REVIEW: Soul May Not be the Best Pixar Movie, But It Is Still a Fun Ride
On Christmas Day, Pixar Animation will release its 23rd animated movie, Soul. The movie follows jazz pianist, Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), who has spent all his life going from gig to gig trying to make it as a jazz musician. When he is offered a full time position as a middle school band teacher, Joe’s mother (Phylicia Rashad) thinks he should take it. However, Joe disagrees. He believes he is destined to be a performing jazz musician, so when the gig of the lifetime comes his way he will literally stop at nothing to get it. However, things take a turn for the worse when he ends up in limbo do to falling into a manhole cover. Now Joe must do everything he can to get back, even if that means mentor new “soul” 22 (voiced by Tina Fey), who has spent years in the “Great Before” avoiding becoming a human.
One of the best parks of Soul was how unique the story was. Jazz music is known for its syncopated rhythms, and, just like the rhythms, this movie stressed the off beats. It stressed things that I didn’t initially think would work in the story, but just like jazz music, it did. The movie reminded me a lot of Pixar’s past movies, Inside Out and Cocoa, which sought to not only teach you something, but to also strike a chord with the audience. Soul does teach you something, but it didn’t quite strike a chord for me. I am also not 100% sure children will enjoy this movie as much as adults. Unlike Inside Out and Cocoa, this movie doesn’t have the bright colors and perky characters like the other two movies. But it does have some amazing music.
GRAMMY® nominated musician, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, from Nine Inch Nails, did an amazing job balancing the different music needed for the gritty world of New York City and the realms of The Great Before. My only wish is we had heard a little bit more jazz music in the movie. Not to say that there isn’t a lot of it already in it, but I selfishly was hoping for me.
Foxx and Fey are fun as the movie’s leads, Joe and 22. The nice thing about Foxx’s performance was how passionate he was. You could tell, especially when Joe was talking about his need to be a jazz musician, how much he loved playing this character, while Fey’s sarcasm was the perfect touch for 22. Graham Norton, however, stole the show as the spiritual sign twirler Moonwind. The character was so over the top that I could not imagine anyone, but Norton voicing the character. Rounding at the cast were Phylicia Rashad, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Curly), Angela Bassett (Dorothea) and Daveed Diggs (Paul).
Soul is a great family movie to watch this Holiday season. Is it my favorite movie to be created by Pixar, no, but it is far from the worst. It is an all over fun time.
Grade: A-