'Soul' Ponders on the Meaning of Life

Like Onward, the Pixar film that was released in 2020 prior to it, Soul also has death as a major theme.  It follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a music teacher who is passionate about jazz and has his sights on becoming a professional jazz pianist.  Soon after landing his dream gig, he accidentally falls down a manhole and dies.  Refusing to pass over to the “Great Beyond” (i.e. the afterlife) when his big break is on hand, he goes the opposite direction, and eventually finds himself in the “Great Before” – the spiritual realm where unborn souls are prepared before they start life on Earth.  There, he sees an opportunity to gain passage back to Earth by passing off as a mentor to 22 (Tina Fey), a cynical, adamant unborn soul who doesn’t want to start a life on Earth.

What’s great about Pixar films is that they are made for children but adults can enjoy and appreciate them as well.  However, Soul feels like the opposite.  It feels like it was made for adults but children can enjoy and appreciate it as well.  Much of its comedy, narrative, and themes are seemingly geared toward more developed tastes as they require a decent extent of awareness about real-world stuff.

To be honest, I didn’t find the plot immediately compelling.  The premise or execution probably didn’t appeal to me at first.    Eventually, I did get invested on it, but it wasn’t until around that part where there’s an excellent joke about the New York Knicks before I could tell that it had finally won me over.  In the end, Soul proved to be an enjoyable, imaginative, touching, and thought-provoking animated film – in other words, a proper Pixar production.

However, for a movie about jazz, the musical aspect isn’t impressive.  Going in, I expected its music and musical performances to be as appealing and memorable as those in other jazz-centered IPs like Kids on the Slope and Whiplash.  However, even though I liked the jazz scenes, I wasn’t blown away.  But come to think of it, I guess jazz isn’t necessarily the centerpiece of this movie.  It’s actually just an incidental element of the story.  Passion and purpose are the movie’s actual subject matters; not jazz or music.  Still, I would have had a higher opinion of Soul if the music was stronger.

Like other Pixar films, Soul tackles themes that are relevant to the human experience.  However, I don’t agree with many aspects of its messaging, especially with regards to its employment of bad theology and New Age nonsense.   Now, I understand that these are intended to be treated as fictional.  But they rubbed me the wrong way nonetheless, and I believe caution is in order.

However, when the negative spiritual content is sieved out, Soul does have something worthwhile to say.  Although obviously not intended, the movie contains lessons and metaphors that can be harmonious with the Christian worldview, which I adhere to.  It celebrates the preciousness of life, and how it must not be wasted and how it is beautiful despite its ups and downs – arguing somewhat that it is the “up and down” nature of life that makes it interesting, and that leading a happy, rewarding life does not depend on getting the dream life that you’ve wanted.  More notably, while tackling the concepts of purpose and meaning, and how these tie closely to life, Soul refreshingly contradicts the fallacious “follow your heart” philosophy that is usually promulgated by children’s movies (especially those made by Disney).  It asserts instead that purpose is not found within us or in our passions, but rather from an outside, transcendental source (which, in my Christian worldview, is God).   Lastly, Soul warns about the danger of becoming obsessed with our passions.  They very much can morph into idols, which will surely disconnect us from life, and bring us to despair.  In addition, the fulfillment of our passions won’t necessarily result to true satisfaction (again, in the Christian worldview, true satisfaction is found in God alone).

As of writing, I’m still not sure which between Onward and Soul do I think is the better 2020 Pixar film.  Onward was able to tug at my heartstrings more effectively, while I found Soul to be more thoughtful.  Regardless, I enjoyed Soul around the same extent as Onward, and both are among my favorite movies of 2020.