Soul 2020 is a masterpiece. And why I think that I’ll try to explain in this review. Let’s get the easy things to talk about covered first.
I loved the animation of this film. The lighting is beautiful, to put it simply. I adored the realistic visuals in this film. Often they’re used just to be more appealing. But this film has a lot of reasons for its realism. From the very concepts of the entire film to just the environment of New York City. And I loved every second. As well as all the designs of the soul realms. Which there are multiple of. But they were unique and wonderfully designed. A big worry I saw people have before this came out was the designs of the souls compared to the New York the movie had to represent. And they handle the balance of the real world and soul realms perfectly. The character designs in the soul realm were also really good and creative. And I liked the design of the human characters; they were also really well put together. The cinematography was wonderful. I need to watch this movie again for just that. The angles paired with the lighting and colors. Everything looked spectacular.
The characters are also really entertaining. Simply, fun to watch. But there is also a lot more. I liked all the side characters to start. The “Jerry’s” as they are called that operate all the areas of the soul realms. They were all fun. As well as the singular “Terry” he was also a fun time to watch. The character 22 was interesting. Slight spoilers. But her character arc begins when she refuses to go to earth and be given a life to live. Then when that life is forced upon her through a mistake, she learns that the meaning of her life, is well, life. She learns through living that that’s what she needs to do to have a good life. It is more complex than that. But that sums up everything and I loved watching that story unfold. Joe, the main character in this film. Has probably one of my favorite character arcs from this year’s movies. If not the last 10 years. It’s a beautiful story watching his character arc unfold. Especially in the last few minutes of his screen time. There are some seriously wonderful moments near the end of this film. With one particular sequence that’ll probably wreck you emotionally.
Now the harder part to write.
This is about to be a very long-winded paragraph. Pixar has always been able to make you feel, just about whatever they want you to. They have a beautiful way of using their movies to teach some of the best lessons found in mainstream animation. But its focus begins with the emotion of the film. And that’s great. But Soul did something I haven’t seen a Pixar film do before. At least not to the extent Soul did. Soul makes you think about what you’re supposed to feel. And that is very much in a way, perfect for me. I’ve always found it easier to feel something when I have time to think through it. More than a blunt emotion. This is why Pixar is so important to me. And Soul handles this perfectly. I’m not saying it’s my favorite Pixar movie, it’s not, right now at least. But it’s one of their most intellectual. The idea that a passion isn’t the purpose of your life, is really tough to accept. This film goes over that. That the soul’s purpose isn’t its spark, as the film refers to it. But it rather says that its purpose is existence. I’ve come to a bit of a halt in my train of thought. And I’ve realized that’s because a lot of what I’m thinking can’t quite be put into words. The way this film approaches life and death is mature, to say the least. But in the way that Pixar does with great excellency, they convey it to all ages. And I’m genuinely excited to see what this film tells me 10 years from now. Because I’m sure the more I age the more impact this film will have on me. Every passing year has something new to offer and learn from. Whether we want those things or not. They will come. In light of the new year to which I’m writing this in the first month. I wonder what life will have, in the small moments. The moments you can live in, and find tranquility unmatched by any other experience. As I mentioned, every year brings new experiences. They can be both straining and stressful. But they can also lead to the most profound experiences of your life. I mean that in the sense that yes things will impede your enjoyment in life. But they won’t keep you from it forever. All you have to do is look for it. I realize most of this doesn’t have to do with the movie. But it is the effect the movie had on me after my viewing. And I have to give all credit to the creative team behind this film for the impact it had on me.