SOUL [2020 / 2021] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] Everyone Has A Soul . . . Joe Gardiner Is About To Find Out!
Jamie Foxx leads an all-star cast in this hilarious, heart-filled adventure. PIXAR’s ‘SOUL’ introduces Joe Gardiner [Jamie Foxx], who lands the gig of his life at the best jazz club in town. But one misstep lands Joe in a fantastical place: The Great Before. There, he teams up with soul 22 [Tina Fey], and together they find the answers to some of life’s biggest questions.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2020 Boston Online Film Critics Association: Win: BOFCA Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. 2020 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Original Screenplay for Kemp Powers, Mike Jones and Pete Docter. 2020 Florida Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Win: Best Animated Film. Nominated: Best Original Screenplay for Pete Docter, Kemp Powers and Mike Jones. 2020 Gold Derby Awards: Nominated: Original Screenplay for Kemp Powers, Mike Jones and Pete Docter. Nominated: Animated Feature for Dana Murray and Pete Docter. 2020 Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Animated Film. 2020 Indiana Film Journalists Association, USA: Win: IFJA Award for Best Animated Feature. Win: IFJA Award for Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance for Jamie Foxx. Nominated: IFJA Award for Best Original Screenplay for Mike Jones, Kemp Powers and Pete Docter. Nominated: IFJA Award for Best Director for Pete Docter. Nominated: IFJA Award for Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance for Tina Fey. Nominated: IFJA Award for Best Musical Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. 2020 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Music. Win: Best Animation. 2020 Sunset Film Circle Awards: Nominated: Best Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. 2021 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Animated Feature Film for Pete Docter and Dana Murray. Nominated: Best Sound for Coya Elliott, David Parker and Ren Klyce. 2021 Golden Globes: Win: Best Animated Motion Picture. Win: Best Original Score for Motion Picture for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Animated Featured Film for Pete Docter and Dana Murray. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Sound for Coya Elliott, David Parker and Ren Klyce. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 AACTA International Awards: Nominated: Best Direction for Pete Docter. 2021 AFI Awards, USA: Win: Movie of the Year. 2021 African-American Film Critics Association: Win: AAFCA Award for Best Animated Feature. 2021 Alliance of Women Film Journalists: Win: EDA Award for Best Animated Feature Film. Win: EDA Female Focus Award: Best Animated Female for Tina Fey as 22. 2021 Allywood Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Golden Elm Award for Top Ten Foreign Language Film. 2021 American Cinema Editors: Nominated: Eddie Award for Best Edited Animated Feature Film for Kevin Nolting. 2021 Annie Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Feature. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Feature for Carl Kaphan, Enrique Vila, Hiroaki Narita, Kylie Wijsmuller and Tolga Goktekin. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Feature for Michal Makarewicz. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature for Daniel Lopez Muñoz. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature for Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement for Production Design on an Animated Feature for Albert Lozano, Bryn Imagire, Paul Abadilla and Steve Pilcher. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature for Trevor Jimenez. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement in Writing for an Animated Feature for Pete Docter, Kemp Powers and Mike Jones. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement for Editing in an Animated Feature for Amera Rizk, Gregory Amundson, Kevin Nolting and Robert Grahamjones. 2021 Art Directors Guild: Nominated: Excellence in Production Design Award for Animated Film for Steve Pilcher. 2021 Association of Motion Picture Sound: Nominated: AMPS Feature Film Award for Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film for Cheryl Nardi, Coya Elliott, David Parker and Ren Klyce. 2021 Atlanta Film Critics Circle: Win: AFCC Award for Best Animated Film. Win: AFCC Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. 2021 Austin Film Critics Association: Win: AFCA Award for Best Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: AFCA Award for Best Animated Film. 2021 Black Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. Nominated: Best Picture. 2021 Black Reel Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Motion Picture for Dana Murray. Nominated: Outstanding Screenplay for Pete Docter, Kemp Powers and Mike Jones. Nominated: Outstanding Voice Performance for Angela Bassett. Nominated: Outstanding Voice Performance for Jamie Foxx. Nominated: Outstanding Voice Performance for Phylicia Rashad. Nominated: Outstanding Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Critics Choice Award for Best Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 Casting Society of America: Nominated: Artios Award: Outstanding Achievement in Casting for an Animation Feature for Kevin Reher and Natalie Lyon. 2021 Chicago Indie Critics Awards: Win: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Win: Best Animated Film for Dana Murray. Nominated: Best Studio Film for Dana Murray. 2021 Cinema Audio Society, USA: Nominated: C.A.S. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for an Animated Motion Pictures for Atticus Ross (scoring mixer), Bobby Johanson (adr mixer), David Boucher (scoring mixer), David Parker (re-recording mixer), Ren Klyce (re-recording mixer), Scott Curtis (foley mixer) and Vince Caro (original dialogue mixer). 2021 CinEuphoria Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Film for an International Competition for Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. 2021 Columbus Film Critics Association: Win: COFCA Award for Best Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Nominated: COFCA Award for Best Animated Film. Nominated: COFCA Award for Best Film. 2021 Critics Choice Super Awards: Win: Best Animated Movie. Win: Best Voice Actor in an Animated Movie for Jamie Foxx. Win: Best Voice Actress in an Animated Movie for Tina Fey. 2021 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. 2021 Denver Film Critics Society: Win: DFCS Award for Best Animated Film. Win: DFCS Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Nominated: DFCS Award for Best Picture. Nominated: DFCS Award for Best Director for Pete Docter. Nominated: DFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay for Pete Docter, Kemp Powers and Mike Jones. 2021 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Best Animated Feature. Nominated: Best Use of Music. 2021 DiscussingFilm Critics Awards: Win: Jury Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Win: Jury Award for Best Animated Film. 2021 GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics: Nominated: Dorian Award for Visually Striking Film of the Year. 2021 Georgia Film Critics Association: Win: GAFCA Award for Best Animated Film. Win: GAFCA Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: GAFCA Award for Best Picture. 2021 Gold Derby Awards: Nominated: Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Visual Effects for Bill Watral, Dana Murray, Michael Fong and Pete Docter. Nominated: Sound for Coya Elliott, David Parker and Ren Klyce. Nominated: Motion Picture for Dana Murray. Nominated: Animated Feature for Dana Murray and Pete Docter. Nominated: Original Screenplay for Pete Docter, Kemp Powers and Mike Jones. 2021 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards: Nominated: Best Music Supervision for Films Budgeted Over 25 Million Dollars for Tom MacDougall. 2021 Hawaii Film Critics Society: Win: HFCS Award for Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance for Jamie Foxx. Nominated: HFCS Award for Best Animated Film. Nominated: HFCS Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Nominated: HFCS Award for Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance for Tina Fey. 2021 Hollywood Critics Association: Win: Artisan Achievement Award for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor for Mank. Win: HCA Award for Best Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: HCA Award for Best Picture. Nominated: HCA Award for Best Animated Film. Nominated: HCA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animated Performance for Jamie Foxx. Nominated: HCA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animated Performance for Tina Fey. 2021 Houston Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. Win: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Picture. 2021 Image Awards (NAACP): Win: Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Motion Picture) for Jamie Foxx. Win: Outstanding Animated Motion Picture. Win: Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album for the Soul Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Nominated: Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Motion Picture) for Questlove. Nominated: Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Motion Picture) for Phylicia Rashad. Nominated: Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Motion Picture) for Angela Bassett. Nominated: Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture for Kemp Powers, Mike Jones and Pete Docter. Nominated: Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture. 2021 International Cinephile Society Awards: Nominated: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Animated Film for Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. 2021 International Film Music Critics Award: Nominated: Best Original Score for an Animated Film for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 International Online Cinema Awards: Win: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Sound Mixing for David Parker, Ren Klyce and Vince Caro. Nominated: Best Animated Film for Pete Docter. 2021 Iowa Film Critics Awards: Win: Best Animated Feature. 2021 Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Film. 2021 Kids' Choice Awards, USA: Nominated: Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie for Tina Fey. Nominated: Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie for Jamie Foxx. 2021 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Sierra Award for Best Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Win: Sierra Award for Best Animated Film. Win: Sierra Award for Best Family Film. 2021 Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Film Awards: Win: Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance for Alice Braga. Win: Best Animated Feature for Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. Win: Best Musical Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Picture for Dana Murray. Nominated: Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance for Tina Fey. Nominated: Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance for Jamie Foxx. Nominated: Best Sound. 2021 London Critics Circle Film Awards: Nominated: Technical Achievement of the Year for Pete Docter (animation). 2021 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing for Feature Animation for Coya Elliott (supervising sound editor), Kimberly Patrick (sound effects editor), Steve Orlando (sound effects editor), Jonathon Stevens (sound effects editor), Cheryl Nardi (supervising dialogue editor), Ren Klyce (sound designer), Thom Brennan (foley editor), John Roesch (foley artist), Shelley Roden (foley artist) and Dee Selby (foley artist). 2021 Music City Film Critics' Association Awards: Win: Best Animated Film for Pete Docter, Kemp Powers, Dana Murray, Jonas Rivera and Jessie Thiele Schroeder. Nominated: Best Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. 2021 National Board of Review, USA: Win: NBR Award for Best Animated Feature. Win: NBR Award for Top Ten Films. 2021 Nevada Film Critics Society: Win: NFCS Award for Best Animated Film. 2021 New Mexico Film Critics: Win: NMFC Award for Best Music/Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. 2021 New York Film Critics, Online: Win: NYFCO Award for Best Animated Feature. 2021 North Carolina Film Critics Association: Win: NCFCA Award for Best Animated Film. Win: NCFCA Award for Best Music. 2021 North Dakota Film Society: Win: NDFS Award for Best Animated Feature for Pete Docter, Dana Murray and Kemp Powers. Nominated: NDFS Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. 2021 North Texas Film Critics Association, USA: Win: NTFCA Award for Best Animated Film. 2021 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Body of Work for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor for Mank. Win: Best Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Win: Best Animated Film. Win: Top Ten Films. 2021 Online Association of Female Film Critics: Nominated: OAFFC Award for Best Animated Feature. 2021 Online Film & Television Association: Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Picture. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Animated Picture. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Voice-Over Performance for Tina Fey. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Voice-Over Performance for Jamie Foxx. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Sound. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Sound Effects. 2021 Online Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Best Animated Feature. Win: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Picture. 2021 PGA Awards: Win: Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures for Dana Murray. 2021 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. Win: Best Soundtrack/Score. 2021 Phoenix Critics Circle: Win: PCC Award Best for Animated Film. Win: PCC Award for Best Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Top Ten Films. Win: Best Animated Film. Win: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Film. 2021 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle: Win: SFBAFCC Award for Best Animated Feature. Win: SFBAFCC Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 Satellite Awards: Nominated: Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media. Nominated: Best Original Screenplay for Pete Docter, Kemp Powers and Mike Jones. 2021 Scream Awards: Nominated: Best Fantasy Movie. Nominated: The Ultimate Scream. Nominated: Best Fantasy Actress for Tina Fey. Nominated: Best Fantasy Actor for Jamie Foxx. 2021 Seattle Film Critics Society: Win: SFCS Award for Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: SFCS Award for Best Animated Feature for Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. 2021 Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards: Win: Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Animated Film. Nominated: Best Picture. 2021 St. Louis Film Critics Association, USA: Win: SLFCA Award for Best Animated Film. Win: SLFCA Award for Best Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. 2021 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Feature. 2021 Utah Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Picture. Nominated: Best Animated Feature Film. 2021 Visual Effects Society Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature for Bill Watral, Dana Murray, Michael Fong and Pete Docter. Nominated: Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature for Jonathan Hoffman, Jonathan Page, Peter Tieryas and Ron Zorman. Nominated: Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature for Hosuk Chang, Peter Roe, Sungyeon Joh and Yung Lian Frank Tai, Nominated: Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project for Ian Megibben and Matt Aspbury. Nominated: Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature for Aimei Kutt, Alexis Angelidis, Keith Daniel Klohn and Melissa Tseng. 2021 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Voice Performance for Jamie Foxx. Win: Best Animated Feature. Win: Best Original Score for Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor. Nominated: Best Voice Performance for Tina Fey. 2021 Women Film Critics Circle Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Female.
FILM FACT No.2: PIXAR chose to portray the film's main character as a musician because they wanted a "profession the audience could root for," and settled for a musician after trying for a scientist, which "[didn't feel] as naturally pure as a musician's life." Pete Docter described ‘SOUL’ as "an exploration of, where should your focus be? What are the things that, at the end of the day, are really going to be the important things that you look back on and go, “I spent a worthy amount of my limited time on Earth worrying or focused on that?" Pete Docter and Mike Jones worked on the development of the main character for about two years. According to Pete Docter, once they settled on the main character being a jazz musician, the filmmakers chose to make the character African-American, as they felt it made sense due to how closely African-Americans have been tied to jazz history. The idea for the therapy cat and Joe landing inside its body came from Jones. Pete Docter and Kemp Powers appreciated the idea, as it offered the filmmakers a much needed way for Joe to "be able to look at his own life from a different perspective" and appreciate it.
Voice Cast: Jamie Foxx [Joe Gardner], Tina Fey [22], Graham Norton [Moonwind], Rachel House [Terry], Alice Braga [Counselor Jerry], Richard Ayoade [Counselor Jerry], Phylicia Rashad [Libba Gardner], Donnell Rawlings [Dez], Ahmir-Kalib Thompson a.k.a. Questlove [Lamont "Curley" Baker], Angela Bassett [Dorothea Williams], Cora Champommier [Connie], Margo Hall [Melba], Daveed Diggs [Paul], Rhodessa Jones [Lulu], Wes Studi [Counselor Jerry], Sakina Jaffrey [Doctor], Fortune Feimster [Counselor Jerry], Calum Grant [DGE Fund Manager], Laura Mooney [Therapy Cat Lady], Peggy Flood [Marge], Zenobia Shroff [Counselor Jerry], June Squibb [Gerel], Ochuwa Oghie [Dancerstar], Jeannie Tirado [Principal Arroyo], Catherine Cavadini [Dreamerwind], Dorian Lockett [Dorian], Doris Burke [Basketball Announcer], Ronnie del Carmen [Windstar], Esther K. Chae [Miho], Elisapie Isaac [Miali], Marcus Shelby [Ray Gardner], Ulka Simone Mohanty [Mother Teresa] and John Ratzenberger [Guy on the Subway] (uncredited)
Directors: Pete Docter and Kemp Powers (co-director)
Producers: Dan Scanlon, Dana Murray (p.g.a.), Jessie Thiele Schroeder, Jonas Rivera, Kiri Hart, Michael Warch and Valerie LaPointe
Screenplay: Pete Docter (story & screenplay), Kemp Powers (story & screenplay) and Mike Jones (story & screenplay)
Composers: Atticus Ross, Trent Reznor (original score) and Jon Baliste (jazz composition and arrangements)
Cinematography: Ian Megibben (Director of Photography) and Matt Aspbury (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.29:1
Audio: English: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 5.1 DTS-HD HR Master Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
English: 2.0 Descriptive Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 100 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Walt Disney and PIXAR
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: ‘SOUL’ [2020] comes from the minds of PIXAR and an even deeper look at what makes people tick. PIXAR gives audiences a fresh way to think about the dimension that defines their personality, while broadening its cultural horizons to feature the studio's first predominantly Black cast.
The big question we always ask ourselves, where do people get their personalities? Do parents play a part, or are such things somehow determined before birth? For centuries, doctors of psychology, doctors of philosophy and doctors of theology have contributed their thoughts on the subject, but the latest breakthrough comes from another kind of doctor entirely with Pete Docter, and the big-idea PIXAR brain behind outside-the-box animated films like ‘Inside Out’ and the wonderful and inventive ‘UP,’ and takes a look deep inside and comes up with another intuitive, easy-to-embrace metaphor for — dare I say it — the meaning of life.
The result is the totally brilliant and inventive ‘SOUL’ and takes a look at a totally whimsical, musical and boldly metaphysical dramedy about what makes each and everybody tick, featuring a cast of characters who don’t have bodies at all.
‘SOUL’ opens with the death of its down-on-his-luck hero, middle school band teacher Joe Gardner [Jamie Foxx], a frustrated pianist who aces a jazz band audition, then steps out into the street, where he narrowly avoids being smashed by construction workers and crushed by an oncoming car, only to fall through a manhole to his untimely end.
Just before he bites the dust, Joe Gardner lands his big break, earning a shot to play with jazz legend Dorothea Williams [Angela Bassett] at the Half Note club. Nearly all his life, Joe Gardner has wanted nothing more than to be a musician. We find out that is he is good, too, given the improvisations we’re privy to here — in class, in rehearsal and later, in the solitude of his own apartment. So it’s not surprising that he might be alarmed to find himself on a conveyor belt through the Great Beyond.
It’s going to be hard for ‘SOUL’ audiences to keep this next twist a secret, but for the sake of the review, let it be a surprise how the pair manifest on earth. Joe Gardner’s desperate to get back to that jazz club, and his mission is to make his jazz dreams come true.
The heart of ‘SOUL’ can be found in the music. From Betty Boop to the Pink Panther, jazz has shaped and inspired the medium of animation and especially in its more Avant-garde experiments. PIXAR rekindles that connection, enlisting Jon Batiste to create the jazz portion of the score — from the fleet-fingered, Keith Jarrett-like improvisations Joe performs to the vibe of city life itself — while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross delivered the New Agey sound of the before and after-life.
It all blends together beautifully, a marriage of PIXAR’s feel-good animated film sensibility with what might be described as the “real world” and one that, much as ‘Inside Out’ anthropomorphized the mind, and will leave audiences young and old imagining their own souls as glowing idiosyncratic cartoon characters. And that’s just what the Pete Docter ordered. ‘SOUL’ is another quality entry in the PIXAR line-up. It’s smart, touching and gorgeously animated. It also takes the time to add in some hijinks for the kids, in case they get lost in the big questions about life and death. The visuals are very good, the characters are well-drawn and the animated film definitely gets its message across. And I’m sure many will say that ‘SOUL’ gets its message across very well.
SOUL MUSIC TRACK LIST
THINGS AIN’T WHAT THEY USE TO BE (instrumental) (Written by Mercer Ellington)
WE GET ALONG (Written by Joe Crispiano, David Guy, Sharon Jones, Catherine Orchard, Bosco Mann and Homer Steinweiss) [Performed by Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings]
II B.S. (Written by Charles Mingus) [Performed by Charles Mingus]
RAPPIN CED (Written by Daveed Diggs) [Performed by Daveed Diggs]
SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES (Written by Bob Dylan) [Performed by Bob Dylan]
CHECK THE RIME (Written by Roger Ball, Malcolm Duncan, Q-Tip, Steve Ferrone, Alan Gorrie, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Onnie McIntyre, Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph, Hamish Stuart, Phife Dawg and Leon Ware) [Performed by A Tribe Called Quest]
BODY AND SOUL (Written by Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton) [Performed by Herbie Hancock]
PARTING WAYS (Written and Produced by Cody ChesnuTT) [Performed by Cody ChesnuTT]
APPLE TREE (Written by Erykah Badu and Robert Bradford) [Performed by Erykah Badu]
SPACE MAKER (Written by Walter Norris)
IT’S ALL RIGHT (Written by Curtis Mayfield) [Performed by Jon Batiste]
CRISTO REDENTOR (Written by Duke Pearson)
IT’S ALL RIGHT (Duet version) (uncredited) (Written by Curtis Mayfield) [Performed by Jon Batiste and Celeste]
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – Walt Disney and PIXAR have come together for this amazing animated film ‘SOUL’ and presented us with a totally awesome 1080p reference image, plus an exceptional awesome 2.29:1 aspect ratio, and is one of the most impressive looking PIXAR animated title I have ever viewed. The characters feel like little figures you could pick up or collect. Details are very strong and even better than you’d wager an animated film could have. Being a full animated film, it easily lends itself to looking three dimensional with good spacing and well rounded-ness to its characters and objects. Movements are smooth, fluid and have no distortion issues from rapid movements. Blacks are deep, with a good a natural feel. Shading, outlining and texturing are at some very impressive levels here. Colours are quite lovely here and a bump up from the Blu-ray. A brighter image, it features good saturation and a nice glow from the “Soul World.” The natural colours are impressive as well with a good strong, rustic look. Overall, I can’t imagine this film looking better until another format comes along.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Walt Disney and PIXAR have come together for this amazing animated film ‘SOUL’ and brings us two alternative awesome 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 5.1 DTS-HD HR Master Audio experience and loads up automatically on the second audio. This animated feature film features strong dynamics with special effects sounds and music and especially good ambient contributions. ‘SOUL’ gives one of Disney’s more impressive performances on this Blu-ray format. There are some fun moments as well as good natural occurrences from overhead. Set to good volume and allowing it to be noticeable and impressive but never distracting or overdone. Deeper sounds get nice sub assistance with doors slamming, crashing, supernatural sounds and more. Musical bumps from bass and drum also have a nice thud from the woofer. The audio here has a playful with the speakers at times. Travel rolls naturally and fully from channel to channel. Ambiance really fills out the space and the score rises to the occasion in impactful ways. Vocals are clear and crisp. No matter the environment or the intensity of a situation, the character is always plenty audible while feeling engulfed in the environment.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Not Your Average Joe [2020] [1080p] [1.78:1] [9:45] With this special feature, we get to hear from the cast and crew focusing on the lead character of the animated film. From creating Joe Gardiner to Jamie Foxx’s performance to the importance of diversity in film, and it is all well covered here. The idea of the animated film is to flush out the character of Joe Gardiner and wanted people to see and experience what it was like for a Blackman to live in modern New York City. They also wanted to show the character of Joe Gardiner and how he lived and the community he lived in. They also wanted to show the most authentic aspect of Joe Gardiner’s life. They tried hard to create an authentic drawn character and of course it took some time to get it just right so that it would enhance Joe Gardiner’s personality, and eventually over time they finally were happy with sketch that gave us the Joe Gardiner that they wanted us to see in the animated film. As to the main character of Joe Gardiner, id that we find he lives in the Queens district in New York City and is a Public School Teacher and especially an African American, and they wanted to really expand his character, so you instantly felt you knew Joe Gardiner and maybe they felt that sometime in your life you have met someone like Joe Gardiner, especially a teacher. As to the sketches of Joe Gardiner, over time his style was changed dramatically and in the end they were able to come up with his all-round personality, especially showing us his struggle he was going through with his life and the conflict with his mother wanting him to stay as a teacher and security, and his dilemma in whether to carry on as a teacher or pursue his love of jazz and performing the music that he felt was in his soul, as sometimes teaching his young students he felt like he was in a bit of a rut and sometimes felt like he wanted to break free, as he felt like he was on an endless treadmill of like and going nowhere, and also felt he was not being understood in what he was trying to achieve. With the first animated draft of the character of Joe Gardiner the teacher, he was given a character of being a really mean teacher to his young students, especially being too hard on them when not being able to play their instruments properly to his high standards, but over time they decided to tone down his character quite a lot over time until they were happy with the result, where you want to sympathise with that character, and to also to make Joe Gardiner feel sympathy towards his young students and try to encourage them to perform better. They were very keen on hiring Jamie Foxx to do the voice of Joe Gardiner and felt it was a great choice, because of his comedic style, also because he could actually play the piano, but they modelled his hands on Jon Baliste because of his long extended fingers, and we get to see some behind-the-scene filming of Jon Baliste playing the piano, as well as seeing Jamie Foxx also playing the piano. Despite this being a very short feature, they certainly packed in a lot information on how the animated film evolved. Contributors include: Kemp Powers [Co-director], Britta Wilson [VP, Inclusion & Outreach], Kiri Hart [Executive Producer], Kriston Lester [Story Supervisor], Dana Murray [Producer], Trevor Jimenez [Additional Story Supervisor/Story Lead], Mike Jones [Screenwriter], Pete Docter [Director] and Jamie Foxx [Voice of Joe Gardiner].
Special Feature: Astral Taffy [2020] [1080p] [2.39:1 / 1.78:1] [8:12] With this special feature, it is all about designing the “Soul World” with inspirations, ideas, concepts and much more. Everybody on the team working on the animated film ‘SOUL’ were wondering what happens to your soul when it leaves your body and whether there was an actual place where your soul lives forever, and of course the whole concept had to be made up into a real of fantasy that was totally believable. On top of all that, there were two distinct worlds, which consisted of the “Real World” and the “Soul World” and a lot of the team felt they were actually making two animated films at the same time. They wanted the “Soul World” to be the perfect blend of being weirdly simple, but also to look visually a very complex world, as well as well as trying to visualise what a soul is, and where you came from and they also wanted to show where a soul lives and to make it look like a great deal of fun and where all your needs are catered for. They also wanted to give the “Soul World” a very luminous feel to it, edge less, ethereal, as well to feel transparent, but also something that is non-specific, but they also stylized the “Soul World” on the structures at all of the World Fairs throughout history, also most important is that your soul is non-physical, but also can be a spectrum of multi-coloured light. On top of all that, they wanted the Counsellors to also be non-specific, but have some form of structure and Deanna Marsigliese designed them from a wire structure that she thought was perfect for that specific character in the animated film and you see this artist working with the black wire structure to show you how it all evolved. But of course over time it was all trial and error, as well as a very long process, but on top of all that, the animated process was also a long stretch in trying to bring all the elements together, but overall it was a terrific fun experience and the whole crew really worked well together as a team effort, and eventually over time came up with cool stuff and thought oh well lets at least try it out. Once again, this is a very short feature, but despite this, it was at the same time really fascinating how they came up with the idea for the animated film ‘SOUL’ and what they thought “Soul World” would look like. Contributors include: Pete Docter [Director], Dana Murray [Producer], Aphton Corbin [Story Artist], Ian Megibben [Director of Photography and Lighting], Kiri Hart [Executive Producer], Michael Frederickson [Development Artist], Steve Pilcher [Production Designer], Trevor Jimenez [Additional Story Supervisor/Story Lead], Paul Abadilla [Sets Art Director], Bryn Imagire [Shading Art Director], Deanna Marsigliese [Artist] and Dave Strick [Development Artists].
Audio Commentary with Director Pete Docter, Producer Dana Murray and Co-Writer/Co-Director Kemp Powers: Here we are introduced Pete Docter, Dana Murray and Kemp Powers and they came together to do this audio commentary for the animated film ‘SOUL’ and they inform us that they are in three separate rooms and the musical ensemble you hear at the start of the animated film are actual real children playing the musical instruments at the local Junior High School in Oakland in California and they were really excellent and they were told to play their instruments badly at the recording studio. The animators found the first scene in the classroom very tough and did so many different versions until they were happy with the result. The idea of the animated school room scene was actual inspired by a class they went to observe in Queens in New York City and the students were totally amazing and especially the music teacher Peter Archer who had recently retired after 25 years of teaching students and he was much loved by everyone and was very sadly missed. When you see Joe Gardiner at his Mum’s shop, originally it was only going to be a quick glimpse inside the shop, but instead decided to expand the scene. They talk quite a bit about when Joe Gardiner goes to the club to audition for Dorothea Williams [Angela Bassett] who played the saxophone who they wanted to be very matter of fact and not a very sympathetic attitude, but they say some women have to have a very tough attitude to survive in the jazz music scene, especially the men who have a misogynous attitude towards women who want to perform jazz as a profession. They talk about the jazz music used in the animated film and was conceived by the brilliant jazz musician Jon Baliste and a key contributor and informed them what jazz musicians have to go through in their musical career, like having to stay up very late, and Jon Baliste knowledge was invaluable. When we see Joe Gardiner fall through the manhole and becomes a soul and seeing him making his way to the great beyond, and they go into great detail about the way they went about constructing the sequence of events surrounding Joe Gardiner, especially about he was not keen to go to the “great beyond” as he feels he not ready and still has a lot to give in real life and is desperate wanting to get back to his body. When Joe Gardiner lands in the “You Seminar” which was one of the toughest job in not knowing how to show what the place looked like and it was all trial and error until they got it how they wanted it. They talk about the little “New Souls” and if you notice they all have purple eyes and wanted all of them to have uniform colour eyes, but with Joe Gardiner retains the same colour eyes because he has lived longer that the “New Souls.” They give great praise about Richard Ayoade as one of the Counselor Jerry and the PIXAR team are a great fan of this British TV presenter and loved his improvisation in the recording session and did not want him to stick to the script. They also gave great praise to the female comedian Tina Fey as the 22 character and loved the way Tina Fey could do so many comedic voices. When you see the Galleon ship going through the blue sand, they tried of lots different style of ships, like one floating in the air or upside down or a sofa, but the Galleon ship was actually inspired by the Captain Hook ship in the Disney cartoon ‘Peter Pan,’ but decided the Galleon ship should move through the blue sand. When the Joes Gardiner and 22 souls fall to earth and one lands in the cat which of course is Joe Gardiner and the 22 soul lands in Joe Gardiner, well that thought the body swap would create a good complicated story and a great journey throughout the rest of the animated film and because Joe Gardiner is now in the cat, he now gets to see his life from a different perspective, which makes for a much more interesting concept. When the cat grabs the pizza to take it to 22 a.k.a. Joe Gardiner and passes the rat dragging a piece of pizza, they were glad they left that gag in. When they had a preview of ‘SOUL’ it was the first time that had an all-Black preview audience and of course they were very nervous, because they wanted to be cultural correct for a Black audience, as well as truthful, and afterwards they got a massive good response. When you see the guy flipping the sign around, who is also the soul Captain of the soul Galleon ship, well he was based on the eccentric cartoonist Ronald Searle a.k.a. Ronald William Fordham Searle, CBE, RDI (3rd March, 1920 – 30th December, 2011) who was an English artist and satirical cartoonist, comics artist, sculptor, medal designer and illustrator. Ronald Searle is perhaps best remembered as the creator of St Trinian's School and for his collaboration with Geoffrey Willans on the Molesworth series and the people at PIXAR loved all his work, especially his eccentric cartoons. When Joe Gardiner and 22 go down to the New York subway, the PIXAR team love that whole scene on the subway in general, as they could add loads of different characters and especially loved adding the music busker, who is actually the Atlanta R&B musician Cody ChesnuTT who serenades Joe Gardiner and 22 while they wait for the subway train and they decided to use him as they felt he had an incredible singing voice and again they decided to feature a busker, because in reality, when you have a really hard day at work, hearing a busker sing, it tends to wash away all the stress that you might of experienced that day at work. When Joe Gardiner and the Cat enters Joe Gardiner’s Mum’s shop, they talk about the past history of when Joe Gardiner was a young child, after school he would always go to his Mum’s shop and of course Joe Gardiner’ life has been dominated by his Mum, especially with her strong attitude towards him, in always going on about getting a steady job, because eventually you get a pension when you retire, but of course in reality Joe Gardiner wanted to have the freedom to play jazz, especially on the piano at a club somewhere, but suddenly the Cat [Joe Gardiner] is whispering in Joe Gardiner’s ear to tell his Mum and to lay it on the line that he wants to be a jazz performer and not what his Mum wants him to pursue and of course his Mum is really shocked the way he is standing up to her, and suddenly his Mum realises that she has for far too long been too domineering and strict while Joe Gardiner was growing up and suddenly realises that she should let go and let Joe Gardiner pursue his dream and we see his Mum give him his Father’s blue suit. To get the feel of what a jazz club is really like, especially in New York City, Pete Docter decided to visit as many jazz clubs as possible to appreciate the atmosphere of those jazz clubs, and says, “Well someone had to do it,” and what we get to view inside a jazz club is exactly what it is like, especially if you have never visited one. When Joe Gardiner suddenly gets his soul back, and now rushes back to the Half Note Jazz Club to confront Dorothea Williams that he should ne given the job as the piano player and will take no for an answer and of course Dorothea Williams suddenly realises he is a jazz musician and the group say that they think Angela Bassett is such a wonderful actress and was so pleased the actress excepted to be in the animated film. Oh by the way, I forgot to mention that we see the Cat a.k.a 22 get its soul back and is reunited with its female owner and the friendship with Joe Gardiner is over. Anyway, back to Joe Gardiner, and confronting Dorothea Williams nd demanding to be part of the jazz ensemble and Dorothea says, “Well aren’t you an arrogant one, I guess you are a jazz player,” and of course Joe Gardiner gets to have his dream come true, to finally gets to do what he does best and be the jazz performer he has always dreamed of becoming and that it was his destiny, and eventually we get to see his Mum and her two co-workers in the audience cheering Joe Gardiner enthusiastically and finally finding out what a wonderful jazz player he is. As we get to the end of the animated film and Joe Gardiner is not going to enjoy the rest of his life in pursuing his dream, the group say they wanted with the end credits the music composition of Jon Baliste, which they thought was a perfect choice. And here is where the audio commentary ends and it was quite an interesting one and really gives you a PIXAR insight into the process of how they wants the animated film ‘SOUL’ to give the audience a wonderful journey of Joe Gardiner and 22 characters.
Sneak Peak Trailer: LUCA [2020] 1080p] [1.85:1] [1:27]
Special Feature: MAXIMIZE YOUR HOME THEATER! Here is informs us that to get the most out your Home Theater, you do it by conducting the following testes: Getting Started; Aspect Ratio and Framing; Brightness; Contrast; Gamma and Audio. The achieve 100% success, you have to use left and right arrow keys on your remote control to page through each test, so good luck!
Finally, ‘SOUL’ is another terrific outing for the brilliant PIXAR; and one that I think would probably pair very well with ‘Inside Out’ as a double feature. The image and audio here are pretty stunning and the array of extras are decently fulfilling. Disney has popped out a very top quality Blu-ray release for ‘SOUL’ and those picking it up should be plenty satisfied with their purchase. This is really great and totally amazing and it is up there with some of my all-time favourites like ‘The Incredibles’ and ‘UP.’ Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
