Rave reviews land for Pixar's 'Soul'

Watch: The trailer for Pixar’s new animation Soul

After lukewarm reviews for its previous effort, Onward, rave notices are gathering for its latest movie, the Jamie Foxx-led Soul.

Taking its bow at the London Film Festival yesterday, the movie, directed by Pete Docter, follows Foxx's character Joe, a passionate, jazz-loving music teacher who, after an accident, enters the realm of souls and all the existential concepts that come with it.

Alongside him is Questlove from The Roots, 30 Rock icon Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Hamilton's Daveed Diggs, Richard Ayoade, Angela Bassett, and Graham Norton.

Screen International calls it 'visually glorious, frequently very funny and genuinely profound', while Deadline reckons it's 'a joy to behold'.

Read more: Pixar’s Soul will skip cinemas

“Not only does Soul live up to Pixar's own impossibly high standards, but it represents the very best the studio has to offer: beauty, humour, heart, and a gut-punch of an existential crisis,” adds The Independent, giving it the full five stars.

Per Indiewire: “Like some of the best jazz compositions, it uses a traditional framework to veer off in many unexpected directions, so that even the inevitable end point feels just right.”

“It's a vintage mix of the company's intricate storytelling, complex emotional intelligence, technical prowess and cerebral whimsy on dexamethasone,” reckons The Hollywood Reporter, with a topical reference.

Reckons The Wrap: “Soul is perhaps the most existentially ambitious film ever attempted by Disney and yet it pops with colorful visuals and gentle wisdom while the story clips along despite the dizzying height of the concept.”

Read more: The 2020 movies still coming to UK cinemas

In a five-star review in The Daily Telegraph, Robbie Collin notes that Disney's decision not to release the movie in cinemas is 'dismaying, but its artistry and insight will shine on any screen'.

The UK's Empire magazine is slightly more guarded, however, with a three-star notice, detailing: “While not quite offering the emotional gut-punch it promises, its many ideas never completely cohering, Soul is nevertheless a gorgeous and tender existential trip. It's full of surprises.”

Disney confirmed on Friday that the movie will not be heading to cinemas, but instead will be released on Disney+ on Christmas Day.