The latest Pixar animation feels like an ideal partner for its previous existential hit Inside Out. Soul follows jazz musician and teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx ) who has spent much of his life teaching pupils how to embrace the power of music whilst wishing for his own jazz career’s hit break.
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However, that finally all changes when he’s given a chance from a former pupil to perform in a band for acclaimed musician Dorothea Williams (a steely Angela Bassett). Despite some doubts from his own mother (a tough but loving Phylicia Rashad) and his own nerves, this looks like it is Joe’s big break. However, a chance accident leaves Joe on an otherworldly journey to a realm of souls and itching to get a second chance at his life.
Along the way, Joe gets a chance to aid a wayward soul named 22 ( Tina Fey ), but perhaps this rebellious entity will help Joe come to some realisations about what he has already achieved in life before that transformative accident. Soul fully embraces its weighty themes and character-driven plotting with aplomb and with a warm sensitivity that we have come to expect from also all Pixar animations, inclusion Inside Out, Up, and the Toy Story films.
Similarly to Inside Out, Soul very literally takes on emotional turmoil and mortality in ways that reach both the young and the adult, but here mostly rests on the shoulders of Jamie Foxx’s empathetic and expressive voice work which is still somehow understated and nuanced.
Foxx is ably supported by the likes of a personality-exuding and playfully droll Fey as 22, who is sure to be popular with children and provides the richest connection between two characters in the tale. However, in the personal relationships that Joe encounters on Earth, these too feel grounded and realistic and make his emotional journey all the easier to invest in, with the likes of Rashad and Daveed Diggs providing ample work.
The visual style and production design remain as innovative and as breathtaking as ever, with the colourful soul realms themselves providing stunning imagery that will sit long in the memory. The film also utilises Joe’s love of music and jazz by feeling it in an authentic manner throughout and providing a true sense of the transcendental and connective power of talented artists in touch with their craft - and with a catchy and propulsive score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that aches with both pain and euphoria.
Despite these many successful elements, Soul does not entirely land its final punch as the ending pulls back from its full potential impact, instead choosing to be crowd-pleasing over what feels the most natural and profound conclusion. However, for many, this will only serve to make the film more likely for multiple re-watches and it is easy to see why as Soul boasts so much talent, heart and powerful messages about what is truly important and what truly stays with us: experiences over what can sometimes be just rather empty achievements.
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Pixar's Soul is a tear-jerking animated adventure that taps into some weighty themes but proves incredibly touching for the whole family.
