On Christmas Day, Pixar released its newest movie, Soul, onto Disney+. The movie takes a deep dive into death, looking at what it means, what happens after death, and how important it is to appreciate the smaller things in life. The story follows Joe Gardner and 22, with Joe desperate to get his life back and refusing to die, while 22 is a soul who refuses to become a human.
The journey that the two characters go on is full of excitement, with lots of different twists and turns and the usual emotion expected from a Pixar movie. There's a lot of great characters along the way, which all add to the journey, and there's certainly a wide variety of personalities throughout.
Paul
Daveed Diggs provides the voice to the least likable character in Soul, as Paul, who Joe comes across while getting his hair cut. He is one of his neighbors and someone who is consistently negative about everything that Joe has to say.
Spending all of his time on his phone, apart from when he makes smart comments, there's very little to like about this character. It's clear that Paul only looks at things in a negative manner, and doesn't actually care about Joe, with his scenes only making him seem like a pessimistic soul.
Terry
Terry is also someone who is incredibly negative about everything. He can be found in the Great Beyond, where he is in charge of counting every soul that dies. Terry takes his job incredibly seriously, and that does make him quite unlikeable, as he spends his time trying to hunt down Joe and 22 because the count is off due to Joe not officially dying.
Some of his comments can lead to some very funny moments, simply because of the dry delivery that comes with them. But ultimately, he doesn't want to help Joe and 22, unlike the majority of the other characters in the movie.
Dorothea Williams
Dorothea Williams is the big jazz star that Joe gets the opportunity to play with in Soul, which is something he is desperate to make happen. However, even though she's a big star and does provide Joe with some strong advice at points, she is also very blunt and rude at times.
Because Dorothea is only a ing character, her personality isn't fleshed out heavily and that doesn't allow people to truly see why she's likable outside of her musical talent. The way she just quickly dismisses people within her band based on their appearances doesn't make her likable, even if she's in charge of the group.
Dez
Dez is the barber that helps Joe out after his hair disaster due to the fact he shaves a big line through his head while he is a cat. It's clear that Dez is well-liked within the community due to how everyone acts around him in the barbershop, and when he begins to open up about his life, he and Joe (who is actually 22 at the time) have a great conversation.
They delve into a range of topics and overall, Dez comes across as a very likable character. He clearly wants to help Joe as much as possible and that is a very likable trait, on top of the fun energy that he has, as well.
Libba Gardner
Libba Gardner is the mother of the lead character, Joe, and she's an incredibly hardworking and sassy individual, who is fun when she makes appearances. However, she isn't instantly likable like other characters, which is mainly due to the fact that she doesn't believe in her son and his ion.
While she does have his best interests at heart, not wanting him to struggle financially, it takes him stepping up to have a heart to heart (which is technically 22 in his body) to make her realize she just needs to him. However, the one thing that is never in doubt is her love for Joe, which is why she is a likable person, overall.
Curley
Curley is a former student of Joe's and the drummer for Dorothea's band. He's someone who clearly thinks of others before himself, and unlike Joe's mother, he actually recognizes the talent that Joe has immediately. He reaches out to Joe and provides him with his big break, trying to give back for everything Joe did for him.
He doesn't just get him his first shot, but he also stands up for Joe a second time after Dorothea decides she doesn't want him involved. The fact he's happy to put his neck on the line for others shows his unselfish nature, which makes him a likable character in the movie.
Moonwind
Moonwind is certainly the most eccentric character in Soul. Voiced by talk show host Graham Norton, he is someone who has the ability to be in the Great Beyond and in real life at the same time, and he spends all of his time in the movie trying to help Joe and 22 as much as possible.
He brings amazing energy and excitement whenever he's part of a scene, clearly being incredibly ionate about what he believes in. Moonwind is very funny and because he's so helpful, he's impossible not to like.
Jerry
There are actually several Jerry characters in Soul, which is a running joke that they're all using the same name. However, what they all have in common is the fact that they're incredibly likable, dry in their humor and clearly just care about others.
They don't have to help Joe once it becomes clear what he's trying to do, yet they do it anyway, with many of their scenes being absolutely hilarious. They don't have huge personalities, but that doesn't stop them from being massively likable.
22
22 is a stubborn soul who Joe meets and gets partnered with, in a bid to make her find her spark and be able to go into a human body. However, 22 is against the idea, thinking that Earth is boring, and this actually brings out a lot of great sarcastic humor.
However, as soon as 22 ends up on Earth, inside Joe's body, she instantly begins to see the small pleasures in what life is like and it's incredibly charming. This character brings the vast majority of the humor to Soul, being incredibly sharp, clever, and witty, which just makes her a ton of fun to watch.
Joe Gardner
Voiced by Jamie Foxx, he is someone who is shown to be gentle and kind, doing his best to try and inspire others to have the same love for jazz that he has. While he does become a little too obsessed with music, when his soul becomes separated from his body, he gets to learn about the smaller things in life that he needs to embrace.
He may have a major fallout with 22, but even then Joe goes above and beyond to fix the situation, to the point where he is literally willing to give up his own life for 22 to have one. The fact he's willing to do this showcases how unselfish he is and the fact Joe has so much ion and love for his craft makes him incredibly likable.
