Pixar soup for the soul.

Good old Pixar. After all the turbulence and uncertainty we’ve gone through this year, it’s actually rather reassuring that we can still rely on them to provide a cracking dose of existential crisis.

From Inside Out to Coco to Up to Toy Story, Pixar have been in the business of whimsical existential musings since their very inception, going far beyond rival animation studios in their ability to break down gigantic questions of life, death, and being into easily consumable stories. It’s an approach that has got them where they are today, and one that Soul fully embraces.

However, by hitting many of the same beats as previous Pixar efforts, does Soul really have enough about it to offer anything new?

Stuck in a rut and unfulfilled by his job, the life of middle-school music teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) hasn’t gone the way he’d hoped. When he lands the gig of a lifetime with a jazz band, Joe looks to have finally got his big break, but when a freak accident sends him into the ‘Great Beyond’, his life and dreams appear to be over. Unwilling to die before his ambitions are fulfilled, Joe embarks on a quest to reunite with his body, joined along the way by 22 (Tina Fey), a cynical infant soul who sees no point in living on Earth and has remained in the ‘Great Before’ for millennia.

Part Coco, part Inside Out but completely its own thing, Soul is peak-Pixar, as it takes elements from both of its predecessors, along with aspects from much of the studio’s back catalogue and builds on them to offer something utterly unique. Soul is Pixar deep in contemplation mode and right at the top of their game, showing that, despite the recent penchant for sequels, Pixar aren’t ready to take the easy road just yet.

Taking in the varied abstract notions of life, death, existence, divinity, destiny, talent, the human condition, and everything in between, the film is a heady mix of dense philosophical questions that would sink many lesser animations; however, Soul handles it all with aplomb. As the masters of breaking down weighty issues into enjoyable and easily consumable pieces, Pixar have always been the best in the game at blending fun and philosophy, and Soul takes it all to the next level.

Soul is about as deep and as serious as Pixar get, yet there’s plenty in there for young viewers to enjoy, as we’re treated to a genuinely beguiling tonal mix that swings and moves like a frantic jazz rhythm. The film is a mind-boggling experience that sends us from Earth to the astral plane and back again, mixing lofty subjects with broad physical comedy to offer something for all ages.

In many ways, Pixar have turned in their most mature effort to date, however, the plot itself makes sure to offer something for the kids to enjoy, even if there’s not as much as usual. There are times when the mix of heady existential philosophising feels a little awkward alongside the more slapstick body-swap comedy, yet, as the story riffs back and forth, riding a wave of otherworldly inspiration, Soul becomes such an overwhelming, all-encompassing experience that any tonal clumsiness is easily forgiven.

Much of this sweeping emotion is underscored by just how stunning it all looks, and while it almost feels redundant to praise a Pixar film on its animation these days, Soul represents another highwater mark for the studio. Juggling a gloriously rendered New York with the dreamy luminescence of the Great Beyond, the film is nothing short of stunning, proving that Pixar haven’t yet lost their knack for crafting awe-inspiring worlds of imaginative fantasy and painstaking photorealism.

Of course, Pixar have long since moved beyond relying on flawless animation alone to carry their films and Soul is yet another fine example of the extra mile the studio is willing to go to tell a story. As one might imagine, music – and in particular, jazz – is very much at Soul’s heart, complementing its stunning imagery, infusing it with life, and core to the film’s emotional punch.

With Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on score duty and bolstered by the celebrated jazz stylings of Jon Batiste, Soul is a whirlwind of sounds that will sweep you off your feet and send you to another realm. With the power to lift you up and hit you right in the feels, Reznor and Ross’ twinkling, ethereal score is one of the finest of their career as film composers, lending an otherworldly energy to Soul that genuinely feels like it’ll be what will soundtrack your journey to the Great Beyond.

However, despite the eye (and ear) catching nature of the Great Beyond scenes, a good portion of Soul’s – umm – soul comes courtesy of its Earth-bound portion, namely New York City and its Black residents. With Jon Batiste lending his renowned talents to these real-world segments, New York is brought to life like you’ve never seen it before, evoking a melodic, bustling city, bursting with life, culture, and personality.

In this day and age, it really shouldn’t be a big deal, however, for Pixar to not only include a Black lead for the first time in their history but populate that character’s world almost exclusively with Black characters is something quite special indeed and really infuses Soul with a distinct personality. The film positively crackles with a level of heart and humanity that few films, animation or otherwise, can touch, and in fully embracing its Black characters, Soul hits all the right notes.

Brought to life by Jamie Foxx’s distinct voice, Joe Gardner himself is a thoroughly rounded character whose struggles resonate not only on a universal level, but to the Black community, culture, and music he’s connected to. While Soul hits on broad concepts, the overt choice to make Joe a jazz musician and thus immersed in a musical world with deep African-American roots, anchors the story in a very specific way, feeling like an epochal moment for representation and the celebration of a culture that has sat on animation’s side-lines for far too long.

Blending barber shops, jazz clubs, and the bustling sidewalks of New York with the ethereal tranquillity of the Great Beyond is a tough balancing act, but in the safe directorial hands of Pixar veteran Pete Doctor, harmony is achieved. As a man who’s been involved in some form with pretty much every Pixar film to date, Doctor knows precisely what makes the studio’s unique formula tick, and in Soul, he has taken elements from some of Pixar’s finest work and crafted something powerful, beautiful, and utterly unique.

Part Inside Out, part Coco, part jazz Fantasia freak-out, 100% Pixar – Soul sees the legendary studio in peak-existential form, as it breaks down weighty, meaning of life subject matter into an immensely enjoyable, easily relatable, and emotionally engaging all-ages story. As magnificent to ponder as it is to behold, Soul rides high on a wave of ethereal wonder that takes us to the Great Beyond and back, yet keeps itself grounded in the life, culture, and distinct character of a very real-world New York. In a year where persistent gloom appears determined to snuff out our collective spark, Soul may be precisely what we need to reignite it.

Soul is available to stream on Disney+ now.