Review of Soul (2020) by Mstivers — 25 Dec 2020

I would place SOUL among the first rank of Pixar animations, which means among the first rank of animations ever made. Of course, it's visually amazing, but its storytelling couldn't aim any higher. It's about New York, the Black American experience, jazz, teaching -- and the meaning of existence.

And unlike practically any other movie about jazz, the music is first-rate. (John Baptiste, Questlove, and Herbie Hancock were among the performers and consultants.) My only question is — what will young children get out of this? It's hugely entertaining, but like the director's INSIDE OUT, it tackles knotty philosophical questions and will inspire a mountain of scholarly papers.