Soul

Synopsis: Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected. His 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.

Movie Review:

“Soul” was directed by Pete Docter and is the new animated Pixar film that has a great message and is full of emotion and humor. The animation for the movie was the best I have seen in an animation film with lots of colors and life-like realistic characters. When middle school band teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) falls down a sewer drain then ends up in a coma, he is transported into a world of souls where he has to figure out what it means to live. Jamie Foxx pulls at our heartstrings in this role. When Joe was in the soul world, he has to mentor another soul called 22 (voiced by the funny Tina Fey). Fey’s character is hilarious with her non-stop jokes, and her scenes are the most memorable in the film. Both Joe and 22 form a student/teacher bond that changes the way they both look at the world. The supporting voice cast did a great job, too. I especially liked Richard Ayoade the villain Soul Sorter who tracks down Joe and 22. He is funny and clumsy instead of scary, but it works. I was impressed at the amount of twists and turns this film takes like a body swap story that was unexpected. The only issue I had was the movie could have had a better balance of emotions and humor because there was some important messaging to be highlighted and I wanted to cry at times instead of laugh. But Pixar has done it again by giving us a brilliantly animated film that is very funny and deeply moving with a wonderful voice cast. “Soul” is one of my favorite animated movies that came out this year, and it can be enjoyed by the entire family. I am giving “Soul” a 5 out of 5 stars.

Director: Pete Docter

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Daveed Diggs, Sam lavagnino, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Questlove, Rachel House and Graham Norton

Runtime: 100 minutes