Soul [Pixar]

pixelburp · 13-03-2020 10:26pm #1

So this looks more like the Pixar we know and love; creative, with a unique aesthetic and what looks like some deep, human themes going on. Loving the look of the afterlife, really quite striking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP5C1OSSEOo

JP Liz V1 · 08-10-2020 11:44pm

Pixar's Soul gets Christmas premiere on Disney+ (no cinema release)

gmisk · 09-10-2020 12:02pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Pixar's Soul gets Christmas premiere on Disney+ (no cinema release)

Obviously mulan did well enough for them to do this.
Not good news for cinemas

Agent Coulson · 09-10-2020 12:08pm

gmisk wrote: »

Obviously mulan did well enough for them to do this.
Not good news for cinemas

This one is on normal sub not VOD like Mulan.

pixelburp · 09-10-2020 12:14pm

It's not surprising, but a shame all the same to see Pixar "relegated" to VOD. There's more to it than that but just leaves an itch all the same

homerun_homer · 09-10-2020 12:22pm

pixelburp wrote: »

It's not surprising, but a shame all the same to see Pixar "relegated" to VOD. There's more to it than that but just leaves an itch all the same

Sad indeed but they are likely not confident enough in it being a new film, not a remake or featuring known characters and fear it would bomb by releasing it at a price.

Fysh · 09-10-2020 3:37pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Pixar's Soul gets Christmas premiere on Disney+ (no cinema release)

Aw booo (and not boo-urns, either!)

johnny_ultimate · 09-10-2020 3:42pm

If anything, I think this going straight to standard Disney+ indicates that Mulan’s VOD release wasn’t a rousing success.

Either that or it’s a very expensive Christmas marketing play for the service. Eating the cost of a new Pixar film is quite the thing.

kerplun k · 09-10-2020 3:46pm

Very worrying seeing where this is all headed. I’d actually prefer PPV over this. I’m really hoping things start to change in early 2021. I think Tenet was a red flag for a lot of studios, but fair play to Warner Bros for giving it a go.

santana75 · 09-10-2020 4:37pm

kerplun k wrote: »

Very worrying seeing where this is all headed. I’d actually prefer PPV over this. I’m really hoping things start to change in early 2021. I think Tenet was a red flag for a lot of studios, but fair play to Warner Bros for giving it a go.

Ultimately I think Tenet will be ok. When the world returns to normal Im sure Warners will give it another spin at the multiplexes. When that'll happen is anyones guess at this point but I think Tenet will do good business when all is said and done.

pixelburp · 09-10-2020 5:26pm

Impossible to know beyond biased speculation but I'd wonder if Disney would have been so quick to dump this on Disney+ had it been one of Pixar's more noted cash-cows.

s8n · 10-10-2020 7:00pm

looks like a huge amount of fun if stoned !!

pixelburp · 15-10-2020 11:52am

A new, story trailer popped up post the Disney+ "relegation"; looks gorgeous, such a shame this won't be enjoyed on the cinema screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs--6c7Hn_A

S.M.B. · 15-10-2020 12:28pm

That does look stunning and I can now sympathise with those frustrated they won't be seeing it on the big screen.

I'm super curious how Trent Reznor & Atticus Rose are going to soundtrack all this?

I have high top tier pixar hopes for this.

S.M.B. · 15-10-2020 6:47pm

I now see that it screened last Sunday as part of the London Film Festival which I was completely unaware of even though I looked through the programme to see if anything would tempt me out to the cinema

On the plus side, The Guardian just gave it 5 stars which is how I stumbled across the above news.

5 star review + the above trailer = peak pixar expectations

Dades · 16-10-2020 11:18am

The city life animation looks amazing.

S.M.B. · 26-12-2020 12:06pm

Feels like Pete Docter attempted to reverse engineer my ideal Pixar movie and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, and there are some stunning moments, I am not quite sure if it hits that very high bar of 5 star Pixar perfection.

Not sure if it quite nails the Pixar challenge of balancing the more abstract metaphysical concepts with the standard family movie side of things but they're really pushing themselves with regards to the former here.

Will be curious to see if a second viewing elevates it to a place amongst their best. In saying that it could be my favourite pixar of the past 10 years.

Toeuptony · 26-12-2020 12:21pm

S.M.B. wrote: »

Feels like Pete Docter attempted to reverse engineer my ideal Pixar movie and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, and there are some stunning moments, I am not quite sure if it hits that very high bar of 5 star Pixar perfection.

Not sure if it quite nails the Pixar challenge of balancing the more abstract metaphysical concepts with the standard family movie side of things but they're really pushing themselves with regards to the former here.

Will be curious to see if a second viewing elevates it to a place amongst their best. In saying that it could be my favourite pixar of the past 10 years.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie I have to say, but I agree that it doesn't seem quite up there with the best from Pixar.

You could see the influence of Docter on the story and concepts and the design of some of the Great Before characters reminded me a lot of Inside Out. I really enjoyed the escalator sequences and the stark use of the monochrome coupled with a great soundtrack from Reznor and Ross.

santana75 · 26-12-2020 8:12pm

Watched this yesterday and I absolutely loved it. It was funny, sharp, warm, deep and meaningful. This is the type of film that restores faith in cinema.

flazio · 26-12-2020 11:50pm

I wasn't all that impressed if I'm honest. Slight spoilers ahead.

OK, so Joe falls down a hole and essentially dies. His soul then starts its journey into "the light" Joe does some things and comes back to life in a therapy cat with a new soul in his body. He then goes to his barbers and his mother's alteration shop and we are supposed to believe that nobody had been told he was in hospital, never mind actually dies. That just took me out of the story to be honest.

stesaurus · 27-12-2020 12:31am

flazio wrote: »

I wasn't all that impressed if I'm honest. Slight spoilers ahead.

OK, so Joe falls down a hole and essentially dies. His soul then starts its journey into "the light" Joe does some things and comes back to life in a therapy cat with a new soul in his body. He then goes to his barbers and his mother's alteration shop and we are supposed to believe that nobody had been told he was in hospital, never mind actually dies. That just took me out of the story to be honest.

It's mentioned at the hospital scene about trying to notify a next if kin. Maybe they didn't find any ID on him.

I enjoyed it but it just didn't feel like a proper Pixar movie for me. Odd. I wouldn't be rushing to rewatch it.

Mr Crispy · 27-12-2020 1:27am

Not top tier Pixar, but I enjoyed it far more than Onward which I watched the day before. I'd happily watch it again.

johnny_ultimate · 27-12-2020 2:21pm

I felt it suffered from adhering too much to Pixar’s familiar ‘house style’. They push themselves visually a bit here with the more abstract characters and settings which was great to see. But that stuff feels cordoned off in its own little narrative plain, and the rest is business as usual - cute little Inside Out cartoon characters, wacky talking animals etc...

It’s all fairly pleasant and enjoyable, but it definitely pulls its punches - especially at the end.

Joe being sent back to earth felt like a cheap cop out - an extra happy ending that undermined what was already a fairly heartwarming and confident concluding note.

It’s yet another Pixar movie stuck in the now overly familiar odd couple buddy movie mold, despite some more grounded, low-key aspirations in the way it portrays Joe’s every day life.

It’s immensely watchable, confidently made and a perfectly charming watch on its modest terms. But the way it pushes against some of Pixar’s tropes and visual ideas makes me wish they’d leaned far further in to those strengths than they actually do. In the end, it’s yet another Pixar movie that’s just about good enough, but like most of their films in the last 10 years there’s a distinct lack of that extra spark they once reliably delivered.

pixelburp · 27-12-2020 8:10pm

Literally just finished it, so my first instinct is to say this was MUCH better than Onward (which felt like a DreamWorks flick that snuck into the slush pile), and while it kept reminding me of Inside Out, that existential, emotionally grounded quality made it feel more like a Pixar movie.

I'd agree Johnny that the ending tried to give everyone a happy ending - but then not to would have undermined the character revelations too so *shrug* and while I also agree that perhaps there's a sense of the rote with these latter-day Pixar flicks... it's not a bad production line either. B grade Pixar still towers over a lot of mainstream animation.

And special mention for the quality of the real world stuff. The photo realism is incredible to behold - while the Great Before showed some fantastic creativity.

gmisk · 31-12-2020 4:58pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I felt it suffered from adhering too much to Pixar’s familiar ‘house style’. They push themselves visually a bit here with the more abstract characters and settings which was great to see. But that stuff feels cordoned off in its own little narrative plain, and the rest is business as usual - cute little Inside Out cartoon characters, wacky talking animals etc...

It’s all fairly pleasant and enjoyable, but it definitely pulls its punches - especially at the end.
Joe being sent back to earth felt like a cheap cop out - an extra happy ending that undermined what was already a fairly heartwarming and confident concluding note.
It’s yet another Pixar movie stuck in the now overly familiar odd couple buddy movie mold, despite some more grounded, low-key aspirations in the way it portrays Joe’s every day life.

It’s immensely watchable, confidently made and a perfectly charming watch on its modest terms. But the way it pushes against some of Pixar’s tropes and visual ideas makes me wish they’d leaned far further in to those strengths than they actually do. In the end, it’s yet another Pixar movie that’s just about good enough, but like most of their films in the last 10 years there’s a distinct lack of that extra spark they once reliably delivered.

I don't disagree entirely with what you are saying, but i must admit I felt emotionally engaged by it, Much better than onward imo.
I will say I am not sure a lot of "kids" will really engage with it, but I admire Pixar's ambition.

I think that's harsh when it comes to their output in the last 10 years, the output is definitely not as consistent but they still produce some truly excellent stuff, I adored Coco and some of their recent shorts are fantastic (e.g kitbull or bao)

Dades · 01-01-2021 2:05am

I enjoyed this. although my kids were ambivalent. It looked absolutely fantastic, both the real and after/before worlds. Maybe the kids found it hard to relate to a middle age musician, despite the presence of a talking cat.

To compare it to a better movie, the trip through the afterlife in Coco had something very, very emotional at stake, and the payoff at the end was absolute gold.

ThePott · 04-01-2021 1:28pm

Did a video review if anyone wants to see my full thoughts on the film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGJJeIreiS4

Briefly though, I thought it was a really great film, the animation was stunning and it was certainly better than some of Pixar's recent efforts, Onward in particular. I didn't find it massively funny or entertaining but it was a very touching film, not sure what kids will get out of it.

pixelburp · 04-01-2021 1:46pm

Fair play ThePott for threading your views together and putting it out there on YouTube; this just for funsies or is it part of a Global Domination plan?

ThePott · 04-01-2021 2:29pm

pixelburp wrote: »

Fair play ThePott for threading your views together and putting it out there on YouTube; this just for funsies or is it part of a Global Domination plan?

Global domination is a ways off haha. I just do it for fun.
I wouldn't want to just post my videos and angle for clicks, I mostly just post it if people want my more in-depth thoughts but leave my general consensus in the comment.

Don't think I'll have many more reviews for quite a while with the world the way it is anyway :pac:

Mitch Connor · 04-01-2021 4:11pm

Disappointed with this. Found it interesting, but not entertaining.

Felt like there was a different movie originally, and the redraft didn't work with whatever changed.

Thought there was a number of interesting elements that were not fleshed out, or dealt with disappointingly.

The line between love and obsession - the stock trader was a funny little joke, but lacks thought.

The general arc of the main character was confusing - I'm not sure what lesson they learned was, really, when it focused so much on what your 'spark' is, without really diving in to it.

I thought it was going to tell us that while Joe loved music, igniting passion in people and seeing it spark was going to be his spark - but while it is maybe touched on, for a brief moment, it is not really hit home so I don't think that is it

If the message is chasing your dreams will come at the expense of living life... I don't think that is a good message at all.

I actually think Onward had a much stronger story and the final piece of that story was way more satisfying and understandable than I saw here.

Chipotle · 05-01-2021 11:23pm

I really liked this movie, another gem from Pixar and the central message was brilliant. Life itself is the gift, don't lose connection to life.

Mark Hamill · 09-01-2021 8:51pm

Mitch Connor wrote: »

The line between love and obsession - the stock trader was a funny little joke, but lacks thought.

In what way?

Mitch Connor wrote: »

The general arc of the main character was confusing - I'm not sure what lesson they learned was, really, when it focused so much on what your 'spark' is, without really diving in to it.
I thought it was going to tell us that while Joe loved music, igniting passion in people and seeing it spark was going to be his spark - but while it is maybe touched on, for a brief moment, it is not really hit home so I don't think that is it

If the message is chasing your dreams will come at the expense of living life... I don't think that is a good message at all.

The message is that your spark isn't your purpose. People don't have predestined purposes, they just have their own souls and personalities, and the things that spark interest and joy for them.

Mitch Connor · 09-01-2021 11:31pm

Mark Hamill wrote: »

In what way?

The message is that your spark isn't your purpose. People don't have predestined purposes, they just have their own souls and personalities, and the things that spark interest and joy for them.

The stock trader completely changes his life in an instant. I don't think it fits.

They had previously shown souls finding their spark doing archery. The message on the spark was not clear. The 2d characters almost explained something... But just kinda laughed at the main character then moved on with out explaining why he was wrong.

Chipotle · 10-01-2021 9:26pm

Mitch Connor wrote: »

The stock trader completely changes his life in an instant. I don't think it fits.

They had previously shown souls finding their spark doing archery. The message on the spark was not clear. The 2d characters almost explained something... But just kinda laughed at the main character then moved on with out explaining why he was wrong.

The trader changed his life because he got reconnected to life. I presume he no longer wanted to spend his precious time on Earth staring at numbers on a screen.

Mark Hamill · 11-01-2021 2:36pm

Mitch Connor wrote: »

The stock trader completely changes his life in an instant. I don't think it fits.

I think it was just a little hyperbole to get across the point in the few seconds allocate for the point/joke. I don't think it needed a full 5 minute sequence showing how him being taken out of his obsession would snowball into him eventually changing his life into something completely different.

Mitch Connor wrote: »

They had previously shown souls finding their spark doing archery. The message on the spark was not clear. The 2d characters almost explained something... But just kinda laughed at the main character then moved on with out explaining why he was wrong.

They did explain why he was wrong, by laughing at the notion that your spark is your purpose. That explains that it is not. And it is in realising that that Joe then goes on to promise live his life better at the end. He is going to enjoy his life and his spark without letting that spark become an obsession with him That obsession with his spark damaged his relationship with his mother in the past, as well as keep him distant from other possible relationships e.g. not knowing his amazing barber never actually wanted to be a barber because he never actually spoke to him.
Because that is the point. Your spark is not your purpose and Joe constantly being obsessed with it was supposed to be his mistake.

Goodshape · 11-01-2021 3:38pm

I'd barely realised that this got released and knew almost nothing about it before a friend recommended I watch it. Thought the last few Pixar movies had been well below par, so hadn't been paying attention.

I LOVED this film. Can't imagine it'll be much of a children's favourite, but for the adults I think it nailed some really great concepts and spiritual ideas about life and it's place in the scheme of things.

And it sounds and looks fantastic. Would have been great to hear in a cinema.

Mitch Connor wrote: »

If the message is chasing your dreams will come at the expense of living life... I don't think that is a good message at all.

The message is that life does not need "A Purpose". Life is there to be loved - from the taste of pizza to the helicopter seed. There are sparks, and passions, and persuits... but don't let them stand in the way of life.

Great film.

PressRun · 16-01-2021 9:07pm

Thought this was fantastic. Loved the messaging.

Very existential though and could see the kids not entirely getting it. Jazz is not the most accessible genre of music for children either, but I thought the music scenes in particular were wonderful.

yourdeadwright · 18-01-2021 6:06pm

Watched it with my daughter she wasn't interested at all but I thought it was brilliant,
As someone said I don't think this will hit the right spot with the children

pixelburp · 18-01-2021 6:15pm

Makes sense this isn't playing well with children; this is, as far as I recall, the first Pixar film with a very adult-specific theme behind it. Amounting to "Middle Age Crisis: an Animated Tale"

ShineOn7 · 18-01-2021 6:57pm

Really nice film and very aesthetically easy on the eye

The final few seconds gave me a big smile

santana75 · 18-01-2021 7:02pm

I suspect that this will have "legs" so to speak. It seems to be getting good word of mouth. I reckon the kids who are bored with it now will watch it again in 15 years time and be blown away.

Soul [Pixar]

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