Joe (Jamie Foxx) believes it is his life’s purpose to be a jazz musician and after years as a part time music teacher he has finally landed a gig that could make his dream come true. The only problem is that he is so happy that he fails to spot that a manhole cover is missing and now his soul is on its way to The Great Beyond. 

Scrambling for a reprieve Joe manages to land a job as a mentor for souls before they make their way to Earth. His task is to help Soul Twenty-Two (Tina Fey) find her spark and ready her to go to Earth. Unfortunately she just is not interested in going. 

Soul is a Pixar film that tries and succeeds to show us that life is worth living for the transcendent moments of joy that exist in our world and as with their other films it manages to do it in a way that will work for adults and children alike. Joe and Twenty-Two’s journey is ostensibly a race against time to keep Joe alive. But just like in Its A Wonderful Life and Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol it does it by showing us Joe’s life and it’s impact on others. Everyone will enjoy the frantic comic moments and the adults can reflect on the deeper meanings. 

Of course all of this is wrapped up with glorious animation and music. In terms of the animation it never ceases to amaze me how the medium continuously improves. The images in the real world feature amazingly realistic faces brimming with expression and a brilliantly accurate depiction of New York. Whilst the other world has a spectacular star scape leading to The Great Beyond and intriguing cubist counsellors (who are all named Jerry). The score is provided by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and features their typically brilliant haunting piano pieces. Having already provided the score for Mank this year they are in a rich vein of form. Whilst the jazz compositions are provided by Jon Batiste. 

Perhaps not quite reaching the heights of Pixar’s equally existential Inside Out this is still a heart warming joy of a film.