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Although this past decade has shown most Pixar releases to be box office and critic successes, we craved a film that would return the studio to its original roots. Don’t get us wrong — films like Inside Out and Coco showed the studio is still capable of creating original ideas that are visually stunning. But as Pixar released sequel after sequel, tapping into series that have long dried out (looking at you, Toy Story 4), it felt like the studio was lacking the confidence to push the types of films that made it the monolith it is today.
Image via Bleeding Cool
Soul is a delightful sign that all is not lost at Pixar; originality still lives! The film is a sweet story that examines how beautiful everyday life can be if you stop to take a minute and pay attention to the good. Protagonist Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) spent his whole life anticipating what it will feel like to finally be a successful jazz musician. He doesn’t view his job of middle school music teacher as having “made it”; the fact he is paid to not only play music daily but also inspire others is totally lost as he envisions a life where he performs in jazz clubs nightly in order to make his mark. After a near-death experience, Joe befriends a soul named 22 (Tina Fey) who has been kept in permanent purgatory due to her skepticism towards life and living. As Joe views his life through 22’s eyes, he begins to see the beauty in the small things and realizes that there is no “making it”. Life is a journey, not a destination, and he can’t wait to get back on the ride.
Image via Vanity Fair
Feeling like a combination of It’s a Wonderful Life and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Soul is particularly poignant given the global shift in the last year. COVID-19 has forced everyone to consider what is important and how said priorities can be incorporated in day-to-day life. Joe has been so focused on the future and on achieving that. he can’t see what good he’s already accomplished. One scene leaves Joe talking with his jazz idol, Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett), and he expresses a soft surprise that being successful feels exactly the same as being his regular self. She replies:
“I heard this story about a fish, he swims up to an older fish and says: ‘I’m trying to find this thing they call the ocean.’ ‘The ocean?’ the older fish says, ‘that’s what you’re in right now.’ ‘This’, says the young fish, ‘this is water. What I want is the ocean!’”
Hopefully Soul reminds those of us looking for the ocean how to find what we’re actually in search of.