A marvelous combination of inspiration, self-realization — and most importantly — jazz.
Soul is the journey of life. Not the kind where you venture off into the mountains to find enlightenment with some half-baked guru… but now that I say that, maybe it is. (Don’t worry, that’ll make more sense once you watch the film.)
Disney’s been on a streak of pumping out visuals with deeper meanings wrapped up in soft, feel-good packages — but this one hits a little different. It tackles that gnawing existential question we all shove to the back of our minds: What am I here for?
Joe (Jamie Foxx) is a middle-aged jazz musician who’s been stuck teaching uninspired middle schoolers while waiting for his big break. His passion for music is undeniable — but his reality? Not so much. The way he lights up when talking about that one magical performance he saw as a kid says more about him than any dialogue could. But let’s be real — teaching pre-teens how to butcher jazz scales isn’t exactly the dream.
Joe finally gets his shot at playing with Dorothea (Angela Bassett), one of his jazz idols — and just when it seems like life is finally aligning… he dies.
Yup.
Straight into the Great Beyond.
But this isn’t Coco or some teary-eyed Pixar blueprint — the movie flips the script. Joe’s soul ends up in the Great Before — a whimsical waiting room where unborn souls find their spark before heading to Earth. And this is where we meet 22 (Tina Fey) — a little ball of cynical nothingness who’s been floating around for centuries, completely uninterested in living.
22 is everyone who’s ever asked: What’s the point?
What makes Soul so refreshing is that it doesn’t serve up the typical “follow your dreams” nonsense. Instead, it hits you with the reality that maybe your purpose isn’t something grand or world-shattering — maybe it’s just… living.
Joe thinks his life has no meaning without music — and that kind of obsession is something a lot of us can relate to. But the film gently unravels that idea, showing that purpose isn’t always tied to what you do — sometimes it’s just about appreciating the little moments. A slice of pizza. The warmth of sunlight. The way the world sounds when you just… listen.
The animation? Beautiful. The jazz sequences are pure liquid movement — fluid, vibrant, hypnotic. The soul world — designed with geometric abstraction — gives off this weird mix of comfort and unsettling detachment, like you’re floating in some cosmic therapist’s office.
Soul reminds us that we aren’t just here to make the world go round but rather enjoy and admire that it does and be content we can experience such a thing.
Along the way, Joe begins to realize this isn’t only HIS journey but something much bigger than just his wants.
Influencing a passion or a goal not yet established.
Touching a soul- a life yet to live.