Pixar’s latest film from frequent Pixar collaborator Pete Docter and Kemp Powers (in his first directorial feature) is full of Pixar’s charm and witty writing, yet sticks to its usual formula. Now that formula is not necessarily a bad attribute, but one that has been utilized so often that it leaves very little room for innovation. They have found a structure that works, but one can’t help asking for a little more. That being said, “Soul” is a very good film.

The film has a fairly unique style of animation full of spectacle and wonder, with fully realized landscapes and imagery that are truly brilliant. As always with Pixar, this film has a stellar cast of voice actors: Tina Fey, for one, steals every scene she appears in. Jamie Foxx is great too, and proves once again to be a very skilled actor when given the right script. I am always amazed at how tonally consistent Pixar films can be: the comedy never undercuts the drama and the drama never undercuts the comedy. It’s always extremely impressive, and they nail it almost every time. 

“Soul” is also a film that you can tell someone was passionate about, which is something that’s always very admirable in a film. You can tell that the directors and writers cared about the film and that’s the most respectable thing when it comes to any form of art. And above all, it is an entertaining film that teaches important life lessons to kids in an emotionally investing manner. For me, this story didn’t resonate with me as much as many other Pixar films have, but I was still able to appreciate the themes and the clever way Pixar is able to intertwine them with the plot. I’ve always maintained that Pixar just makes Bergman films for younger audiences.