The Magical World Of Disney #348: Top 100 Disney Movies, Part 18

66. Soul (2020)

Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn’t quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz — and he’s good. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.

Pixar has always been there, it’s always been that one studio that will usually deliver a quality product. There have been some stumbles here and there but even at their worst, there’s at least some effort still put in there, they’ve hardly ever had a really bad movie, the worst they’ve done has been Cars 2 and The Good Dinosaur but other than that, they are still high quality movies.

2020 was the first time we had two original films since 2015 and it’s the first time they’ve had two good back-to-back movies, Onward was pretty enjoyable after a slow start and Soul is not only the best movie of the year, it’s not only arguably one of Pixar’s best movies, but it’s one of the best animated movies ever made.

I’m not exaggerating, this movie is near perfection, it’s just such a well made movie on so many levels.

The animation is extraordinary on both levels, in the real world and in the spirit realm, both sides do such a good job of showing these vibrant and colorful images they can handle and this is overall a visually gorgeous looking movie.

The voice cast, fantastic, you bring in Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey as the two leads and they just work so well together. But on top of that, you’ve got a really solid supporting cast including Rachel House, the grandmother from Moana, Angela Bassett, Graham Norton, Alice Brage, Richard Ayoyade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, Daveed Diggs, amongst many others.

The music is phenomenal, it’s Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross at their absolute best and the way the animation and the music blend together so well, it’s just hard not to take your eyes off the screen.

The storytelling is very well done, the script by Pete Docter, Mike Jones, & Kemp Jones works really well.

The best aspect of the movie is how this film makes you think and appreciate life and what it has to offer you, it’s rare that we get movies let alone animated movies to make you think about the world and how you view life as a whole. It makes you ask yourself questions about how you’ve handled life and how you think you can be better and what you could’ve done differently.

The ending prompts a lot of thinking too, you can have your different takes on how to interpret the ending. Should Joe have been given a second chance or should he have accepted his fate in the great beyond? I’m of the mind that I had no problem with Joe giving a second chance to rediscover life but I know other people have their legitimate arguments about how Joe kind of lived a good life already and should’ve been killed off at the end. It’s like I said before, it makes you ask questions about how you handle life and how you think you can be better and what you could’ve done differently.

Soul is definitely another winner for Pixar, it’s not only one of their strongest movies but it’s one of the best animated movies ever made, right up there with classics like Beauty & The Beast, Secret Of NIMH, Bambi, WALL-E, amongst many others, it’s that great of a movie. From the animation to the voice work to the storytelling to the music to the questions it asks you, this is definitely a towering achievement.

65. Hamilton (2020)

Hamilton is a 2020 American musical film comprising a live recording of the 2015 Broadway musical, which was in turn inspired by the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. It was directed and produced by Thomas Kail and produced, written, and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda also stars as first Treasury Secretary and Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, along with the musical’s original principal Broadway cast.

Hamilton was originally planned for theatrical release on October 15, 2021. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was moved up and released digitally worldwide on Disney+ on July 3, 2020. The film was acclaimed by critics for its visuals, performances and direction.

Divided in two acts, the musical depicts the life and career of Alexander Hamilton, an orphaned immigrant from the Caribbean island of Nevis. The first act covers Hamilton’s arrival in New York City in 1776, his work as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the American Revolution, and how he met and married Eliza Schuyler. The second act covers Hamilton’s postwar work as the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States and his death in a duel with Aaron Burr.

“Hamilton” is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, “Hamilton” has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way.

Like everybody else, I’ve been waiting to see Hamilton on stage but it’s almost impossible to do because tickets sell out quickly and they are so expensive to get your hands on seats so, I immediately leaped at the chance to watch the show on Disney+ and it did not disappoint at all.

Hamilton is my new favorite film of the year, filled with fantastic performances from the cast, a memorable soundtrack of songs, great storytelling, fantastic cinematography, it really does not feel like you’re watching a movie but you’re watching the show as it is performed.

You are really doing yourself a major disservice by missing out on this so don’t throw away your…SHOT…and watch Hamilton.

#100 & #99

#98 & #97

#96 & #95

#94 & #93

#92 & #91

#90 & #89

#88 & #87

#86 & #85

#84 & #83

#82 & #81

#80 & #79

#78 & #77

#76 & #75

#74 & #73

#72 & #71

#70 & #69

#68 & #67

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