ocean!’”

 

 It's so true. Your life IS the ocean. You're living it right now. It really made me think. Enjoy the little things in life because they are the big things. Pixar's streak of heartfelt and quality film making continues unabated. 

 

A

Edited January 13, 2021 by lilmac

[filmlover]

Watched this again last night. It's just so good!

 

Also, Disney just announced they're putting in an attraction in The American Adventure at EPCOT. 

 

 

[Kravetz]

this film was so gosh darn good, it says something about the decision not to put it in theaters, Disney has great works to spare? Pixar doesn't want to replace Dinosaur as their worst Selling film? They didn't think audiences would like it? I am glad I signed up for disney plus, but sometimes I wonder about the state of theaters to come. 

 

[titanic2187]

Finally got the chance to see this theater thanks to the Oscar re-run.

Whist it is not as adventurous as other Pixar offering like Monster Inc/ Up/ Inside out which filled with intense moment, Soul managed to avoid some throw in your face style when it was delivering its existential philosophy. Best of all, it didn't try too hard to make one feel emotional (like Coco or Finding Dory), therefore its emotional moment felt unpretentious and just nice. 

[cannastop]

Now that I finally watched Pixar's Soul in full I think it's a good movie.

Overbaked but highly ambitious. 8/10

 

B