Soul (2020) Is Beautiful

Anytime a movie trailer is released and you can’t tell what the movie is about, nine times out of ten that’s how you know it’s going to be a great movie. That is especially the case for Soul! Over the years, Pixar has grown in its animation styles in the most amazing way possible. The way Soul depicts the beauty of the small things in life as well as living in the moment, will make you feel more appreciative of your life.

Overview

Joe Gardner is a middle school band teacher who longs to be a full-time jazz musician. When he gets an opportunity to play with one of the greatest musicians, Dorothea Williams, Joe rushes home in excitement but falls in a manhole and dies. When his soul awakens on a platform directing him to the afterlife, he attempts to race back to Earth. When he emerges in the You Seminar, where new souls are born to develop their personalities before they are taken to Earth. Joe gets mistaken as a Mentor for the soul 22, who has yet to find her spark to go to Earth for centuries that is rooted in her general distaste for Earth. Together they work to find 22’s spark so Joe can use her badge to go to Earth. However, when things go wrong in an attempt to return to Joe’s body, 22 ends up in his body and Joe ends up in the body of a therapy cat. The two of them work to put Joe back in his body to prepare for his concert with Dorthea Williams and bring 22 back to the You Seminar. Along the way, 22 learns more about what it means to live and Joe discovers new sides to the people around him while also being able to finally express his feelings to his mother about his love for jazz. However, when 22 decides she doesn’t want to go back, Joe chases after her only to have Terry, the afterlife accountant, catch them. Terry brings them back to the You Seminar and they all discover that 22 has earned her badge to go to Earth. Despite her readiness to live, Joe convinces her that she only loved what she did on Earth for being in his body. Heartbroken and in despair, 22 gives Joe her Earth badge to return to his body and runs off to become a lost soul. Meanwhile, Joe returns to his body and plays the show with Dorthea Williams. When the show is done, he is only happy for a moment until the only thing left is silence. When Joe expresses his confusion to Dorthea, she gives him some life advice to reflect on. Joe goes home to reflect by playing music. When he finds all the things in his pocket that 22 has collected from her time on Earth, he finally understands that your purpose and passion isn’t everything to live. He learns that living is a part of just enjoying your life. With this new-found knowledge, Joe goes to search for 22 and bring her soul back from being lost. He finds her dust cloud and goes to bring her back, fighting along the way with the voices of all the mentors she’s had including himself. Fortunately, he can remind her of the beauty of life and help guide her way to Earth, sacrificing his life so she could live. After 22 goes to Earth, Joe starts to ascend to the great beyond. However, the Jerry’s decision to help Joe and let him live again. When they ask what he plans to do with his life, he responds with “I don’t know, but I’m going to live every minute of it.”

Soul’s Message On Life

Soul isn’t the first movie to teach about how the importance of life is whatever you make it to be, however, I think Soul does a fantastic job of being able to get that message across clearly for children, even when the main protagonist is an adult. This movie teaches people that just because you have a passion for something, doesn’t mean it has to consume you and your life. On top of that, not knowing what to do with your life is okay, as the beauty of life isn’t what you do or who you chose to be, but that you just enjoy your life. It’s such an important message to teach kids since society teaches at such a young age to just work and succeed that eventually, they’ll forget to live their lives. Life can be scary and overwhelming, so it’s nice to have a reminder now and then to enjoy the moment.

Representation

Representation can be nice, especially in children’s films, to show a sense of diversity and culture that exists but some people don’t get to see it very often. What made Joe Gardner an amazing character for representation because he is not a caricature of black people and their culture. Joe Gardner is just a guy whose culture surrounds him. In any sense, Joe Gardner is an average person who is more relatable now because he is just an average person.

Overall Review for Soul

While looking at this movie from a world-building standpoint, it’s best not to think too hard about it. What makes this movie great is the journey the main protagonists take both physically and emotionally, the animation (like any Pixar film), and the steps back it takes to enjoy the moment. The music is also pleasing to the ear as much as it is crucial to the story. Soul is a beautiful movie that should be shown to more people everyday.