Note: May contain spoilers.
Soul (2020) follows Joe Gardner, a music teacher striving to become a successful jazz musician. Joe’s story is a good one, but not a great one (by Pixar’s standards). And likely very familiar to anyone who saw Pixar’s 2017 release, Coco.
The two films share many commonalities;
- Coco and Soul’s major themes are music and death.
- Both films’ protagonists play musical instruments; Joe is a pianist, whereas Coco’s Miguel plays the guitar.
- Both protagonists find themselves in a version of the afterlife (or in Joe’s case, ‘Great Before’).
- Joe and Miguel both struggle against their unsupportive families in order to realise their dreams.
- Both films centre on a specific ethnicity’s culture; Coco explores an aspect of Mexican culture, whereas Soul is a celebration of jazz.
- Both Miguel and Joe have an animal sidekick; Joe must team-up with a tubby therapy cat, whilst Miguel is helped along by his dependable dog, Dante (arguably the best animated dog ever created).
Good But Not Great
Soul is a good movie. But not a great one. The film starts out well enough, but once Joe (quite literally) falls through the floor, narrowly escapes the Great Beyond and finds himself in the Great Before, things start to lose their spark.
The design and animation of the characters, the world they inhabit – none of the scenes set in the ethereal worlds were particularly enjoyable. Sure, there are some laughs. But every time I left Earth, I was eager to return.
Soul relies on the body-switch trope, wherein a character’s soul is mistakenly implanted into another body. This trope is the central draw of countless movies and, quite frankly, has been done to death (if you can forgive the pun). It doesn’t help that the cat Joe’s soul is implanted into isn’t particularly interesting. Joe’s new form allows him to view himself from the outside, advancing the story, and ultimately helping him appreciate the finer things in life. But his cat persona just isn’t all that enjoyable to watch (unlike Coco’s Dante who, without uttering a word, is infinitely more entertaining – find me an animated dog that is more full of life.)
Perhaps most disappointingly, the film’s score did not leave a lasting impression. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross did a superb job on The Social Network (2010). But my soul was roused far more by Coco and other jazz-centered films like Whiplash (2014), than by Reznor and Ross’s work on Soul.
The Soul in Soul
Joe is consumed by his dream of leaving a safe, secure, teaching job behind in order to become a jazz musician. He is willing to do anything to achieve this dream. But as he edges ever closer to realising it, he becomes disdainful of the process of living. He neglects what he perceives as distractions, inconveniences, and barriers, to the one thing that truly matters: his dream. When he finally does succeed, he is left feeling hollow. The thought, “You got what you wanted, now what?”, washes over him. Only later, does he realise what he has been missing.
Soul teaches us that, whatever goal we set for ourselves, the expectation that achieving it will bring everlasting happiness and contentment, is ill-conceived. Unless you happen to die at the exact moment you realise your dream, you are going to keep on living and making choices. Therefore, assuming everything will be smooth-sailing once you purchase a house, buy your dream car, get married, have kids, earn gold at the Olympics, or calculate a theory of everything, is a mistake.
If you do arrive at (what you perceive to be) your final destination, your frame of reference will simply change. The horizon you once looked toward now resides beneath your feet. So, now, when gazing at the horizon, you cannot help but set your sights on a new frontier.
Human beings are insatiable. And almost infinitely adaptable. We adapt, not only to our surrounding environment, but to success. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
Soul’s message is simple: There is beauty and meaning to be found in the everyday. And that, trite as it may sound, it is not the destination but the journey that matters most.
This is where Soul shines. It may not be the most eye-catching, entertaining, original, or heart-warming Pixar film (see Inside Out), but it has a great takeaway message for kids and grown-ups, alike.
