Disney’s Soul
Powerful, educational, philosophical, thought-provoking, clever, and downright adorable. Directors Pete Docter and Kemp Powers cooked up the perfect recipe for Pixar and Disney with this heartwarming animation. Having not even seen the trailer, I had no idea I would be in for quite the treat. A treat that kept me captivated from beginning to end. The beauty in this movie is that it is indubitably more than entertainment if you want it to be. Whether you want to just laugh and be entertained watching the movie, with not much further thought, or watch closely for details that provoke thoughts and curiosity, this movie is a must see.
This is a film that I watched twice in the span of a week. The first time I watched it straight through from beginning to end for entertainment and enjoyment. The second time, I decided to pause it each time I found meaning in a scene or conversation as I wrote my thoughts down. Anyone who has yet to see Soul may want to postpone reading this until then. To be entirely objective I think it is imperative that this film be viewed before outside influences and opinions can be introduced into the psyche. To be clear, I’m actually unsure of the amount of detail to put into this movie review, however, I am certain that I will be covering several themes and topics, in detail, that gives insight about the movie itself so these may be considered “spoilers”. That being said, the spoilers you may read in this analysis will not diminish the value of the lessons that can be learned from watching this film.
Where to start? So many invaluable themes and lessons this film touches on. Let’s just start with the beginning of the movie and one of the first themes that should be easily recognizable. Joe, the main character voiced by Jamie Fox, was experiencing something most of us have all dealt with and may still be dealing with. The internal struggle between chasing your dreams and being realistic. Since Joe was a young boy he knew playing the piano was his calling. As Joe got older and more opportunities to be a professional musician slipped away he became a music teacher to middle school aged children. Although Joe was still able to do what he loved, playing the piano, he wasn’t able to do so in the way he envisioned living out his dream. Instead, this became a way for him to pay the bills.
Deep down in his soul Joe knew he wanted to play professionally for live audiences but he was faced with the dilemma of making a living until an opportunity to showcase his talents arrived. When Joe was finally blessed with the opportunity to audition for a live gig his mother’s reaction was the complete opposite of his own. Joe was ecstatic to get this opportunity and it was all he could think about. His mother, on the other hand, felt it was time to give up this “silly” dream, to not get his hopes up, and to be content with the teaching job he had. Doesn’t this theme sound familiar? Every day, many of us are faced with this very decision to contemplate chasing our dreams, all the while, having to hear the naysayers and doubters who constantly encourage us to choose the path closest to reality. This dynamic touches heavily on our intuition and subconscious which is why we’ve all felt a strong pull to chase our interests at one point or another.
Like Joe, at some point, the majority of us are introduced to something we just feel born to do but it may seem so far fetched to someone else it is considered unrealistic. This is a constant struggle we must face as human beings, even as adults. Joe, eventually, navigated this dilemma successfully by realizing he could turn his passion for playing the piano into a passion for teaching the next generation of musicians. This is a great lesson to bring attention to, in what is considered a kids movie, because the earlier we discover a passion the earlier we will be faced with doubters and negative feedback pushing us back towards reality. The truth of the matter is this; your dream is your reality. What’s realistic to you doesn’t have to be realistic to anyone else and you will be better off the sooner you believe that. Dream big and create your own path for your passion.
The second theme I want to segue into piggybacks off of the first theme just discussed. In this movie you will hear the constant reference to the word, spark. Spark was excessively used to describe that intuitive feeling of being born to do something or attracted to an interest that we were designed for. According to this film, a new soul could not be given a body on earth until they marked a few items off of a checklist. One item on this checklist mentioned throughout the movie was spark. New souls were required to travel to earth with a mentor soul guide in hopes of finding something that would “spark” their purpose.
This spark dynamic is a constant theme playing out in our own lives as we navigate this world experiencing many things until we feel the spark that ignites us with most joy and passion. It’s this spark that leads to ambition; the ambition to dream big. What I find interesting about this is that no soul could experience human life on earth, longterm, until they found this spark. This insinuates that every soul will, or can, find something that interests them. From this I gather the logic that human life on earth is so beautiful in various ways that anyone given the chance to experience life should find beauty in it somewhere. This is an invaluable lesson that we all would do well to never forget.
Another theme presented in Soul is one that many people may still find controversial. One’s spiritual or religious beliefs usually dictate how they feel about this theme; the theme of the human body being a vessel for souls. When Joe died early on in the movie his soul was transported to where souls go. It was here at this place the viewers got to see souls being prepared and mentored before being placed into a newborn on earth. The souls had a world of their own, the “Great Before”, in which souls could only experience the same way humans have a world of their own in which only they could experience as a human being on earth. What I found intriguing about this is that it seemed as though personality characteristics were derived in the souls first meaning the soul actually dictates who you will be as a human and not vice versa. It would be wise to keep in mind though that we, as humans, only know how to describe things in human ways. The souls in this movie had very human-like traits.
I consider myself to be a spiritual person opposed to religious. My spiritual beliefs cause me to agree with this sentiment that the human body is a vessel for our soul. I believe that I am who I am because of my soul and that I would be this way regardless of what my human vessel looks like. Yes, life is evolution itself and we should all be evolving every moment on earth which can lead to experiences that further shape who I am. That being said, I also believe that who I am deep in my soul will play the most factor in how I respond to personal experiences and my perspective on viewpoints. Perhaps life can affect the soul in ways I don’t give credit for. Perhaps human life is more intertwined with the divine soul than I perceive. Imagine such a thought-provoking question manifesting from watching an animated movie.
When Joe died and became a soul transported to the steps leading to the “Great Beyond” he panicked. Joe didn’t want to walk towards the light which brings me to the next important theme; the fear of death. When Joe died it was an accident. Just before Joe died, he slayed an audition to play live in a band and was expected to start playing at a show that night. Since his life abruptly ended, when he became a soul he was still attached to his new piano gig and didn’t want to go to the “Great Beyond”. It was as though Joe was attached to unfinished business on earth. To me, this is a reflection of us, as humans, not being able to let go of life and being attached to physical things.
I found it interesting that this trait was portrayed in a soul. Again, we see human characteristics displayed in a soul. This leads back to my earlier pondering about the body being a vessel for the soul and if souls possibly experience similar or the same emotions we do as humans. Personally, I think that’s just the ego mixed with creative writing and story-telling. Nonetheless, I was left to ponder another thought-provoking question by a Pixar production.
Let’s talk about 22. 22 is a main character soul voiced by Tina Fey. This character started off as a defiant pessimist who didn’t want to go to earth to experience life as a newborn. 22 had many mentors over years and none of them could guide 22 to see the beauty in life as a human on earth. This is something 22 had to discover for themselves the same way all of us have to recognize the beauty in life. As a soul, 22 was comfortable staying in the realm of souls known as the “Great Before” and refused to step outside their comfort zone even though remaining a soul was just ok but not great. 22 even said that life on earth was for crushing souls. How many people can relate to this sentiment? How many people do you know that are content with the life they live even though they want more out of it? How many people out there are afraid or disinterested in stepping outside of their comfort zone? I find all of these dynamics to be intriguing but also important and beneficial to teaching the importance of being aware of our thoughts.
The next aspect of Soul that I want to discuss is when Joe is being led by 22 to find help getting him back to his earthly body. The help they are looking for comes from a Mystic soul. The mystic decides to help Joe get back to his body by use of a portal he knows about in the soul realm. My mind was blown when they reached the portal and the mystic instructed Joe to start meditating. This animated movie actually used the practice of meditation to define how the soul can connect with our body. At one point, Joe began to open his eyes during the meditation and the portal started to close up. The mystic then told Joe to keep his eyes closed while continuing to meditate and the portal stayed open and Joe was able to locate his body in the hospital.
Later in the movie, when Joe made it back into his body and was trying to get back to 22 in the soul realm he remembered meditation was how he connected the first time. He closed his eyes and began to play the piano until he felt connected to his higher self. This was his form of meditation because he could best practice just being and appreciating the now while playing piano. Once Joe got deep in his element playing the piano he was transported back to the "Great Before” where he could reconnect with 22. Meditation was the pivotal link between the soul and human body. For anyone spiritual, such as myself, this element of the movie will resonate tremendously. This is an ingenious way to introduce spirituality and meditation to young children, as well as adults.
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. I believe life is truly the perspective you have of it. This next theme, in my opinion, is a reflection of this sentiment. When 22 accidentally occupied Joe’s body and began to experience life first-hand their perspective changed. Before, 22 only viewed life as a spectator alongside their mentor. While 22 was occupying Joe’s body, Joe’s soul was in a cat. As the cat, Joe ignored all the simple pleasures of life that 22 started to take notice of. 22 had their first slice of pizza and fell in love. Every bite of that pizza was savored by 22 while Joe was in a hurry to switch back places with 22 in time for his gig.
There was another scene where 22 and Joe were in the subway about to get on the train. Someone was sitting and playing the guitar and 22, in Joe’s body, started to gravitate towards the music. 22 became enamored with the sounds coming from the guitar. Joe, while still in the cat’s body, was only concerned with catching the next train and completely tuned out the guitar player. Another scene showed 22 and Joe walking on the sidewalk down the street. On the sidewalk there were vents that air would shoot up out of that they walked over. As they walked over the vents, 22 stopped and found joy in the air shooting up towards them. Again, finding comfort and peace in something so simple that most people ignore altogether. Time after time, 22 was able to see the treasures in life while Joe treated them as trash because he was so singularly focused on getting to his gig.
Can you now see just how many relevant lessons this film captures? I could continue to go on with several more but, instead, I will close out with one last theme I couldn’t help but notice at the end of the movie. By movies end, 22 had found their spark and checked off all items to qualify for going to earth. This was the first time in 22′s existence that they qualified to leave the “Great Before” for earth. The counselor souls, who represented inspiration, were beyond grateful that Joe was able to guide 22 to seeing the beauty in human life. 22 went through mentor after mentor losing all hope and interest in living on earth.
Joe, who accidentally died and didn’t even want to be a mentor, turned out to be the unlikely soul that showed 22 what was needed to develop their own spark. The important lesson to remember here is that you never know who it’s going to be that inspires you. Be open-minded and receptive to the people who can bring value to your life; intend to be inspired. To me, this lesson is the most important and it’s only fitting that the movie ended with this. This is the beauty of life. A beauty that delivered a movie with even more soul than its title.














