MOVIE REVIEW
Soul: The Kids Movie Made For Adults
Disney, Pixar, and the evolution of kids movies
If you’re alive on Planet Earth, you’ve probably seen a Disney movie. And if you have half of a heart beating in your chest, you’ve probably even shed a tear or two during one. Whether it was in those last few minutes of Inside Out, those first few minutes of Up, or during Mufasa’s death in The Lion King, most of us can admit to being touched by Disney.
It’s not difficult to see why Disney has had such an enduring role in the world of entertainment. With few exceptions, Disney movies tell heartwarming tales that can be enjoyed by just about everyone who watches them. Many of the films are considered family classics.
While the movies are light on the surface, though, there are few that lack a deeper emotional core. And oftentimes, these deeper underpinnings aren’t ones that can be easily appreciated by children. They can be readily enthralled with the stories told without an understanding of the metaphors that lay beneath them.
But as animation technology has improved and Pixar branched off from Disney, it grew clear that we’d entered into a new era in animation. After Toy Story, Cars, and Ratatouille had each been released to critical acclaim, it seemed as though people had begun…