Pixar has always succeeded in amalgamating hardcore truths of life with a tinge of drama and comedy and presented a lucrative artwork in front of the audience. Soul is no less than a masterpiece. Directed by Pete Docter, creator of Inside Out and Up, Soul makes you reflect on your life choices and the fragility of mortality.

The Plot of Soul

Joe Gardner(Jamie Foxx), a Jazz pianist, is very passionate about music. He always wanted to land great gigs and play in front of the audience. Unfortunately, his lack of confidence and bad timing forces him to be a high school music teacher. But, he is greatly loved by his students. Even though they play out of sync tunes, his class is always full.

One day, the school tells Joe that his hard toil ends here as he has been promoted to a full-time teacher. Medical Insurance, pension, and the alluring facilities should’ve sent Joe on the ninth cloud, but he ended up looking more distressed than ever. His mother is elated, but somewhere deep down in his heart, he craves for his dream to be a world-class musician. As fate had it, one of his old students rings him up and tells him that he has an opening in Dorothea Williams’s(Angela Basset) band.

A flicker of hope tingles in Joe’s eyes when he realises that his time has come. He’ll finally get to live his dream and play the gig of his life. After escaping many near-death incidents, Joe lands on a man-hole and transcends into a comatose situation. Opening his eyes, Joe finds himself and several other souls waiting to enter The Great Beyond. He cannot believe that he died before his big break. Joe is determined to go back on earth, and he manages to break out from the line and ends up on another plane, The Great Before.

The Great Beyond is for people who’ve died, and The Great Before is for newborn souls. Here, several mentors groom them so that they can be fit to live on earth. They pass on their wisdom and experience and create a “spark”. All newborn souls need to find their “spark” to enter the earth. The grooming session is extremely intriguing. While some are sent through the self-absorbed counter, some through extremely joyous, some through the aloof section, The Great Before shapes a soul’s personality.

To escape his fate and to reenter earth, Joe attends the You seminar to understand his passage back to the earth. Unfortunately, he is mistaken for a child psychologist and is paired up with No. 22(Tina Fey), a soul who has been living in The Great Before for centuries. She is perfectly contented here and has no wish to go to earth. Even though she had great mentors like Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Carl Jung, nobody could find her spark. She is determined that nothing on the earth can make her live happily. She has given up the hope of going there and plans on staying at The Great Before for the upcoming centuries.

Joe realises that if he helps 22 find her spark, the sticker can give him a chance to go back to earth. Joe and No. 22 decided that they’ll help each other.Thus, began Joe’s journey to return to earth. After overcoming lots of misadventures and entering a cat’s body, Joe and No. 22 finally reach earth. Surprisingly, 22 finds the scenery alluring. She loves pizza, sidewalk, the beautiful smell of autumn. Can Joe play at the gig of his dreams? Will 22 find a purpose to stay on earth? Will Terry, the accountant in charge of souls, take back Joe and 22 to the After Life?

Analysis of Soul

Soul is a pure delight in darker times. It shows how fragile mortal beings can be. Joe spent all his life worried about his musical career that he forgot how to loosen up a bit and live his life. He rarely had friends because he was always too obsessed with his dreams. Soul shows how too much obsession about something can make you a “lost soul”. Your passion turns into an obsession and engulfs your entire mind, and makes you a lost soul. You cannot enjoy anything else when you’re overcome with passion. Will Joe finally be able to loosen up and live his life a bit? Will he finally understand the true meaning of being a free soul?

With No.22, Pixar tried to portray how we get affected by the failures in our life. We’re so consumed in living up to other people’s expectations that we forget to appease our own soul. We don’t do things for the sake of our happiness. 22 shows how you’ve to take charge of your own fate and shed all the apprehensions, and enjoy life at its best. You cannot be burdened with what other people will think. Burdening yourself with too much criticism can also make you a lost soul.

Watch it or skip it?

Pixar’s Soul has been topping the rating charts from all over the world. Obviously, it has a valid reason. The movie is a complete package of imagination, emotions, grief, happiness, and joy. Inside Out and Up creator Pete Docter once again exceeded all expectations and created something soulfully beautiful. We’ve always wondered how our personalities are shaped and what happens in the after life. Soul borders on all the queries of the human mind and deliver an enthralling joyride.

2020 has been an unforgiving year. People experienced their worst and suffered from anxiety and depression. Pixar’s Soul is here to give you the relief that you desperately need. This mind-bending and soul elevating movie is an audiovisual pleasure that can melt your inner chaos. Take a break from the daily drudgery and hardships and immerse yourself in Soul, the soothing Jazz Blues and an innovative tale of a whimsical Pianist will surely be an eye-opener. If you wish to know more about Pixar’s groundbreaking masterpieces over the decade, check out our take on 5 best Pixar movies.