Thoughts on Pixar's Soul (2020)?

Soul is this upcoming 2020 animated fantasy comedy from Pixar, which is going to be put out by Walt Disney Pictures. It’s based on a concept from Pete Docter—who, if you think about it, is kind of a legend at this point—and he’s directing alongside Kemp Powers. They’ve got a massive cast too, with voices like Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, and Daveed Diggs.

The whole thing follows this musician who's basically hit a wall and lost his spark for music, then suddenly finds himself out of his own body. He has to figure out how to get back, and he ends up getting some help from this little newborn soul who's just trying to figure out who she is.



Teaser Trailer

Official Trailer

So, this is Pete Docter's new project, coming five years after that huge hit *Inside Out*. When you consider he also directed *Up* and *Monsters, Inc.*, and helped write *Toy Story* 1 and 2, plus *WALL-E*... I mean, what can you even say? What are the expectations here?

It’s hard to imagine them dropping the ball this time...
The expectations are through the roof

Such a gorgeous cartoon about life—super educational and hits you right in the feels. It’s totally on par with Inside Out, though honestly, I liked this one way more! Highly recommend it to everyone—adults included too!

It was a decent movie, honestly—nothing groundbreaking, but it worked. There was one point where I almost checked out entirely, but man, it really pulled me back in by the end with its message.
Then again, if you start overthinking the logistics of this whole "life after death" thing, none of it makes any sense—kind of like how things play out in Inside Out.

Just finished watching it—stunning animation (and Burrow is fantastic too) 🙂

Grace Sanchez50 said:It’s a decent movie, nothing more, nothing less. There was a moment where I almost lost interest, but by the end, it really pulled through with its core idea and message.
Then again, if you start overthinking the logistics of that whole "post-apocalyptic life" thing, very little actually makes sense—kind of like the logic in Inside Out.

Wait, what exactly doesn't make sense about the logistics in Inside Out?

Such a sweet movie! 😍 👍

placidviper12 said:Just finished watching it. Such a beautiful animated movie (and Burrow is awesome too) 🙂

Wait, who even is Burrow?

Jesse Ortiz4 said:Who even is Burrow?

It's just a quick little short that plays before Soul of a Rabbit, where the main character tries to curl up and hide.

placidviper12 said:Just finished watching it—really lovely animation (and Burrow is fantastic too) 🙂

Honestly, Burrow is just too precious. I felt like I could have sat there for 90 minutes just staring at that rabbit...🙂

Burrow is actually better than Soul of a Rabbit, which is just a cute little cartoon.🍿

vivideagle7 said:Does any of the logic in Inside Out actually hold up?

Man, where do I even start with this one...
I mean, we could start with the whole "only five emotions" thing...

Look, I know we're kind of veering off track here—so I won't go too deep—but if I really started nitpicking, I could honestly write a novel about both sides of the argument.

Grace Sanchez50 said:Man, I don't even know where to start...
Maybe we could just start by saying there are only five basic emotions...

Look, I know this is getting off track, and I won't dive too deep into it here, but if I really wanted to nitpick, I could probably write two whole pages on both sides of the argument.

How would you even go about depicting feelings? It makes sense for them to be abstract, sure, but how do you actually turn an emotion into something concrete and visual? Within the internal logic they’ve established, everything actually feels pretty well put together.

Go ahead and write those two pages.

Does anyone happen to know of anything remotely similar to this animation? I’m looking for recommendations—specifically regarding the overall point, the general vibe, and the sheer quality of the storytelling. It could be an animated short, a series, or even a full-length feature film. 🙂

casualcanyon3 said:Does anyone know of anything similar to this cartoon? I’m looking for recommendations—specifically regarding the core message, the overall vibe, and the production quality. It could be an animated series or a feature film. 🙂

Inside Out. It was made by the exact same creative team.

Soul is a beautiful film. It’s just another Disney movie that feels like it was designed more for the parents than for the kids. The way they balance the emotions and the humor is spot on; there isn't a single wasted moment, and the pacing keeps you hooked from start to finish. It's actually quite daring to tackle the concept of the afterlife in an animated feature, especially when it carries such heavy themes that younger viewers might not fully grasp. I’ll admit, I shed a few tears. For me, it was easily the best film of 2020. One quote really stuck with me: "Don't worry, you can't crush a soul here. That's what life on Earth is for." 🙏
I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who appreciates deep, high-quality cinema. 10/10.

John Vaughn4 said:Inside Out. It was made by the exact same crew.

I watched it. Thanks! 🙂

John Vaughn4 said:Soul is a beautiful movie. It’s another Disney flick that honestly hits parents harder than kids. The balance of emotion and humor is spot on, there’s zero filler, and the pacing is perfect. It's pretty bold choosing the afterlife as a theme for an animated movie, especially with such heavy messages that little kids won't even grasp. I definitely teared up. For me, it was the best movie of 2020. One of my favorite lines has to be, "Don't worry, you can't crush a soul here. That's What Life on Earth is for." 🙏
Highly recommend it if you're into emotional stories or just good filmmaking. 10/10.

Kids really won't get it, and I don't see why they even bother dubbing this stuff for them. 🤔

casualcanyon3 said:Anyone know anything similar to this cartoon? Looking for recommendations. Specifically looking for that same point, vibe, and quality. Could be an animation or a movie. 🙂

Maybe The Fisher King or even The Pursuit of Happyness. You've probably seen them already, and I'm not sure if they hit the exact same note, but they definitely gave me a similar emotional rush while watching.🍿

casualcanyon3 said:I watched them. Thanks! 🙂

Coco and Onward from Pixar are the same.