'Soul' Review: Pixar Gets Religion

Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey star in a 2020 Pixar film, directed by Pete Docter, now in theaters for the first time.

During the Pandemic, distributor Disney decided to steer some of its Pixar titles directly onto its Disney+ streaming service, rather than risk the box office. Now that its forthcoming titles have been delayed, due to the protracted industry strikes, they have decided to roll out three in short succession. 

The first, out today, is Pete Docter's Soul. Here is my review from 2020, slightly edited since it was first published at ScreenAnarchy. 

Once again, Pixar plunges into mainstream religious and spiritual beliefs.

More than ten years ago, writer/director Pete Docter poked at the meaning of life in Up, in which an older gentleman endeavors to redefine his closing years. Docter, as a filmmaker, has pursued existential questions in his succeeding films Inside Out and now Soul. 

Inside Out, force-fed psychological ideas into a bland formula that was fine-tuned for popular acceptance, avoiding some of the nastier implications of the premise by shifting responsibilities onto a single character.

And so it goes with Soul, which proudly features Pixar's first African-American protagonist, yet shovels him into a plot that is dependent upon old-school religious beliefs mixed with new-school modifications and even a dash of mysticism. It's kind of like a religious service intended for people who only attend one religious service annually. It doesn't feel like there is anything in the film that will offend anyone with even the slightest interest in the spiritual side of life, but neither is there anything that is particularly compelling about it. 

Except for the animation, that is, which remains top-class and top-shelf and top-tier, even on a small screen. The details are wondrous to behold, and the imaginary inhabitants of the film's spiritual planes are designed to delight young viewers especially.

Directed by Docter and co-directed by Kemp Powers, the film follows middle-school teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), who has long dreamed of a career as a jazz musician. He finally achieves his dream -- or at least another audition -- and then on the cusp of his big potential showcase, he dies. 

Oops, what a bummer! As with Heaven Can Wait, Joe thinks a mistake has been made on his way to The Great Beyond, and so he kicks back, ending up as a mistaken mentor to woebegone 22 (Tina Fey), a soul who has resisted the idea of ever being born. The remainder of the story follows their wacky adventures as they seek the true meaning of life, as all who believe in a soul that exists apart from the body tend to do. 

For those who believe that the soul is separate from the body, which is probably the majority of mankind, the film probably presents an agreeable experience, filled to overflowing with teachable moments. For those of us who do not share that belief, Soul becomes rather tedious as it implores its leading characters to accept its basic ideas and march along with everyone else. 

So it's preaching to a mismatched choir that deserves a sermon that's more thoughtful and allows for greater individual interpretation than what is offered. But the animation is terrific!

For ticket information, visit Fandango.