Pixar's Soul Review Roundup

​It has been a topsy-turvy year for everyone but especially for the movie industry. Even since the arrival of a certain pesky global pandemic, the industry has seen delays after delays with a dash of poor sales. Thankfully, we are in the era of online streaming so Pixar's much-anticipated film Soul, is this still releasing this year (now coming this Christmas). Critics' scores are now out so, will it be another Pixar masterpiece? Or will it be another film that promised much but ultimately lacks a soul? Here's the review roundup:  

VARIETY
'It all blends together beautifully, a marriage of Pixar’s square, safe, feel-good sensibility with what could be described as the “real world” — and one that, much as “Inside Out” anthropomorphized the mind, will leave audiences young and old imagining their own souls as glowing idiosyncratic cartoon characters. And that’s just what the Docter ordered.'

For the full review please visit here.

IGN
'As high-minded and celestial as its aspirations are, Soul never quite reaches the heights -- storytelling or emotional -- of past Pixar films like Inside Out or Up. A sort of animated riff on Heaven Can Wait, Soul is stronger when it comes to exploring Joe Gardner’s Earthbound life -- one of jazz, family, and community -- than it does in its more muddled handling of the world beyond (or is that before?) ours. There’s some truly gorgeous animation on display here, particularly in its depiction of New York and Joe’s daily life, a fair amount of great music, and a lot of philosophical musings to ponder – even if they run into depressing, fatalistic dead ends sooner than I’d expected. But while Soul offers food for thought and has heart, it’s never quite as funny, engrossing, or emotionally rewarding as Pixar’s best.'

For the full review please visit here.

THE GUARDIAN 
'It’s all very headspinning, and there is real Yellow Submarine quality to the film’s innocent urgency and idealism which take it to the very brink of incoherence. That can sometimes be exasperating but also really captivating, especially in that final visual cadenza in which Docter and Powers are really are going above and beyond the traditional Hollywood ending. It’s a deeply sweet, happy, gentle film.'

For the full review please visit here.

THE WRAP 
'There is so much to enjoy and ponder in “Soul,” not least the predominance of African American characters and some fine music, with contributions from jazz luminaries including Herbie Hancock, Roy Haynes and Jon Batiste. It will light up Christmas Day, no problem, but I felt some residual disappointment, a lingering tinge of regret that it doesn’t have the courage of all its convictions.'

​For the full review please visit here.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 
'As this review went to press, the plan was still to release the film straight onto Disney+, the streaming platform owned by the studio, instead of giving it a theatrical release. That's a pity, as it's a work that especially benefits from a theatrical-sized screen and a top-of-the-range sound system; immersion into its world is vital to the film's impact. As with jazz itself, you have to plunge in as deep as you can go to really feel it.'

For the full review please visit here.

​FILM SPEAK  (VIDEO  REVIEW)

​In the end, the film amassed a critical score of 98% from 62 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Many of the top critics loved it and believed it is one of Pixar's best in years. While a few believed it drop just short of hitting the highest note. I guess we commoners will just have to find out for ourselves when the launches on Disney+ this Christmas. 

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