Soul

I should have seen Soul back in June. But, once again, things didn't go that way. A bit like a day for the Pixar film's protagonist, music teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx). He gets a gig with the Jazz band of the esteemed Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). Then he steps into an open manhole and finds himself somewhere else...

Joe refuses to go to the light of the Great Beyond. He instead goes to the Great Before, where new souls are counseled by historical greats and entities all named Jerry. Joe is assigned to counsel the cynical soul number 22 (Tina Fey). She'll get an "Earth Pass" once she gets her "spark." Since she'll not need it...

But Joe and 22 get back to Earth anyway. She occupies his body and he occupies a cat's. The ensuing escapades motivates 22 to live and Joe to rethink his life. They'll have to hurry up and solve their existential crises. A busybody soul accountant named Terry (Rachel House) looks to pull them back to the other side.

Director Pete Docter and his co-writers Mike Jones and Kemp Powers create one of Pixar's funniest scripts. One young soul gleefully admits to being "a manipulative egomaniac." We see 22 frustrate even Mother Theresa. 22 in Joe's body displays some blunt philosophy. I can go on but there's some seriousness too. "You can't crush a soul here. That's what life on Earth is for," 22 says at one point. But she and Joe find purpose in their time on Earth. Their "spark" being their motivation. The existentialism hits hardest the more one thinks about it.

A film about Jazz needs a great soundtrack. Soul has it. The Jazz tracks were scored by Jon Batiste, while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross handle the bulk of the main score. Batiste's tracks are lively numbers sure to please Jazz devotees. Reznor and Ross's electronic music sells the eeriness of the afterlife. It's great music paired with great production design. It's sure to give Oscar's Music Branch a headache determining its eligibility. But it's still cool.

Want another reason to get Disney Plus? Soul is a reason. It keeps Pixar's reputation for story and technical excellence going strong. You'll be surprised at its sense of humor. Look out for some cameos too. Its 101 minutes are time well spent on Earth. Soul would've premiered with a short called Burrow had it fully premiered in theaters. That short is also on Disney Plus. I should look at it too.