The Stream: Themes of life and death may be heavy for some.

The Big Screen: All of the feels and all of the soul!

The Final Bill: A funny and sweet movie that delivers an inspirational message.

– S2S: Movie Review and Trip Fontaine
Director: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers (co-director)
Writers: Pete Docter (story and screenplay by), Mike Jones (story and screenplay by) | 1 more credit »
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton 
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy 
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
Platform: Disney+

Merry Christmas, Streamers! Disney+ gave us the gift of Soul, the new Pixar film, which we have been anticipating for much of this year. The Pixar track record is littered with classic animated films, and hopefully, Soul fits right into that canon. The synopsis of Soul goes like this: Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn’t quite gone the way he expected. Joe’s true passion is jazz — and he’s good, but when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.

Pixar is known for deeply affecting and innovative animated movies. Peter Docter, who directed Soul, has been responsible for some of Pixar’s best and most emotional ones including, Monsters, Inc., Up, and Inside Out. It is no surprise that Soul reaches the heights of that filmography. Even though the purpose of life can be a heavy theme, Soul remains a funny and wistful movie.

Beyond the story, all of the elements of the film bring it life and help to carry you away. The animation, the voice cast and the music make this movie entertaining and enjoyable. Jamie Foxx voices the main character of Joe, and Tina Fey voices his companion for much of the film. Both actors infuse their characters with humor and sweetness. The remaining cast is uniformly good as well. The animation, like in most Pixar movies, is a marvel. The story takes place is New York and another realm. New York looks realistic and magical just as the other realm is imaginative. Finally, a movie about a jazz musician has to have great music and Soul delivers on that as well.

Soul is funny and sweet. It strikes just the right chord for both the holiday season and the end of a difficult year, especially this pandemic year. Many of us are fighting to figure out our purpose in life or what makes life worth living. Soul has soul and just may help you figure it out. With such a great and inspirational message, Soul will be an enjoyable experience for the entire family. Break out that big box for fresh popcorn and enjoy!