Pros:
1.) Pixar’s animation is fantastic as usual, but what I love about it is how it differentiates between the living world and the afterlife world (or the “Great Before” as the film calls it). The humans in the living world have plenty of distinct shapes and sizes while the souls and soul counselors in the “Great Before” are blob-like creatures and 2-D Picasso-like beings respectively. In fact, the soul counselors are my favorite characters animation-wise, because they are 2-D characters in a 3-D space that move very distinctively, especially in the living world. No surprise that Pixar did a great job, but this better than their usual standard animation.
2.) I love the comedy, especially coming from 22 (played by Tina Fey). The cuts to what 22 is talking about is hilarious, especially describing her past instructors who cannot handle her cynical attitude towards life. In fact, many things that 22 talks about are funny. She is an example of making a character that other characters do not like interesting and likable to the audience. Tony Stark would be proud of her, but possibly more with pop culture references.
3.) I also love the emphasis on the music. Jazz music plays in the living world while new-age music plays in the “Great Before” (which makes so much sense when you think about it). It not only fits into the state of living that the characters are in, but it also fits into the story via musically. I am sure musical experts have a better idea on how this is implemented well, but in my eyes, jazz is used to express the dreams you want to achieve while the new-age music is on…well, it is best that you watch the film to understand. Just in case, here is a SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING: the new-age music represents appreciating life just as Joe has learned by the end of the film. It is really touching, and it is clever way to use music as part of the writing. (END SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING)
Cons:
1.) This is more of a preference, but I wish that the film explores the “Great Before” a little more. I can see why it does not since there is not much to explore, but it is an interesting place to watch how these people do their daily lives before entering Earth. Not a big fault at all, but I wish the film showed it more.
2.) This one is a nitpick, but I can easily tell where the story was going. It does not mean that it is terrible, I can say that it is executed very well, but I have seen plenty of films of what the message is clearly going to be and what the character is going to learn (i.e. Inside Out in a small sense). This film has a fantastic story and writing, I just know what to expect from it.
Overall:
Another day of a film on streaming, we look at Soul, a new Pixar film released on Christmas. The last Pixar movie I watched (and the last movie I have seen before quarantine) was Onward, and I thought it was a decent movie. Its next successor is so much better. While it has been done before and it can be a little predictable, the execution of it story, characters, worlds, message, and music is done so well that it can be forgiven. I can easily see it as one of the Pixar classics alongside Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Coco, The Incredibles, Inside Out, and NOT Cars 2. If you have Disney+, this is a film that shall warm your soul.
9/10
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