I have to admit that while the animated films made by Pixar are all outstanding in their own ways, there hasn’t been any that has genuinely captured my full attention or interest since…Brad Bird’s The Incredibles (2004). I think in some ways the same can be said of their latest film Soul, but the sheer technical brilliance and visual excellence of the film cannot be understated.

This official art book for the film features stunning artwork from the film’s creation, along with character explorations, storyboards, color scripts, and much more from the creative team.

As a visual effects artist ( lighting/compositing ) working in the animation/VFX industry, any animated or live-action film that features stunningly lit CG scenes and/or beautiful cinematography immediately draws me in, and in Soul I was particularly impressed by the gorgeously lit and rendered shots of New York city; showcased in the book are many of the art references ( concept art, lighting keys ) that were used to re-create the dynamic city in stylized, hyper-real CG.

(above & below) Color scripts and lighting keys are crucial and integral tools in filmmaking, especially animated films. We use them all the time to make sure the shots and sequences that we work on remain true and consistent with the visual mood that has been established by the art director/director. Definitely check out this other Pixar art book The Art of Pixar: The Complete Colorscripts from 25 Years of Feature Films; which I’ll be reviewing very soon as well.

Soul is a visually spectacular film that I most certainly want to re-visit again in the near future. This art book is perfect for those who want to further explore the making of the film through the fantastic concept art. Recommended.

“The Art Of Soul” book details :

– Dimensions – 9.6 x 0.95 x 11.55 inches
– Hard cover, 168 pages
– Full color, In English Language

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