With all that Pete Docter and the folks at Pixar have to say about life in their latest existential release Soul has enjoyed a warm critical reception upon its Christmas Day release on Disney +. So with another batch of ethereal rumination on life itself, what exactly are audiences left questioning as the credits roll, and how might they seek to answer those questions?
In Soul, Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) has just gotten his big break: after years of trying to make it as a jazz musician in New York City, he's finally going to play with the Dorothea Williams Quartet. But disaster strikes when he falls down a manhole and his soul must enter the Great Beyond. Determined not to die just when his life is about to begin in earnest, Jamie Foxx's character finds his way to the Great Before: the You Seminar, where new Souls receive their personalities and prepare to be born on Earth.
With the help of a particularly pessimistic soul, 22 (Tina Fey), and a collection of creative characters, Joe must find his way to playing with the Quartet while simultaneously finding his way through the rest of his life in a metaphysical sense. A lot of existential questions can crop up in a viewing of Soul - but mercifully, these questions all have answers.
How Does Soul End?
The first thing plenty of viewers wondered about as the credits rolled was just how the Earth badge and she can begin her life, as Joe moves onto the Great Beyond, where the Jerrys give him a second chance at life.
22 goes from never wanting anything to do with life on Earth to finally discovering her spark and ing the mortal plane. Joe learns that one's purpose isn't singular nor predetermined - people aren't necessarily born to do anything, but it's in how they make the most of their lives that give them purpose. Both fully actualized, they complete their respective journeys by having grown through one another.
What Does Soul's Takeaway Message Mean?
One of the most interesting messages in Soul becomes apparent through Jerry's reply to Joe when he asks what 22's purpose was. Jerry responds by suggesting that the notion of being born with one singular purpose falls short of reality, that life is more complex than that. Take Dez, for example. In Soul's barbershop scene, Joe tells 22 that Dez was born to cut hair, but when 22 inquires into his life, it's revealed that Dez actually originally wanted to be a vet - but that this doesn't diminish Dez's skill as a barber. It's here that the theme of the movie becomes apparent: that life is what you make of it. Goals don't define one's success or self-worth, it's more the other way around.
Knowing this, Joe resolves to live every day of his life. Earlier in the film, he remarked to 22 that "becoming a really good walker" isn't really a "purpose," but rather just regular, everyday stuff. He dismisses those experiences as negligible, secondary to higher pursuits like music, when in fact it's in those very moments that life is lived. After he plays his first show with the Dorothea Williams Quartet and exits the club still unfulfilled, he begins to realize that becoming a successful jazz musician doesn't give his life purpose; he has to provide the purpose himself.
Does Soul Have Any Plot Holes?
The driving conflict of Soul begins with Joe's need for an "Earth badge" in order to return to his body on the mortal plane. After getting body-swapped into a cat while rushing Moonwind's efforts to help, he and 22 journey through New York seeking a solution to their situation, and along the way, they earn 22 her Earth badge. She gives it to Joe, who uses it to return to Earth. But when he seeks out 22 in the third act to make things right, he still has that badge. If the badge persists after having gone to Earth, why then did Joe not have his from his own birth? Why was the badge not used up upon his return? It's a question that misses the broader point of the film, but given Pixar's stellar track record of infallible concepts, it bears mentioning.
What's Next?
It's been a long road for Pixar fans awaiting this film. For avid viewers of the acclaimed studio's work, the desire for more Pixar-esque material is obvious. Pixar's longstanding tradition of short films preceding their feature releases took a hit by virtue of the streaming release format, but "Burrow," produced as part of the studio's new SparkShorts initiative, is available on Disney+ alongside Soul. As for future releases, Pixar's next original concept Luca is slated for a 2021 premier. Perhaps one day fans will get the Inside Out sequel Docter's latest was once suspected to be - but Soul has provided plenty of poignant questions for fans to mull over until then.
