Soul 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Soul 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 22, 2021

Some might argue that Rock ‘n Roll is the quintessential American music form, but many more would argue for Jazz, a distinctly unique form of musical expression played from the heart and soul with a distinctly Americana flavor. Jazz music -- and the passion to play it amidst the pursuit of happiness in life -- is central to the story of Soul, the latest from Pixar that follows in the footsteps of Inside Out to explore the existential qualities of life from a familiar, yet at the same time unique, perspective. Pete Docter (Up, the aforementioned Inside Out) directs an accessible and intelligent film that follows a man, a dream, and a realization that life is more than a pursuit and living more than a dream.

Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), a man with a passion for Jazz and a classroom full of students who can’t play worth a lick, has just been offered a full-time band teacher position. His mother (voiced by Phylicia Rashad) insists that he take the job and stop with the “dead-end gigging.” But he fancies himself a Jazz pianist and has little interest in spending his days cooped up in a classroom. He wants to play. He wants to play with passion, with purpose, with soul. When he lands an audition to play with the great Dorothea Williams, he dazzles her and her bandmates. He lands the job, but no sooner does he get it, he falls into an open manhole and finds himself on a stairway to heaven. Panicked, he flees and falls into “The Great Before,” a place where young souls are granted personalities before arriving on Earth. He’s mistaken for a mentor, an ethereal being assigned to prepare these souls prior to leaving for Earth. Can Joe finagle his way back to Earth alongside one of these malleable protégés?

Maybe. He’s assigned to “22” (voiced by Tina Fey), a troubled, and troublesome, soul that wants nothing to do with Earth. 22 has been mentored by many of the great spiritual, political, and psychological minds spanning Earth’s recent history, but it’s been a no-go. She’s stubborn and refuses to finalize her training, to find her “spark” to complete her prep work for life on Earth. As the two trudge along through The Great Before, Joe eager to find a way back into his body and 22 eager to keep from falling into hers, they devise a scheme to allow Joe to return to his “pathetic,” as 22 calls it, existence while keeping her safe and happy in the Below. The plan works but Joe accidentally brings 22 back with him. She lands in his body and he falls into that of a cat. With Joe distraught and dismayed and eager to get back behind the piano and on with a life that, before his accident, was finally on the "right" track, 22 comes to realize that life on Earth may be worth living after all and may not be so eager to give Joe’s body back.

The movie remains on-message from start to finish. Joe, whose last name is, aptly, Gardener, has tilled his soul's soil and wants only to reap the harvest of a single life note: to play Jazz piano on the stage, in front of fans, to make music -- good music, not the sloppy din in the classroom -- his life. But as he experiences life through 22's eyes -- eyes which are, much like his, at first closed to the joys and pleasures and purposes of living life -- he comes to understand that living means more than pursuing a single dream, that there's purpose and pleasure in the little things, too. Conversely, 22 learns the same lessons. These are not at all disparate souls, and perhaps Joe's adventure has a hand of fate or divine intervention working in it after all (unbeknownst to the equally single-minded and singularly purpose-driven Terry [voiced by Rachel House], the "accountant" whose only concern is counting, and the "wayward" Joe makes the count off by one; this connection is not explicitly stated in the movie but it's certainly a possibility). Whether brought together by considered choice or by cosmic chance, Joe and 22 need one another; they just don't know it.

Soul is in many ways similar to Inside Out insofar as it explores the human condition from a more existential, in some ways external, but also intimate and internal, perspective. It lacks that film's emotional punch and depth, though it is certainly a satisfying journey of self discovery, stating that life is a collection of moments, a bundle of experiences, not simply a singular tunnel vision A-to-B line. Both Joe and his mother share that in common, that narrow perspective, but both approach it from different directions. Joe wants to live his dream. Mother dreams of her son living a life of simple security. But maybe, the film says, they are both wrong. Mom's safety net and Joe's dream are not goals of wasted energy. They both serve a purpose and have a place in life, but Joe, and 22, learn that existing is a three dimensional, not a flat trajectory, experience. It's a very satisfying story that, in classic Pixar fashion, blends together cutting-edge animation, witty humor, and memorable characters with meaningful storytelling. This is not Pixar's best for emotional pull -- Docter's Inside Out and Up remain the standard bearers -- but it's a well worthwhile picture that is a welcome entry into the Pixar canon.

Soul 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Disney's 2160/HDR UHD release for Soul looks terrific on its own and improves upon the Blu-ray for both color output and textural clarity. From the opening shots inside the classroom the improvements are in evidence. The blackboard's scuffs and the wear on walls and corners, the floor, all of the little details around the classroom enjoy superior definition which only allows for a tighter feel for immersion into the classroom. When the action shifts to the hallway for a moment, the UHD offers practically photoreal tile walls and other surface details. City locales, with all the dense location detail, leap off the screen with super-sharp texturing, offering a firm step forward from 1080p and bringing the absolute most from the digital animation to the screen. Where the Blu-ray allows for excellent location detail, the UHD permits fine point examination. The picture is just gorgeous for sharpness and clarity. It bears repeating just how photoreal it looks in the real-world locales. The softer, less intensely textured, but nevertheless finely nuanced Great Before delights with the UHD's ability to fine-tune the environment and the characters, be the latter two dimensional or three dimensional but the image sings even in the airy, "softer" textures that are plainly finer and more dynamic than the Blu-ray. To be sure, the UHD is not a massive upgrade. It's a solid upgrade that turns up clarity, crispness, and overall textural yield with enough gain to matter but not so much as to render the Blu-ray comparatively obsolete right out of the gate.

The HDR color spectrum is likewise a solid gain for the UHD. The palette is at once both noticeably brighter and noticeably deeper. Colors enjoy a great deal of definition and accuracy, beginning with small things like the green chalkboard in Gardner's band classroom and moving to the surreal pastels – the shades of blue and purple – that define the vast majority of the Great Before. But the colors thrive in the real world where the intensity of city colors on storefronts, in hospital rooms, and inside various shops (like Joe's mom's place) appear fully and faithfully applied to the image. The color spectrum here is also more nuanced, with slightly finer gradations, particularly in the Before. Skin tones look terrific. Black levels are perfect. Whites are brilliant. Technical maladies are nonexistent. What a stunner!

Soul 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Soul's UHD release features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The extra overhead presence in the Atmos track allows for a fuller, finer sense of airy place right after Joe finds himself ascending to the Great Beyond. The music is simple but powerful, ethereal in presentation, gently enveloping the listener fully in the notes that are at once both soothing and unsettling. The track in the aggregate enjoys all the same qualities as outlined in the review for the Blu-ray's 7.1 lossless presentation. Music is crisp and superbly defined, whether Jazz notes or general score. City din is very impressive for depth, realism, and movement, particularly in that scene when Joe and 22 escape from the hospital around the 40-minute mark. This scene enjoys a fuller presence with some discrete overhead elements (including a helicopter) and a generally finer feel for location immersion. The track is very smooth, very natural, very engaging. With its perfect dialogue output there's not much here that isn't completely sonically satisfactory.

Soul 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

It's a pleasant surprise to find that Soul includes so many extras that Disney added a dedicated second Blu-ray disc for bonus features (nothing appears on the UHD disc). With this release assuredly produced in the middle of the pandemic, it would have been easy for the studio to simply drop a couple of featurettes and call it a day, but this is a full-fledged special edition with plenty of bells and whistles. See below for supplemental reviews. This release ships with DVD and digital copies as well.

Blu-ray Disc One:

• Not Your Average Joe (1080p, 9:45): A broad selection of the talent that made the film discusses Joe's character in detail: building the character, his story seen and unseen in the film, Foxx's voice work, the importance of crew diversity in the filmmaking team in shaping an authentic character, Jon Batiste's contributions to the film, and more.
• Astral Taffy (1080p, 8:12): Building the "Soul World:" concept designs and visualizing a make-believe location, real-world design cues, and more.
• Audio Commentary: Director Pete Docter, Producer Dana Murray, and Co-Writer/Co-Director Kemp Powers share insightful technical and thematic details as well as some interesting anecdotes and asides. It's well spoken, pleasantly paced, and fully informative. Fans will find it a worthwhile listen.

Blu-ray Disc Two:

• Pretty Deep for a Cartoon (1080p, 6:29): Exploring the "steep ideas" that are a recurring theme in Docter's movies with, of course, focus on Soul. It looks at some story evolution, plot basics, and the lessons Joe and 22 learn through the film.
• Into the Zone: The Music and Sound of Soul (1080p, 8:24): As the title suggests, this piece explores the familiar, and unique, aural components to the film: what they do, how they were made and by whom, and why they were chosen for the film.
• Soul, Improvised (1080p, 6:49): Looking at how the pandemic impacted the production and moving forward in a work from home environment.
• Jazz Greats (1080p, 2:50): Several of the biggest names in Jazz share their thoughts on music and the movie.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 22:17 total runtime): Following an Introduction are the following scenes: Mentor Orientation, Clubhouse Forgery, Home Lessons, Living the Dream, and Press Shot. Scenes are presented in the very early developmental stages.
• Trailers (1080p): Included are 'Soul:' Born To Be: Global Teaser in English (1:41), 'Soul:' Chicken Soup - Global Trailer in Polish (2:21), and 'Soul:' Alive - International Trailer in Russian (2:11).

Soul 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Needless to say Soul hits all the right notes insofar as its technical pedigree is concerned. The movie looks fantastic, the voice work is top-notch, and every detail has been carefully considered. And like most all of Pixar's films, that care and concern extends to the story. This is a rich, creative exercise in exploring the human condition. It shares some narrative and design commonalities with Inside Out yet still finds its own creative voice and vision. Disney's UHD is terrific. Plenty of extras spread across two discs support top-flight 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio presentations. Very highly recommended.