Latest Pixar/Disney animation boasts a lot of ‘Soul’

Above : A scene from the Pixar/Disney animated film “Soul.” (Photo: Disney Studios)

Movie review : “Soul,” directed by Pete Docter, featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett. Streaming on Disney+.

Ever since it introduced us to a frisky lamp in the 1986 animated short “Luxo Jr.,” Pixar has made a point out of bringing a range of non-human objects to life. And not just to life but as actual characters whose purpose is to explore the very essence of existence.

Think of Woody and Buzz Lightyear of the “Toy Story” films. Or Lightning McQueen of the “Cars” franchise. Or the terminally cute garbage-collector robot “Wall-E.”

“Soul,” the latest animated Pixar production, is a bit different. It centers on a human protagonist, Joe, who dreams of achieving fame as a jazz pianist. Stuck in a job as a middle-school music teacher, Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx ) gets the chance to perform as part of a popular jazz quartet – and his dreams seem about to come true.

That, though, is where the more familiar Pixar plot mechanics show up. Because in a twist of fate, Joe – caught up in the euphoria of sudden success – finds himself instead on a pathway to, well, oblivion … or, as we are told, “the Great Beyond.” The victim of a supremely untimely accident, Joe nevertheless refuses to accept his fate, and he battles his way back to Earth, intent on living out what he considers to be his big musical opportunity.

How that happens is where the movie steps into the fantasy world that is traditional Pixar/Disney. Directed and co-written by Pete Docter – the man at the helm of such popular Pixar productions as “Up,” Monsters, Inc.” and “Inside Out” – “Soul” tells a tale that not only features a non-human character – and, indeed, a yet-to-be-born character – but it also follows the body-switching formula of the three Disney adaptations of the children’s novel “Freaky Friday.”

See, because of Joe stepping into an open manhole, he ends up in the hospital. But his essence – his soul, as the title indicates – ends up congregating with countless others on a heavenly path. So while his mortal self lies in a hospital bed mingling with we’re told is a therapy cat, his soul fights to get back home.

This brings him in contact with a few soul counselors, who end up assigning him as a guide to the unborn entity known only as 22 (voiced by Tina Fey ). And 22 does need help, their as-yet ungendered self never having found the “spark” that will tempt them to transform into something completely human and seek an existence on Earth.

Once Joe and 22 agree to partner up, they encounter Moonwind (voiced by Graham Norton ), who in one incarnation travels through a zone of lost souls and yet in another is a long-haired guy who works twirling an advertising sign in front of a local business. Through Moonwind’s help, Joe and 22 find themselves back on the streets of New York – though this is where the “Freaky Friday” similarities come in: 22 ends up in a healthy version of Joe’s body, while Joe himself ends up in the body of the therapy cat.

The trick then is for 22 to come to some sort of appreciation of life, while Joe-the-cat finds a way to get 22-as-Joe to the audition that will, he hopes, change his life. This becomes the challenge once 22 gets introduced to the smell, and taste, of New York pizza, the Mount Everest of epicurean hedonism.

And, oh, meanwhile, a heavenly accountant named Terry – who has figured out that Joe’s soul in missing – comes after them, determined to set his accounts straight.

If this all sounds a bit much, well, it is. Besides not always making clear sense, much of the plotline that Docter and his team – including co-director Kemp Powers and screenwriter Mike Jones – have concocted is likely to fly right over the head of younger viewers, especially those parts that involves the story’s deeper examination of consciousness.

That, though, is no commentary on the efforts of Fox, Fey, Norton or any of the other vocal talents, which include Alice Braga and Richard Ayoade as a couple of soul counselors, Phylicia Rashad as Joe’s mother and Angela Bassett as the sax player whom Joe wants so very much to impress. Yet even more impressive is the production’s animation, the level of which shows just how much Pixar movies improve with every release.

Whether we’re talking about the facial expressions of Joe, the look and feel of a jazz club, the portrayal of Joe’s trek through his off-Earthly adventures, or just the soft glow of sunlight on a falling leaf, “Soul” shows just how far state-of-the-art animation has advanced.

How good is it? Good enough probably to make even Luxo Jr. jump for joy.

This review was broadcast previously on Spokane Public Radio.