A middle-school music teacher with aspirations of being a great jazz musician is finally set to get his big break, when he dies by falling into an open manhole while using his phone. His soul is unwilling to accept that he is going to miss out on being able to live his dream, and so escapes going into the light only to find himself in the “Pre-Life”, where he tries to find a way back to his body on Earth with the help of another soul that doesn’t want to be born. It’s kind of an insane concept, but it really works here. Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey’s voice work as the 2 leads is wonderful, and the supporting cast also excels. The art style is every bit as beautiful as we’ve come to expect from Pixar, with their vision of the more supernatural areas especially standing out. They raise a lot of interesting ideas here, though don’t necessarily get to explore them as much as a movie more explicitly aimed at adults might have. While the conclusion winds up being pretty predictable, that doesn’t blunt the impact of the film too much. ★★★★ – Sean Farrell

Available on Disney+

Coming soon on Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack

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★★★★★ = Excellent | ★★★★ = Very Good | ★★★ = Good | ★★ = Fair | ★ = Poor