Soul Should Be Nominated For Best Picture 

Something I’m surprised you didn’t bring up was 22. It was honestly pretty heart warming to see someone who uses apathy as protection from her insecurities and doubt actually become excited about the world through personal experience and being able to figure things out on her own terms.

In an ideal world, both "Soul" and "Wolfwalkers" would be nominated. Those movies both pushed the medium of animation forward, and broadened what it was fundamentally possible to do with it. Both movies were among the highest-rated films of the year, told truly compelling deep stories, and showed why animation has so much potential to explore the abstract and the expressionist and the poetry of motion and the line in a way that live-action fundamentally can't.

I almost feel ashamed calling this video "some of your best work" because you've done so many incredible animated explainers and pieces in the past - but in terms of writing? This is some of your best work. You synthesized so much of the meaning of this movie in a way I never could. I went into the video thinking "yeah, I loved the movie, but it doesn't deserve best picture." You changed my mind. And I loved the This Is Water tie.

Well, off the bat it's obvious that the Academy already recognises animation isn't intended just for kids, having nominated mature animated features like Persepolis, Anomalisa, Loving Vincent, and I Lost My Body. That being said, it would be nice if the animation wasn't boxed away as if it was its own genre. Also, I'd argue that Soul's exploration into adult themes apply greater to children. Since 22 is essentially a neurodivergent child who doesn't have a place in life because her past mentors all tried and failed to teach her about life in traditional ways and give up on her, and only finds her spark when Joe (inadvertently) teaches in an unconventional way. It is good for adults to listen and understand as well, but Soul (like Inside Out before it), give lessons most important to kids.

I think this my favourite channel on youtube.

It's criminal you don't have more views. Soul was a very impactful film to me and you reflected the reasons why beautifully.

I'd argue that Wolfwalkers deserves a nomination too.

Your talk of the powers of abstraction reminded of this Picasso quote “We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth”. Another great video!

“One thing about which fish know exactly nothing is water, since they have no anti-environment which would enable them to perceive the element they live in.” ― Marshall McLuhan, War and Peace in the Global Village

If only the academy cared about animation. Ah well no one cares about the academy anyway.

I could watch positive video essays about "Soul" for the next year and never get tired of them. I'm so happy I found this one, it was beautiful, thank you so much.

Amazing video. Thank you for all the work you put into them!

There’s another animated I feel that’s just as deserving to be nominated or Best Picture as Soul! Cartoon Saloon’s newest film Wolfwalkers is one of the most beautiful, emotional, engaging and expressive motion pictures I’ve seen since Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse, from the first frame to the very end it glues my attention and makes the animation feel a beautiful half of a greater whole with the other being the story that’s made so effective because of its expressive imagery! And I agree with what makes Soul so special!

Hey man, I was honestly browsing through your channel to see if there was any new videos. Thanks for making my day.

honestly the cinematography slaps, first Toy Story 4 & their Split Diopter Shot & innovative emulation & digital recreation of lenses & now Soul flexing it's Spherical lenses, been looking forward to this unbiased approach to cinematography & ignoring the fact that it's an animated film

I love that you only mention Don Hertzfeldt. Make people who don't know him curious, and fall as far down that rabbit hole as possible 🖤

I appreciate your analysis. Made me see some things in a different light.

I freaking adore this channel. Keep up the beautiful work

"What better movie you honor with at least a nomination than Soul?" Uh, Wolfwalkers. I know most people didn't bother to get an Apple TV+ free trial so they could watch it, but that film was far and away the best animation had to offer last year. And, as always happens with the Academy, it'll get swept under the rug and ignored by the latest above-average Pixar film. So it went with Fantastic Mr. Fox and Coraline, How to Train Your Dragon, Paranorman, Song of the Sea and The Lego Movie, Ernest & Celestine, Anomalisa, and so on. At first it was mostly just the Academy who didn't bother to watch all of the best animated films before making their decision, but apparently this year that applies to the viewers as well.

i just discovered your channel and im so happy i did, for once, thank you youtube algorithm for suggesting such high quality content!

Thanks for this wonderful review.

Based on the premise of this video, I'd really encourage the host to check out "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud, especially the first chapter. Scott delves into the qualities of cartooning and how something less realistic can become more sympathetic, and even examines the role of truth when looking at the real and the symbolic on a spectrum.

Yes. Thank you for expressing my thoughts so well :)

I hear one word: the mundane. Reminds me of a video pointing to a painting of a barn. It's not grandiose, but the artist gave it a worth by painting it, saying "it's the simple things". The eating shot at 7:36 is what hits home for me. I think 22's spark was pizza.

Soul made me cry tears. It hit me right in the feels

Pete Doctor is the Paul Thomas Anderson of Pixar

It not only should've been nominated, it should've won. This movie is a masterpiece of storytelling and expression. I love animated films, and I've never had any difficulty suspending my disbelief to let the story in; but, this one hit me like a ton of bricks from every direction. It is, IMO, about as close to perfect as a movie can get.

Two minutes and one second into this video and I already hit the thumbs up. Great video!

God bless David Foster Wallace. May he rest in peace.

beautiful video essay for a beautiful film

Could you do a video about film recommendations that filmmakers should watch please!!! Like I wanna be a filmmaker and I watch films but I don’t know how films can teach about film making. So please make a video on the topic please.

my first thought when seeing the jerry's was that it reminded me of the "finder" icon on Mac OS. which adds to them in a whole different way

Finally someone says it. I also think it should be nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Score

Great essay. I agree Soul should be nominated. I wish it could have had is day in theaters too. The score also deserves nomination.

whats the name of the music played at the end?

The Zone zone reminds me of The Room Temperature room from community

1:20 Wolfwalkers!

I can see why you would compare it to the it’s a wonderful life to soul

Wolfwalkers in my opinion deserves the nom more the way wolfwalkers manages to portray the struggle of identity in a world built on imperialism, war and capitalism is breathtaking and the animation was obviously flawless as well

not that there's been a lot of major release competition, but sure.. closest competitor maybe Uncle Frank. Would be amazing if a animated movie finally won.

I agree. Soul is the best 2020 film I’ve seen so far. Minari is a close 2nd.

Congratulations!

I think the biggest thing about this movie is when you really want something, achieve it, but don't even stop to think about what it took to get you there. You can achieve and/or be doing, what you think, is the biggest thing in your life, but then realize, there's still more to life after. I think it's important to reach for the stars, but don't let it be the only thing you want to do. Maybe take it slow and think about what it is you're doing now at this very moment. You'll get there, but try to keep it mind all the things you do, all the people you come across, all the ups and downs it took for you to reach that point in your life, because it's nice to appreciate the little things in between.

Omg I caught one of your vids early 😻

Yeah I’m going to go watch soul

I don't hate soul but I feel like I'm the only person who thinks it's just average

I hope the music also gets nominated. I'm crying while you do your ad plug because you left that track on 😅

Perfect Videography,yes that is the best

8:25 what's the name of the song?

I didn't enjoy Soul as much as inside out but this is an excellent video

100% agree.

The Royal Ocean Film Society: Soul should be nominated for Best Picture. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: You got it bud.

How could anybody dislike this video. Have they no...SOUL?

4:32 Can you imagine? That would be equally bizarre and amazing. I'm not saying he should direct a film with Pixar, but stranger things have happened. If Jerry Seinfeld can write an animated Dreamworks film, anything is possible.

0:44 seconds in and I already agreeing to all of your words.

I wholeheartedly agree. Easily one of the best movies to come out of 2020!

It should’ve been nominated for best original screenplay too

I really enjoyed Soul, but I'm Thinking of Ending Things or Sound of Metal are my picks for best picture. But, we all know that a boring film is going to win.

Great video! I loved this animation! 😊 About "Nebula" i didn't like the upside down pentagram which is never random and has strong symbolism.. Just saying..

Saw the title and immediately clicked. I watched Soul a few days ago, and was blown away. Easily one of the best films of 2020, and absolutely deserving of at least a nomination. Other animation films like Beauty and the Beast, Up and Toy Story 3 have been nominated, so should this.

This was was the perfect year for an animated picture to be nominated or even win because not many movies were released and Soul was in the top five best movies of the year.

You forgot wolfwalkers

This movie is beautiful. I loved it

I forgot about Herge. I remember reading TinTin comics as a kid and always laughed at the name Herge lol I thought it was funny for some reason although I thought it was pronounced her-guh not her-jay

Pixar is often so awesome (and Disney Animation manages this too at times) because they aren't making a "kids movie" or a "teen movie" or an "adult movie" (or that old crutch of a "kids movie with hidden adult humour"), they make a human movie. They make films with a rich story that works on all levels, from the fun to the fantastical to the inventive to the profound, and all in between. They refuse to get caught up in self-siloing and limit what they're out to make, and instead reach deep to produce beautiful stories that touch and move and inspire.

This is a great examination of the finer points of this film. Unfortunately I feel like a lot of it gets washed out on a first viewing due to clichés like the body switch comedy. It pushes some bounds, but the shackles of convention aren't fully left off this flick. I wanted to like it more than I did and this essay really validates the things I enjoyed about it

Maybe the real spark was the friends we made along the way :^) Maybe it's not the destination that matters, but the journey :^)

Soul was an intellectually and amazing lovely film

I find it comforting that a lot of people in this comment section are saying that Soul is overrated. I was also quite disappointed when i watched it. To be fair I don't really like the direction that pixar has taken since Up. At least i have the feeling that Up, Inside out and Soul are in a limbo between movies for children and for adults, and they don't get commited with the message they want to transmit. They end up being mild and clichee. Films like Ratatouille or Wall-e are definitely for a younger audience, and in my opinion they still give more insight in their topics and worlds. I don't mean that the new films are bad. They are good films, but i don't think they deserve the praise they get 😞

Can you please talk about “ meet the feebles”

It will

Maybe I could make a movie like soul.

Soul was amazing. I think your enjoyment of the film depends quite a lot upon your personal interests. For me, I'm a Philosophy student, so Soul spoke to me deeply. Perhaps if you're not interested in more adult Pixar films, this one won't have bothered you.

Lupin the third and Wolfwalkers also deserve a nomination

I honestly think the movie had so many structural problems and missed opportunites. I thought the worlds were just scraped, the logic of the afterlife lacked depth and so many themes felt dropped. His role as a teacher didn't seem to matter to him ever, even though it's in every aspect of what he does. The realization of the fact that there isn't just one spark should have absolutely been combined with the Zone when he returns to earth in the end.

Sound of Metal should be nominated!

The Oscars: no I don’t think i will

I don’t know if it deserves to be nominated anymore. It’s a great film, don’t get me wrong, but certain elements are holding it back from being a masterpiece. Its worlds and ideas have a surface-level appeal and sense of complexity to them, but in my opinion they weren’t as developed as I would have liked. The buddy comedy element has been done to death already in Pixar movies, and so its presence here in Soul cuts into the film’s originality. And lastly, the ending felt rushed and because of that unsatisfying. I respect different opinions, but those are my own

Well well well

I wish I liked "Soul" more than I did. The animation is top-tier, well-funded and well thought out. The performances are stellar. It comes loaded with ideas. But I think it gets weighed down by some odd choices. Especially in how it chooses to depict Black people. There were a couple great articles about it, written by people who can speak better to it: www.polygon.com/movies/2021/1/24/22246929/pixar-soul-black-character-22-passing-narrative and www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/pixars-troubled-soul Also, I had this odd reaction to how Joe's big epiphany comes after the gig and he's like, "That's it?" Yet, he's constantly auditioning and gigging, enough his mom uses it as a way to tell him to settle down. So he would know the feeling of, "OK, next gig." And I guess you could argue that this was the Big One, the One that Mattered, and it turned out to be hardly different than the others, and I think that would have added a lot of weight to it, but I don't think the movie depicts this revelation that way. Like, it's played as if Joe feels it as a fresh experience. Also, it's incredibly weird that you didn't mention Kemp Powers's contributions to the film. He's the one who brought more character to Joe, helped steer it away from being a 22 vehicle, who gave Joe heart and weight, even when it seems like Doctor kept trying to force the 22 story. www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/12/21/kemp-powers-soul-pixar-disney-plus/ Like, it feels like erasure to keep going Pete Doctor Pete Doctor Pete Doctor.

I'm the biggest Docter admirer I know and I'll say that Soul deserved the 3 stars it got on Roger Ebert. It doesn't deserve a best picture nomination.

“Soup should be nominated for best picture” - my first thought after seeing the movie

I appreciate Soul than I like it. It's got a good message, and some scenes stick out to me (The Barbershop being the highlight). But the logic behind certain scenes (Cat Joe shaving Human 22's hair, Moonwind's limbo magic) distracted me from the plot, and the ending did feel like a cop-out. If you liked the film good for you, it just didn't resonate with me. Though I'd rather Pixar do a film like Soul than another lacklustre sequel (Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Cars 2/Cars 3).

I like to think that if the Best Picture category kept the category to 10 nominees instead of eight or nine, Inside Out would have been nominated for Best Picture in 2015 along with Carol. Also, I agree with you that Soul should be nominated for Best Picture.

If I’m being real, I love Pixar movies but soul just felt like it was trying too hard achieve a Pixar ending. The whole spark plot point just felt forced and it’s annoying how Pixar always has to have some major realization. Other than that though I agree the main character, imagery and world are all great

Soul is Docter's 4th film

It definitely deserves to get nominated for Best Picture, it's one of the best Pixar films in years

The movie gave me peace about the world and put me in a good mood for a week. It's easily Pixar's best movie. I'm a bit of a cinema-phile but I've been so bored with movies the past few years. It doesn't matter what some made-up organization thinks. Soul is my best picture of 2020.

Soul excells Inside Out in pretty much every single aspect. The most crucial aspect of the former is how it perfectly balances the screentime between the real world and the afterlife, whereas on Inside Out, the world inside Riley's mind got a massive amount of screentime whereas the real world got so little, resulting in a dull and cliché'd story about adolescence. Also, bonus points to Soul for leaving 22's fate up to speculation, for it would probably ruin the movie for a lot of people.

I did not know *"Toy Story"* and *"Up"* were both nominated for Best Picture. Seeing that the Academy created a separate category for animation, I thought *"Beauty and the Beast"* was the only film to get that honour.

Wolfwalkers deserve it more

Looool wow Oscar bait cronie

Can I meet you irl and just have a chat?

Soul doesn't just deserve a nomination for best picture, it deserves a win.

I think Sound of Metal should win best picture but deep down I want this to win so bad.

Facts! Soul is one of the best films of the year, along with Judas and the Black messiah both those scores and soundtracks were fantastic

Should it? Really?

No mention of Jorden Walker? Shame.

Well. This video aged like fine wine. The Oscars still don't respect animation.

Couldn't agree more