I have heard the new Pixar movie 'Soul' described as more of a film for grown-ups then children. Now children will likely enjoy it, its colorful and funny, but speaks to subject matter more relevant to adults then children. It is in effect an animated movie about a mid life crises, leader character Joe is a middle aged man, single, no kids, whose life and career have not gone the way he had hoped (I can relate). It seems like that may be about to change when this middle school music teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) gets a chance to perform with a respected jazz quartet. In his delirium of excitement at nailing his audition, Joe absently mindedly walks into an open man hole.
Joe awakens as a spirt on an escalator to heaven, quickly realizing what has happened he attempts to escape, and finds himself in 'The Great Before', a pre-earth exitance in which young souls are given personalities and character traits, seek to find the spark that will bring focus to their lives, and earn an Earth pass that will allow them to be born. Mistaken as a mentor assigned to help spirits find this spark Joe get's assigned soul 22 (voice of Tina Fey) an extremely reluctant and difficult spirt who has been finding ways of avoiding being born since near the dawn of time. Joe and 22 hatch a plan where he will help her find her spark, then use her Earth pass to get back to his own body, though complication inevitably ensue.
Not the emotional gut punch I had hopped it be, along the lines of 'Wall-E', 'Up' or 'Toy Story 3', it is still a fine film with some moving moments and some great looking animation, including supernatural bureaucrats who take their look form mid 20th century modern art. It is tempting to find hints of Mormon theology in the films pre-mortal world, but I suspect there is more of Dr. Seuss's 'The Hoober-Bloob Highway' here then Joseph Smith and The Book of Abraham. Smart and reflective and most of the jokes land.***1/2
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