The Reserve Record

Pixar’s Soul Touches our Souls

Jack Colafella ’23

Soul is yet another Pixar film, joining the likes of classics from my childhood like Up, Ratatouille, and Cars. The film was released exclusively on Disney+, one of the many popular streaming services over the last few years (which I do not have). After all the positive reviews the film has received in the past weeks, I thought this would be an enjoyable movie to watch. I was elated to discover that I would get an opportunity to do so when I saw the weekend report announce a showing.

It features Jamie Foxx in the lead role of Joe Gardner, a music teacher looking to get his big break in the jazz industry. Right before he is about to play in a big show, his body and soul separate and he must go on a daring journey to put himself back together. He becomes lost in a place known as The Great Before, where counselors help unborn souls come to life. In this unknown and eccentric land Joe meets 22, one of the many souls looking for a purpose in their eventual lives. This soul is voiced by Tina Fey, who along with Foxx does a phenomenal job in illustrating the chemistry between the two characters in the film. They eventually get to the real world but in the wrong forms and have to find a solution to get Joe back to his normal human life in a span of several hours. Through the experiences of the born and unborn, they learn a lot about themselves and who they want to become.

This is definitely one of the more impactful and creative movies of 2020. Most movie fans are greatly appreciating what this intelligent creation has to offer. I enjoyed most of the film, and would surely recommend it to others looking for something to watch.