• About AwardsDaily
  • Sasha Stone
  • Advertising on Awards Daily
Awards Daily
  • 2026 Oscar Predictions
  • EmmyWatch
  • Buzzmeter
  • NextGen Oscarwatcher
No Result
View All Result
  • 2026 Oscar Predictions
  • EmmyWatch
  • Buzzmeter
  • NextGen Oscarwatcher
No Result
View All Result
Awards Daily
No Result
View All Result

Inclusive Perspectives Are Good For the ‘Soul’

Clarence Moye by Clarence Moye
November 25, 2020
in Disney, featured, Reviews
0

(Photo: Disney/Pixar)

Fans of animation – particularly Disney animation – approach a new Disney/Pixar film nearly holding their breath. The late 2000s trifecta of Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Up set such high standards in animation and storytelling that even the sterling studio itself struggles to replicate that brilliance. The past ten years brought more hugely popular and Oscar-winning films (Inside Out, Coco, Toy Story 4), but that spark of imagination and sense of something completely new previously seen, more often than not, evades the studio.

Following on the heels of the perfectly fine Onward, Soul comes with an enormous amount of new expectations. Many saw the initial trailers and thought it was a retread of Inside Out. Plus, it comes with the added weight of being Disney/Pixar’s first animated film told completely from a Black perspective. Turns out, opening their sterling animation and storytelling standards to new perspectives and ideals breathes new life into the beloved studio.

Soul tells the story of Joe Gardner (brilliantly voiced by Jamie Foxx), a middle school band teacher who dreams of making a career out of his beloved jazz. After earning a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with the Dorothea Williams Quartet (Dorothea Williams is voiced by Angela Bassett), Joe falls into a manhole and enters The Great Before. There, he’s paired with wayward soul 22 (Tina Fey), and the two become permanently intertwined in ways I dare not spoil.

Needless to say, I love this film.

I love the stunning and imaginative visuals of The Great Before. I love the moments where the film stops and lets you take in the splendor of jazz and of piano and of colors and lights and shading and shadows. I love how New York in the fall avoids feeling standardly rendered and is as lovingly rendered as anything Pixar has ever put to film. I love the inventive score by the great duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. I love the moments of real comedy and the moments of deep empathy for its characters. I love how it takes risks with hefty material (likely some of the most adult in the Disney/Pixar canon) and doesn’t dumb it down for kids. Ultimately, I love its message of self-discovery and how you may not necessarily be defined by what you originally thought defined you.

I will say no more. Soul is a film you need to discover for yourself without spoilers. In the end, what it left me was renewed hope that Disney/Pixar films will grow from this brilliantly executed journey into inclusive filmmaking. I want them to create more content from unique, underserved, and incredibly worthy perspectives.

To use that Disney/Pixar storytelling magic and give us brilliantly executed new worlds.

That is the magic of Soul.

Soul premieres on Disney Plus on December 25.

 

Tags: DisneySoul
Previous Post

Will the Golden Globes Crown Ingenues All Around?

Next Post

Alan Ball Tackles Homophobia and PTSD in ‘Uncle Frank’

Next Post

Alan Ball Tackles Homophobia and PTSD in 'Uncle Frank'

2026 Oscar Predictions: Can Hollywood Ever Recover From Life Inside the Doomsday Bunker?
2026 Oscar Predictions

2026 Oscar Predictions: Can Hollywood Ever Recover From Life Inside the Doomsday Bunker?

by Sasha Stone
June 13, 2025
0

Hollywood is teetering on the edge of collapse, or so industry insiders warn, despite a summer box office buoyed by...

Brian Wilson Passes On…

Brian Wilson Passes On…

June 11, 2025
Severence and The Studio Win Astras

Severence and The Studio Win Astras

June 11, 2025
Ari Aster’s Eddington Gets a Trailer

Ari Aster’s Eddington Gets a Trailer

June 10, 2025
Nextgen Oscarwatcher: The Life of Chuck thoughts

Nextgen Oscarwatcher: The Life of Chuck thoughts

June 9, 2025
Best Picture Watch: Teaser for Apple TV’s The Lost Bus

Best Picture Watch: Teaser for Apple TV’s The Lost Bus

June 8, 2025
2026 Oscar Predictions: Best Actress Will be a Barn Burner

2026 Oscar Predictions: Best Actress Will be a Barn Burner

June 6, 2025
George Clooney’s Good Night, Good Luck to Air on CNN – Right Message, Wrong Time

George Clooney’s Good Night, Good Luck to Air on CNN – Right Message, Wrong Time

June 6, 2025
Teaser Drops for Kiss of the Spider Woman

Teaser Drops for Kiss of the Spider Woman

June 7, 2025
Best Picture Watch: Wicked For Good Trailer Drops

Best Picture Watch: Wicked For Good Trailer Drops

June 5, 2025

Oscar News

2026 Oscars: Neon Nails it Again with Sentimental Value at Cannes

2026 Oscars: Neon Nails it Again with Sentimental Value at Cannes

May 22, 2025

2026 Oscars: New Rules Set for 9th Academy Awards

2026 Oscar Predictions: How the Oscar Game Destroys Movies

Best Picture Watch: Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another Teaser

EmmyWatch

The Gotham TV Winners Set the Consensus to Come

The Gotham TV Winners Set the Consensus to Come

June 3, 2025

Gothams Announces Television Nominees

White Lotus Finale – A Deeply Profound Message for a Weary World

EmmyWatch: Apple-TV’s The Studio Could Have Been Great, But They Played it Safe

  • About AwardsDaily
  • Sasha Stone
  • Advertising on Awards Daily

© 2025 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • About AwardsDaily
  • Sasha Stone
  • Advertising on Awards Daily

© 2025 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.