The Zone, which Joe raves about to his distracted students in the opening scene, is in fact emblematic of the movie’s theme: one should enjoy being in the moment and living for the sake of it. The idea seems rather cliché, but Pixar’s extreme attention to detail and aesthetic provides a good reason to believe it. However, the fact that the theme is an answer to the film’s broad existential question — why are we here on Earth? — left me unsatisfied. There’s a moment of epiphany when Joe plays a sentimental ballad on his piano, and flashbacks of his childhood suddenly zoom out into New York City at night, the planet Earth, and lastly, the galaxy. The montage was certainly visually impressive, but what exactly was the deep philosophical point? The climax seems to pander to the audience’s sense of grandiosity without actually delving into the weighty question it’s imposed upon itself.

Then there are the questions that linger when Joe dies and goes to the Great Before ten minutes into the film. For much of the remaining 97 minutes, he is fixated on getting back to his gig, the break he’s been wanting all his life, so the audience doesn’t get much of the everyday him — how he interacts on a deeper level with his students, how he feels about himself, how he has acted in the past to his family. He is immediately thrust into an ethereal world of pink-purple skies, floating baby-souls, and soft animated edges, where he meets 22, a bratty soul with a toothy smirk and lack of regard for anyone else. I personally bemoaned the fact that such a purposefully unlikeable character became another protagonist, often at the expense of developing Joe’s story. Instead of having to empathize with 22’s valid but somewhat cliched insecurities, I longed to see more of Joe and how he works on his relationships and himself.

Some critics note the uncomfortable dynamic of the duo: according to Insider, “Soul is a film that smells of racial insensitivity.” Though it is explicitly stated that the soul’s voice is interchangeable, 22 still appears to be a white person. Literally sheltered from the world and all its capacity to harm, she takes opportunities she never asked for… from a black man. At one point, 22 controls Joe’s body, and finding that it’s nice to live, does a 180 and refuses to return it. “This could be my own chance to find my spark. Besides, I’m in the chair,” she cries, all nonchalance lost, before running away. Again and again, 22’s whims are prioritized above Joe’s passion, talent, and urgency.

In the end, Joe makes the ultimate sacrifice for 22, not out of any emotion like fatherly or mentorly love, but because he feels she deserves it. That’s why the scene of his heroism feels void of much feeling other than simple satisfaction on one end and gratitude on the other. However, the film is adamant that both protagonists get a happy ending, so the weight of Joe’s sacrifice is rendered null when he gets a seemingly random second chance at life.

Other oversimplifications jumped out at me, such as the basis that mental illness, stemming from disconnection to one’s life, can be solved by “breathing into your crown chakra” and performing cultish rituals. Additionally, Joe only realizes his appetite for life after playing at an elite gig and finally earning his family’s approval; would he have felt the same without accomplishing his lifelong dream? The movie preaches to always savor one’s life, however undistinguished it may seem at times; I’m not sure Joe’s journey embodies that message.

Soul falters in some aspects, but its capacity to merge the jazz form with animation is remarkable. Jon Batiste, renowned composer and bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, brings a feel-good, upbeat soundtrack to the screen. Taut staccato notes accentuate 22 and Joe’s harried beeline from the hospital; screaming trumpets signal 22’s first, ecstatic exposure to pizza. The soundtrack lifts the characters’ emotions and sensations into another dimension. To accomplish this, creators of Soul upended the traditional creative process: according to Billboard, Chief creative officer Pete Docter and his co-director Kemp Powers would tell Batiste about general themes in the story, and Batiste would write the music accordingly. Batiste described the process as “composing pieces based purely on inspiration.”

As a result, the music genre has never been more approachable; through visual representation, it becomes easily understood and exciting to bop along to. It’s a concept that Soul embodies quite literally: the film starts in a middle-school band room, where chaotic pre-pubescent kids produce equally chaotic sounds. There’s nothing elevated nor snobby about Joe’s earnest explanations to the distracted young musicians. And so the storyline sets us up for the theme of beauty in the ordinary; the essence of jazz, in all its spontaneity and raw feeling but without any pretentiousness, is a metaphor for 22’s perspective on living — one which she calls “jazzing.”

Despite being an extraordinary feat of animation, Soul tries too hard to do too much, and the result is that one walks away somewhat unfulfilled, still craving a moving emotional climax and a satisfying resolution. And the central question is hastily answered in an oversimplified manner, as were many moments of this motion picture. An uneasy feeling persisted as I watched the talented black protagonist take a back seat to the impulses of an unborn being, voiced by a white actor. I came expecting a revelation; stayed for the gorgeous artistry and exciting, sincere exploration of jazz; and left wondering whether the film really lived up to its name.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet.

Sources

Acuna, Kirsten. “Pixar's 'Soul' Is Getting Rave Reviews, but It Left Me Cringing up until the Very Last Minute.” Insider, Insider, 28 Dec. 2020,

www.insider.com/pixar-soul-movie-review-2020-12.

Agar, Chris, and Chris Agar (5304 Articles Published) “New Soul Images Focus On Joe's Life In New York.” ScreenRant, 9 Oct. 2020,

screenrant.com/soul-movie-images-joe-gardner-new-york/.

Guerrasio, Jason. “The Director of 'Soul' Says That Initially the Movie Had a Completely Different Ending.” Insider, Insider, 30 Dec. 2020,

www.insider.com/pixar-soul-original-ending-explained-2020-12.

Milzoff, Rebecca. “Inside Jon Batiste's Unusual Process for Writing the Jazz Music of 'SOUL'.” Billboard, 4 Dec. 2020,

www.billboard.com/index.php/articles/columns/tv-film/9494039/jon-batiste-disney-pixar-soul-interview.

Scott, A. O. “'Soul' Review: Pixar's New Feature Gets Musical, and Metaphysical.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Dec. 2020,

www.nytimes.com/2020/12/24/movies/soul-review-pixar.html.

“Soul - Movie Trailer & Release Date.” Disney Australia, www.disney.com.au/movies/pixar-soul.