When it comes to a surefire thing in terms of quality, it's arguable that Pixar's work with Disney is as close to a certainty as there is.
In terms of their CV, the animation company have previously made the Toy Story films, Up, Inside Out, Coco, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and countless other modern classics but with the entire family gathered around the TV this Christmas, Disney has decided to release their latest feature, Soul, on their streaming platform, Disney +.
With COVID having a serious impact on the distribution and exhibition of films in cinemas, Disney took the unusual step to release their latest critically-acclaimed feature via Disney +, but if the early reviews are anything to go by, they've another hit on their hands.
In terms of the plot, Soul revolves around a musician who has lost his passion for music. He's then transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.
Like so many Pixar features, Soul boasts one hell of an impressive list of vocal talent with Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Richard Ayoade, Angela Bassett and more providing their voices.
Since being released, the film has garnered a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 85% on the more reliable Metacritic. For those that want a general impression of the tone that Pixar is aiming for, it's definitely more along the abstract lines of Inside Out than the more standard fare of Toy Story or Finding Nemo.
In terms of the reviews, they've been excellent with Entertainment Weekly stating that: "Soul feels easily like one of the best Pixar movies in years" while The Guardian noted that "it’s a deeply sweet, happy, gentle film."
Empire said that it's a "gorgeous and tender existential trip" while ABC believes that "it's the year's peak achievement in animation."
Elsewhere, the extremely reputable Variety and The Hollywood Reporter each gave it 5 stars.
Soul is now available to watch on Disney +.
