Soul offers hope to anyone and everyone that may be struggling with their inner self
Disney is no stranger when it comes to creating beautiful animated works, all while sending a heart-felt message to its viewers along with it. In Disney’s most recent release, Soul, we are introduced to Joe (Jamie Foxx), a musician who teaches music at a middle school in New York. His ultimate dream in life is to perform in a jazz band in front of a live audience. One day, he receives a call from an old student who invites him to play piano at a gig at one of the most popular jazz clubs in town. Unfortunately for Joe, his life takes an unexpected turn for the worse, and he ends up in the “Great Before,” a place for new souls before they are able to go to Earth. Desperate to get back to his life, he meets 22 (Tina Fey), a soul that has yet to find their spark or purpose.
In Soul, 22 and Joe’s characters can be very relatable. While 22 is someone who thinks they have no purpose in their life and don’t have a life worth living, Joe thinks that his purpose in life is only one thing. Throughout his whole life, Joe believes that his only purpose is to play music for people; he is keen on the idea that he wasn’t meant to do anything else but perform and play piano. The lesson that Joe’s character is giving us is that you weren’t put on this Earth for just one thing, but instead many things. Life has so much to offer, and being somewhat of a servant to one thing is not what we are meant to do. While Joe is trying to convince 22 that they have a purpose, 22 shows Joe that his purpose isn’t just to perform. They help Joe realize there is more to life by recognizing the little things around them, like two friends enjoying lunch, or a really tasty slice of pizza.
The animators of Soul take the visuals of the Great Before to a whole ‘nother level by creating an ethereal and cotton candy-styled landscape. The Great Before is best described as otherworldly. Although there are many things happening, the most outstanding thing is watching the new souls get assigned their own personalities before they are sent to Earth or are born. Before they are able to go to Earth, these new souls are mentored on figuring out what interests them, like if they want to bake or be a musician. One more thing to mention is the way a “moment” was created and displayed; when someone was having an intense, emotional moment, it would create an out-of-body experience on-screen.
Upon watching Soul, my first reaction to witnessing the Great Before was how light and airy it was, giving a more-than-pleasant viewing experience. The soft blues and pinks and lack of harsh lines or edges give a safe feeling to the Great Before. As for the rest of the movie, Disney/Pixar has always been known for its animated movies, and the way they created the characters on Earth is truly phenomenal. There were even a few scenes (specifically in the hospital) where I was confused about whether the graphics were real or animated.
The moral of the story is that everyone has a purpose in their life or a reason to live, even if at times it doesn’t feel like it. Life will definitely feel hopeless sometimes, just like how 22 was feeling, but you must realize how much life and beauty there is in the world and in yourself. I think Disney deciding to finish off 2020 with a movie like Soul was an incredible decision considering how hard this year has been for everyone. Out of everyone that I have spoken to about Soul, every opinion on it has been the same: they loved it and thought it was phenomenal, although tears were definitely shed. The overall movie was absolutely amazing, but it will definitely tug on the heartstrings, so proceed with caution if you plan to watch it.
