Soul (2020) Review

This review contains spoilers.

By the time Soul hits Disney+ on December 25th it will have been over three years since Pixar released a non-sequel/prequel and yet, without disregarding the recent Toy Story 4 and Incredibles 2, - both of which were excellent successors - there has always been an unmatched golden quality about the studio's original stories. Thus, we should consider ourselves lucky to have been treated to two of them in 2020.

When Onward hit cinemas in March, I was forgiving of its familiarity and likeness to other non-Pixar IPs because Soul, a film from the creators of Inside Out that carried a lot more creative promise, was opening later in the year. Yet, while Soul is definitely Pixar's strongest release of 2020, it still misses some key notes and never quite earns the standing ovation it set out to achieve.

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"(white) ghost in the (black) shell"

Co-director Kemp Powers joined Pixar-legend Pete Docter (Up, Monsters Inc) two years into production to help with the authentic characterisation of Soul's middle-aged African-American lead (a Pixar first), and although Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a likeable, talented and personable man, even Powers' involvement couldn't stop Disney history from repeating itself. In 2009, Walt Disney Animation debuted their first African-American princess in The Princess and the Frog, yet this monumental moment for black representation was diluted when audiences discovered that Princess Tiana spent almost 60%of her screen-time as a frog. Flash-forward to more than a decade later and I dread to find out how long Joe Gardner actually spends on-screen in 'human form' or, worse yet, voiced by a racially appropriate actor.

Ever since the trailers revealed that, in the film's first act, Joe 'dies' and is transformed into a colourful translucent 'soul', there had been a fear that Joe - in his human form - would have minimal screen time. However, what audiences hadn't suspected is that Joe would spend plenty of time on-screen...but would be voiced by Tina Fey. In a failed attempt to escape 'The Great Beyond', Joe finds himself displaced inside a therapy cat while Fey's 22 - a soul who is yet to live - inhabits his body. I am bewildered that this tone-deaf story development made it past pre-production. Did nobody at Disney or Pixar see 2017's heavily criticised Ghost in the Shell?!

I expected Soul to be thought-provoking but I did not expect it to start such a complicated and tricky discussion. Firstly, can this debacle be labelled as white-washing even though Fey is not directly playing a black man? and secondly, does this deter from the film's otherwise well-intended depiction of African-American culture? By definition, white-washing is 'the practice of casting white actors in non-white roles' and technically speaking, Fey was not cast in a non-white role. In fact, Fey's 22 is an androgynous, racially ambiguous soul who has wittingly chosen to have the voice of, in her own words, an annoying middle-aged white woman. So Fey's casting might not be a clear-cut example of white washing but, frustratingly, this '(white) ghost in the (black) shell' controversy would have been avoided if Pixar had consciously cast a black actress as 22. A mistake that could prove fatal in this landmark year of Black Lives Matter and political uprising.

On the contrary, this blunder does allow for a tender portrayal of African-American culture. Before experiencing life as Joe, 22 spent eons in the You Seminar with no desire to live on Earth, yet after living a regular day in Joe's shoes, she feels differently. It is the mundane simplicities of Joe's life - visiting a black barbershop, meeting his mother at her tailor store and watching talented buskers perform - that give 22 the 'spark' to feel ready for life. Thus, alongside the viewer, 22 develops an understated and delicate sense of appreciation for black culture and the warmth of the African-American community. Unsurprisingly however, Pixar plays it safe and steers away from spotlighting the grittier aspects of life as a black American.

'visually spectacular'

Soul is Pete Docter's follow up to 2015's extremely intelligent Inside Out, a film that supposedly prepared him for Soul's even more ambitious and complex concept. However having now seen both, whilst Soul is visually spectacular, Inside Out remains the smarter and superior flick. Its weighty themes are refreshing and its world-building is unrivalled. The closest Soul comes to emulating its Pixar cousin is with the area named 'The Zone'. This is a serene space visited by humans when they become immersed in their passions (for example, Joe is transported here during a mesmerising piano performance) but also by those who are overrun by the monotony of life, also known as ''lost souls'. The duality of 'The Zone' is brilliant and something only the genius minds at Pixar would come up with.

Soul gives Pixar's skilful animators a space to experiment with fresh techniques and design some of the studio's best visuals. The innovative 2.5D animation used to realise The Great Before (recently rebranded as the 'You Seminar') and the soul characters is stunning, and the rich clay-like style used to illustrate New York City is as smooth as a piece of good Jazz music. The sequence that transports Joe from The Big Apple to The Great Beyond is a spectacle to behold. The audience awes as the animators dissemble Joe into a greyscale sketch before rebuilding him as an iridescent soul. It's an enlivening moment that truly trumpets and celebrates Pixar's mighty reputation.

Another commonality across Pixar's roster is that they are often emotional tear-jerkers, and Soul is no exception. By surrounding Joe with the humbling ideas of death, fulfilment and Terry the accountant (a New Zealander scene-stealer), the film reminds us to cherish even the insignificant aspects of our lives, an especially poignant message for today. Moreover, Joe and 22's budding friendship builds to a moving and saddening key moment in the film's third act...that is completely undone by a last-minute curveball. Ah, I can see the arguments for 'emotional manipulation' already.

Soul hits Disney+ on December 25th.

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