Soul: A Pixar Masterpiece
Last week I got a prescription for Disney+ and so a world of Pixar opened for me! I decided to watch Soul, the Pixar movie that got raving reviews but somehow I had not seen it yet. And let me tell you, it is worth a watch as the movie has Soul in two different ways!
The Story
Joe Gardner always dreamed of playing the piano for a famous jazz band and spreading his love for music. Instead, he ended up as a band teacher in middle school. When he is offered a full time contract at school he must choose between his dreams of being a jazz musician or going for financial security. Just as he tries to make the decision he is invited by famous jazz musician Dorothea Williams to play with her, in his excitement he misses a manhole when he walks off and dies....
He ends up in a great line with other people who have died and who are ready to go the 'the great beyond' but Joe is by no means ready! He wants to return to earth and play his show. He tries to escape and ends up in 'the great before' where souls are getting ready to go to earth and be born. All souls get different personality traits and have to find their spark, the interest that they will have on earth in order to get their earth pass so they can be born. These souls are helped by mentors to find their individual sparks. Joe is matched up with a difficult unborn soul, number 22 who has been avoiding finding his spark so he can stay in the great before forever.
In his eagerness to return to earth Joe accidentaly takes 22 with him, with 22 ending up in his body and Joe ending up in the body of a nearby cat. It is in that body that 22 finally finds her spark to live. Joe finally, with some help, manages to get back into his own body and do the show. In order to do that he had to leave 22 behind in the great before and use her earth pass. He feels bad about it and returns to the great before to rectify the situation. Now 22 will go to earth to live her life, while Joe seems doomed to now die..... I won't spoil the end so you can watch it too!
Why I Loved It
So I loved this movie. I loved how it dared to deal with this difficult topic of what happens after we die? And where do we come from before we are born? And the best thing is it manages to deal with these questions in a way that is plausible but also not too heavy or depressing. So I would really recommend watching this movie!
I also recently subscribed to Disney+. I will have to give this movie a watch.