There hasn’t been a new Disney movie I anticipated this much since Moana. Disney Pixar’s Soul had me at hello. I couldn’t wait to see it this summer, and then well… We know what happened with COVID and all the delays pushed the release date back. Then it took the theatrical release spot of Raya and the Last Dragon (another Disney animated movie I can’t wait to see). But THAT got pushed also. 

Now, the movie I was hoping to see in theaters is set to finally get its release. Soul on Disney Plus becomes a reality this Christmas. Unlike the live action remake of Mulan, Soul will NOT have a premium price tag to watch.

I’m going to do my best to give this review with no spoilers (that isn’t hard), and without over-hyping it (THAT will be hard). And give you enough details for you to consider if Soul, a movie that touches on death, is one you want to watch with your kids, or on your own first. My two oldest will also weigh in with their Soul kids review so keep scrolling to read that!

Overall Thoughts on Soul: Disney Plus Release

I was excited when it was first announced that Soul was the first Disney Pixar film featuring a Black main character. But then I got a little nervous when I saw the trailers. Our main character falls and turns into a soul-creature. Would our Black character actually stay a Black man the whole movie, or would we have a repeat of Tiana, our first Black princess, being a frog for a majority of the film?

Well, I’m happy to say you do get to see Joe Gardner (that’s the character’s name) walking around, in his beautiful brown skin, for a majority of the film. Beyond that, it’s important to know that the movie is fast paced, and extremely deep. Like most Pixar movies it gives you a lot to think about, and you learn something new every time you watch. The shifting of dimensions and character settings give me Inside Out vibes. If you thought inside out was pleasantly complicated, wait until you see Soul.

That said, the feel-good theme makes us think about our reason for being, and reminds us to cherish every day (see why I love it so much?). Toss in the humor, jazz music, and suspenseful story, and you’ve got a winner in my book. The vibrant colors, gorgeous look at culture, and seeing so much diversity on the screen was magical, and something we’ve never seen Disney do like this.

I’m really going to have to publish another post with WHY I love it so much (update here it is!) because I don’t want to give anything away. But in vague terms, it talks about our personalities, what makes each of us so unique, and how gratitude is SO important but easy to forget. How life is so easily taken advantage of and why it’s so important to slow down and enjoy the little things. It’s truly the movie we need in 2020, and a movie I think will continue to influence and change lives for years to come. Outside of my review, here are 6 lessons I learned from Soul.

Soul has easily climbed its way into my top 5 Pixar movies, perhaps even in my top 3. Keep reading to see where my kids place it. But first, speaking of kids, here’s a bit you may want to know before turning it on with them.

Is Soul Scary for Kids? 

As you’ve probably gathered from the trailers, Soul features death and the afterlife. Some people have shared some of their concerns for the movie possibly crossing religious lines because of this theme. Though Soul does touch on death (in a very non-violent way–As you can see in the previews, he falls) it doesn’t cross into the topic of “Heaven.” The afterlife depicted is very vague and doesn’t follow any one particular religion. A fact I found to be beautiful in and of itself.

There is a whole metaphysical world in the “great before” as well as a spiritual realm for people “in the zone”. All of these different “worlds” and ways of exploring them can be extremely challenging for young kids to follow, but so rewarding when you watch it again and again and begin to understand (good thing it’s on Disney+ so it’ll be easy to do that!). 

As far as language warnings go, there’s one scene with the word “Hell” and another scene that uses the word “Hellish”.  

As far as being a scary movie or not, Soul does have a couple of scenes with big dark noisy creatures that could be scary to some little kids. I think more so in a loud, dark theater and perhaps less so in the comfort of your own home. None of my three kids (2, 7 and 10) were frightened. 

My kids all loved it even more the second time through, and had several laughs. Be prepared to pause, rewind, and answer questions. It’s a GREAT movie for family discussions. 

Ok, now on to my kids’ reviews!

Wondering how your tastes in movies compare to ours? Here are some of our other Disney movie reviews:

• Onward Movie Review
• Mulan Movie Review
• Frozen 2 Movie Review
• Maleficent 2 Movie Review
• Aladdin Movie Review

Disney Pixar Soul Kids Review

Here’s what my 10-year-old daughter and Disney critic has to say about Soul.

Q: What did you think of the movie?

A: There are a lot of deep details -big details, it makes you think a lot. It was kind of confusing because if you missed some parts it’s hard to follow along. I didn’t and it was hard for me to follow along the first time. 

Q: So did you like it?

A: It was good but there were a lot of big deep details so it made it a little confusing. It had a lot of meaning and gave you a lot to think about so you’d be thinking about one thing and then it switches and you’re still thinking about the other thing and it’s sometimes hard to catch up. I liked it better when they’re on earth. 

Q: What was the funniest part to you? 

A: When they were pooping the pizza. 

Q: You liked it more the 2nd time you saw it, why? 

A: I feel like I notice more parts and it seemed funnier. 

Q: Would you recommend it to your friends? 

A: Yes. I recommend this movie to 8 and up. Because it was a little confusing and I’m really good at comprehending 

Q: What lesson did you learn? 

A: That you need to pay attention to life more, instead of rushing to do what you want, enjoy it more.

Q: What do you think is your spark? 

A: Acting or cheer 

Q: Who would you recommend this movie to? 

A: People like you and me. 

Q: What do you mean by that? 

A: People who like learning about how you get your personalities and things like that. 

Q: Do you think it’s for other kids? 

A: Yea, I think it’ll just be more meaningful for people who are into that. You just really get it and it’s your kind of movie. 

Q: Did you think it was scary?

A: No, just kinda depressing at the end because she was saying bad things about herself. 

Q: Would you want to watch it again? 

A: Yea. 

Q: How would you rank it compared to other Disney movies? 

A: I like Toy Story more, and Onward too but I like this more than Incredibles 2 and Wall-E and Coco, and more than Brave. I just think it’s really funny. 

7-year-old review of Soul

Q: What did you think of Soul? 

A: Yes! I loved it! 

Q: Why? 

A: There’s lots of funny parts. 

Q: Would you recommend it to your friends? 

A: Of course! 

Q: What would you tell them to prepare for the movie? 

A: I’d tell them there’s lots of funny parts. 

Q: You liked it more the 2nd time you saw it, why? 

A: I liked it more the 2nd time because I forgot some parts. 

Q: What was the funniest part to you? 

A: Great question! It’s either where the basketball player is in the zone or where the guy throws the computers. 

Q: What lesson did you learn? 

A: It made me want to like pizza!

Q: What do you think is your spark? 

A: Animals, learning about animals and liking animals. 

Q: Who would you recommend this movie to?

A: Probably my friends.

Q: Did you think it was scary? 

A: No, for Lee Lee? Probably. 

Q: Would you want to watch it again? 

Ty: Sometime, it depends when. 

Q: Any age you’d recommend for it? 

A: Any age. I think it would be funny for little kids. 

Q: How would you rank it compared to other Disney movies? 

A: I like Soul more than Toy Story. More than Onward? That’s a good question. They are both pretty cool. I would guess Soul is more funnier but Onward has more magic stuff. It’s close but the winner is Onward. I like Soul more than Coco. It’s my 2nd favorite after Onward, Incredibles 2 is my 3rd favorite. 

Other things to look for:

Lots of easter eggs in this movie. We say Remy (or perhaps one of his relatives) from Ratatouille, the pizza planet truck, Axiom ship from WALL-E, keep your eyes peeled in the “hall of everything” for lots of easter eggs. 

My kids always wait until the very end to see if there’s an end-credit scene. There is a tiny end credit scene. Not really a scene. More like a line. 

Remember to catch Disney Pixar’s Soul on Disney Plus December 25th! And if you’re looking for other diverse movies to watch on Disney+ check out my post with 21 movies to watch on Disney+ for Black History Month and beyond.

Tags: movie reviews, pixar, pixar movie reviews