Over the past decade, Pixar's excelled at building deep existential dilemmas into touching animated feature films. Director Pete Docter (Inside Out, Up), in particular. Docter's known for his skill in blending weighty themes into emotionally charged, yet charmingly joyful, treks through the human psyche. So, it only makes sense that Pixar paired him with Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami) as co-director and co-writer on his passion project Soul. 

You'll be pleased to discover that Soul leans into what Pixar's best known for, creating an immersive world of visual and sensory delights woven into a thoughtful and emotional journey. 

Teaching, Dream Chasing, and all that Jazz 

Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is a jazz musician making his living as a middle school music teacher. Jazz feeds his soul but it doesn't pay his bills. Gardner dreams of performing onstage. But it's starting to look like that's a dream he'll never realize. His mother, Libba (Phylicia Rashad), wants him to accept an offered permanent position teaching and give up on pursuing jazz as a career. 

Jamie Foxx voices Joe Gardner in Soul. Photo Credit: Disney/Pixar

Just as he's losing hope, a call from Curley (Questlove), a former student leads to an unexpected audition. Gardner secures a spot playing with renown jazz musician Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). It's his chance to play at the world-famous Half Note jazz club. On the cusp of realizing his dream, he rushes towards home. One moment of inattention leads to an accident that jettisons him out of his body and on his way to the Great Beyond.  

Gardner comes to in his spirit form and, upon realizing he's no longer among the living, refuses to accept his fate. 

Refusing to Give Up and Discovering Your Spark

The meat of this film encompasses Gardner's attempt to avoid going into the Great Beyond. The visuals for the hereafter, by the way, are startling and more than a touch mesmerizing. The blend of a soft color palette and sharp angles creates a stark contrast to an Earth pulsing with life in such bold color it's almost tangible. 

Rachel House voices Terry in Soul. Photo Credit: Disney/Pixar

Gardner's escape efforts land him as accidental mentor to a seemingly cynical 22 (Tina Fey), an unborn soul, in the Great Before. As 22's latest mentor, it's Gardner's job to help them discover their spark and earn their pass to a life on Earth. From this point on, expect hilarity, tear-jerking moments, and pithy banter. 

Shortcut Back to Earth

Gardner just knows his reason for living is jazz. It's hard for him to see his life from any other perspective. Until he's forced to. Inspiring 22 to want to have a life proves a daunting task. But guiding the reluctant soul to their own "spark" is secondary. It only matters as a means to get him a pass back to Earth in time for his gig.

Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey voice Joe Gardner and 22 in Soul. Photo Credit: Disney/Pixar

And this is where Soul really finds its footing (and will lose a bit of ground with some). Watching as this pair blunder their way through life's turns, is both hilarious and ironically enlightening. 

Throughout, a non-corporeal Joe is still distinctly himself. He's also still self-involved in a way that's well past obsessive. The bedrock conviction that jazz is his life blinds him to the fact he's not really been living. A never-been-born 22's convinced they've seen enough of life to skip it altogether. What each discovers, about themselves, and each other,