12/26/20
A middle-school band teacher gets his big break when he’s offered the chance to play with a famous jazz musician. But before his first performance, he falls down a manhole and into a coma. Fortunately he awakens, plays great jazz, and develops a newfound desire to “live”.
That’s the barebones, physical-world summary of “Soul”. It’s also Saturn from Earth, or a splash of blue paint next to “The Starry Night”. It does not and cannot do this kind of movie justice. The plot and message of “Soul” are not terribly deep or sophisticated, but that almost doesn’t matter because plot and message are not what make “Soul” special.
What makes “Soul” special is its flesh – the absurd dimensionality increase of the synopsis I just gave. Once again, Pixar has spun the mundane into the magical, combined its techno-visual wizardry with fun storytelling and produced what I think is the studio’s best movie since “Toy Story 3”. “Soul” is imaginative, well-executed, meticulously rendered and animated, chill-inducingly scored, and childishly funny. A hyperrealistic CG NYC provides a vibrant backdrop for some undeniable if-this-isn’t-nice-I-don’t-know-what-is moments, and a maybe-not-so-hyperrealistic (?) astral plane has obviously had some solid brainstorming sessions put into it as well.
I think I like it most for its quality as a Cannery Row sort of movie. One that’s about “feel” as much as “plot”, or “soul” as much as “body”. A movie that shows you all about a world (or worlds) and gives you a renewed appreciation for our planet and its simple delights. Like eating a bagel, or sitting in the dappled light of a maple tree.
In the end, it’s jazz, NYC, soul world shenanigans (glimpses at the soul before life and after death), and computer graphics at its finest. Little words to describe this big, beautiful tech demo. Even if there wasn’t any radical takeaway (be careful about tunneling! live life to the fullest!), I enjoyed this movie immensely and I hope you will too.