The latest digital feature film from PIXAR has arrived and “SOUL” is another triumph for the studio. The story centers around a teacher named Joe (Jamie Foxx), who toils away teaching music to students at a Middle School while dreaming of getting a meaningful gig as a Jazz Pianist.
When the school offers Joe a permanent full-time position with benefits he is depressed as while this is the stability his mother wants for him; Joe sees it as an end to his dreams if he accepts the position.
Fate steps in and Joe manages to land a gig with Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett) which will give him his long-sought shot.
Unfortunately for Joe he suffers an accident and ends up as a Soul on his way to the afterlife. Not willing to accept his fate; Joe escapes to a realm where new souls are assigned traits before being sent to Earth to start their lives. Joe is mistaken for a mentor and assigned 22 (Tina Fey); a longstanding resident who has resisted many mentors over the ages and has refused to complete the needed step to begin life.
Joe and 22 must work with one another to set things right and this results in several funny and charming incidents both on Earth and in the Afterlife which is both filled with some great supporting characters that provide laughs and wisdom along the way.
“Soul” is in many ways much like the music that inspires it as it is not as linear as one might expect. It tends to at times branch off into new directions while staying along a central theme before the parts are reassembled.
The animation is simply amazing as audiences have come to expect and Richard Ayoade, Graham Norton, and Alice Braga lead a strong cast of supporting players which makes “Soul” another winning entry for PIXAR.
4.5 stars out of 5
(Note the film was set for theatrical release but due to COVID it will appear on Disney+ on Christmas Day)
