This post contains spoilers. Pixar's released its new project, Soul, on Christmas Day.And, as is customary with end-of-year movie releases, there were two audience camps: the Pixar fans and the DC. If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ Out of my Top15: Most Anticipated Movies of 2020, eight were removed from this year's schedule due to the current global pandemic, so I didn't have that many films for which I felt incredibly excited. Warning: There are massive spoilers ahead for Pixar's latest film, 'Soul.' While the animation and the music are beautiful, the studio's first film with a Black lead makes some questionable creative choices. The strangest is that, at one point, a soul (voiced by Tina Fey) is placed in Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a Black music teacher. đ˝WATCH ONLINE Soul (2020) FULL MoVIEđ˝ âSTREAMING HD: ONLINE Soul (2020) full movie, online Watch Soul TV MOVIES Full HD1080p Soul Full Vidio movies â StreamFest Watch unlimited.
Soul features an all-star cast, including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, and Angela Bassett.
Disclaimer: There are spoilers in this review
Pixarâs newest film,Soul, has left viewers questioning their entire existence and contemplating the meaning of life (as if we havenât done enough of that throughout 2020). On that same token, the movie conveys a powerful message and is truly cathartic. Following its timely Christmas debut on Disney+, Soul has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, taking you on a spiritual journey of exploring lifeâs purpose.
Soul features an all-star cast, including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, and Angela Bassett. Co-directed by HBCU graduate Kemp Powers, the filmfocuses on Joe Gardner (Foxx), Pixarâs first Black lead. Gardner is a middle school band teacher and talented jazz musician who is seemingly unfulfilled with the circumstances of his life.
Joe longs to catch his big break and often auditions to guide him towards his goal. Ironically, the day that his dreams come true by landing a major gig at a local jazz club, he falls through a manhole and finds himself, or his soul, rather, ascending to The Great Beyond.
Read More: Jamie Foxx on voicing Disney-Pixarâs first Black lead in âSoulâ
Overcome with fear, he tries not to âgo towards the light,â and instead enters a different realm on the astral plane. This in-between place is where unborn souls are trained and assigned personalities prior to incarnating on Earth, an illusory dimension known as The Great Before.
The Great Before is portrayed as a peaceful and playful place where souls are genuinely in their purest form. While in The Great Before, Joe meets and becomes a mentor to a soul named 22 (Fey), who is entirely unfazed by life on Earth.
22 has been dwelling in the Great Beyond for thousands of years, unable to obtain her âEarth pass.â This is when Joe mischievously offers to help 22 find her âsparkâ in exchange for the ticket that would send him back home, just in time for his gig at the jazz club.
The two then travel through a portal back to Earth, but their souls donât end up where you would think. (Is it just me, or is it a coincidence that the soul-swap is giving Freaky Friday vibes, and this filmjust happened to be released on a Friday? Probably, but I digress). From there, Soul takes viewers on an adventure that is full of life, humor, and mesmerizing visuals, all while distorting space and time.
One conceptual motif that the movie continues to revisit is when 22 shows Joe another dimension called âthe zone,â a space where passion transcends people into euphoria, i.e., where the physical meets the spiritual.
This notion, in particular, was meaningful to me, someone who grew up as a performer and who would often come off stage feeling as if I had little to no recollection of what just transpired. Thatâs when you know you had lost yourself in your craft; when youâre out there and nothing else matters.
Not only is the content vastly existential, but the animation is aesthetically pleasing.
The details in the film are incredibly nuanced, even down to the other Black charactersâ features. A minor yet significant element I happened to notice is the cultural staple that almost every Black person is privy to: the infamous Royal Dansk cookie jar that never actually contains cookies, but instead houses sewing kit materials.
We must also acknowledge the elegant yet stern demeanor of Joeâs mother, voiced by Phylicia Rashad â who has been and continues to be an iconic maternal figure in the Black community. And, of course, letâs give an honorable mention to the barbershop aesthetic that doubled as a kickback spot.
Watch Soul 2020 Full Movie Spoilers
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All of these illustrations embody real-life experiences of Black culture. More often than not, the Black community is typically under or misrepresented, so it was refreshing to see a more accurate depiction of Black identity.
Full Movie Spoiler
Ultimately, Soul, perfectly aligned with one of the overarching themes that 2020 has reinforced â that life shouldnât be defined by your career or your busy schedules. Life is about living, and the film courageously dares to challenge the social conditioning that most of us are accustomed to. After experiencing a year that has been tumultuous on so many fronts, Soul provides comfort and a newfound inspiration to live life to the fullest.
Soul reminded me of when actor/rapper Common spoke at my university when I was a freshman. He mentioned that there are three things that you need to do in life; 1. Find your purpose, 2. Believe in your purpose and 3. Live your purpose.
The last point really resonated with me and eventually inspired my first tattoo. But the way that I saw Commonâs message was you might never find your purpose but each day that youâre here on this Earth, you are living â so let your âsparkâ light up the world every chance that you get.
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In short, do what makes you feel the most alive and embrace the small moments that life has to offer. Surrender to the infinite now. Stop to smell the roses and realize that joy lingers in all things: the breeze of fresh air on a beautiful spring day, the rays of the sun beaming through the clouds, the mouth-watering aromas, and the taste of a warm slice of pizza.
Gratitude is the bridge between living and existing, and the theme of being grateful for life pulsates throughout the entire film. In the words of Joe Gardner, âlife is full of possibilities, you just need to know where to look.â
Soul Movie Spoiler
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