“Life is full of possibilities. You just need to know where to look. Don't miss out on the joys of life.”

Soul is a fantastic movie. This was one of my most anticipated films of the year and after reading an abundance of overly positive reviews I started to build very high expectations. For the first time this year all of my expectations were met and some even exceeded. I had forgotten about how undescribable the feeling of watching a truly fantastic Pixar film could be, watching this all the more confirmed that Pixar is undoubtedly my favorite studio in the business. The plot is great it’s an unpredictable and extremely original story. It’s a story that questions every aspect of life while also reassuring the beauty of living life to the fullest. The story is full of unpredictable plot points that creates a engagingly fun tone. There is a few minor flaws with the story the most notable one being that there is a couple negligible plot holes.

The pacing is great since it’s such an incredibly fun story there isn’t a single slow or uninteresting moment. The voice acting is fantastic from Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey. I was hesitant at first about how their voices would fit with the characters but I was surprised at how well their voices fit with the personality of Joe Gardener and 22. Both characters are very well crafted characters that will most likely grow to become some of the most memorable Pixar characters. Moonwind, Terry, and the multiple Jerry’s are great supporting characters as well.

The direction is fantastic from Pete Doctor and Kemp Powers, both men are some of the most promising men in Hollywood and through their directorial choices it’s obvious that they wanted to make this film like nothing that had been made before. When it comes to directors of animated films it doesn’t get much better than Pete Doctor. It’s hard to believe that he has never been nominated for Best Director at any of the major awards. The script is fantastic it’s an intelligent and very well layered script full of beautiful pieces of dialogue. The animation is phenomenal it’s realistic animation while also displaying cartoonish looking characters.

The score is great it’s a simplistic and memorable score. The humor is fantastic this film is full of hilarious jokes, gags, and one liners. From watching the trailers the main thing I was worried about was that the humor would be dry but I was honestly surprised at how many times I was laughing. What always impresses me with (most) Pixar films is that they near perfectly balance genuinely hilarious humor and intense yet soft emotion. In terms of the Oscars I feel this film will definitely win Best Animated Feature and possibly (hopefully) get a nomination for Best Picture. Also I could definitely see this film getting a nomination for Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score. The ending is a completely satisfying ending that leaves you to infer what happens next with the characters. Overall Soul is an extraordinarily emotional and incredibly well made film that will truly be considered an animated classic in the future.

(9 out of 10)