Before we get to the juicy bits, this post does include some spoilers of Soul.
The plot of Soul is about Joe Gardner, a jazz musician, who dies on the day of his big break. The rest of the movie is about him trying to get his soul back to his body. Along the way, he’s asked to mentor 22, an unborn soul that hasn’t found her spark in life. By mistake, 22 enters Joe’s body and gets to experience life for the first time. After 22 gets over her initial confusion and fright, she begins to enjoy the small things in life – a maple seed, sunlight on an Autumn afternoon, the taste of a lollipop.
That’s the main part of the movie, or at least as much as you’ll need to know to understand this post. For a full overview, here’s the Wikipedia page.
While the movie itself is very entertaining and grips you like most, if not all, Disney-Pixar movies do, the thing that resonated with me the most was seeing 22 experience life for the first time. She took nothing for granted. The smell of pizza, the sound of jazz – everything was valued by her. It was like watching the most happy-go-lucky person possible just bubbling with enjoyment. Then you see Joe, desperately trying to get back into his body, constantly rushing around. The contrast between the two is jarring.
Watching the movie left me with a profound sense of what life was worth. It made me question the very meaning of my existence and my purpose in life. This movie is a reality check in the best sense of that phrase. Whether you’re at the happiest point of your life or just chugging along like normal, you can spare enough time to watch Soul. It’s worth it.
Watched the movie a couple of days ago, and it’s absolutely gold! Disney exceeds the expectations with the tremendously meaningful plot and the beautiful animations that bring life to the very story about life. It’s a must watch.