🎷 Discovering Life’s True Melody in Pixar’s Soul
In a world where animated films often settle for surface-level entertainment, Pixar’s Soul dares to ask the questions that keep us awake at night: What is my purpose? Am I living the life I was meant to live? Released in 2020, this groundbreaking film directed by Pete Docter doesn’t just entertain—it transforms how we think about passion, purpose, and what it truly means to be alive.
The story follows Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher whose jazz dreams have been perpetually deferred. When he finally gets his big break to perform with the legendary Dorothea Williams, a tragic accident sends his soul to the “Great Before,” where new souls develop their personalities before birth. What unfolds is a profound meditation on existence wrapped in stunning animation and accompanied by a soul-stirring soundtrack that resonates long after the credits roll.
This isn’t your typical feel-good family film. Soul tackles existential themes with remarkable depth while maintaining accessibility for audiences of all ages. It’s a rare cinematic achievement that speaks to children about finding their spark while reminding adults that life’s meaning might be hiding in places we’ve overlooked.
🎹 The Jazz of Existence: Plot and Themes
Joe Gardner’s journey begins with a question many of us face: Is playing it safe worth sacrificing our dreams? As a talented jazz pianist stuck in a teaching job he finds unfulfilling, Joe represents countless individuals who’ve postponed their passions for practical concerns. His accidental separation from his body forces him into an unexpected partnership with 22, a soul who has spent eons avoiding Earth because she can’t find her “spark”—that special passion that makes life worth living.
The film’s genius lies in how it subverts our expectations. We assume Joe’s arc will be about achieving his dream gig, while 22’s journey seems destined to help her discover some grand passion. Instead, Soul delivers something far more nuanced and truthful: the realization that purpose isn’t a single achievement or passion, but the accumulation of small, beautiful moments that make up a life fully lived.
Key themes explored include:
- The difference between passion and purpose: Joe learns that his jazz dreams, while important, don’t define his entire existence
- Living versus existing: The film distinguishes between merely going through motions and truly experiencing life
- The beauty of ordinary moments: A pizza slice, autumn leaves, a meaningful conversation—these “ordinary” experiences constitute extraordinary living
- Mentorship and connection: Joe’s impact on his students proves more significant than he realized
🎨 Visual Poetry: Animation That Transcends Reality
Pixar’s animation team created two distinct visual worlds that serve the story’s thematic depth. Earth, particularly New York City, bursts with tactile realism—you can practically feel the subway grates beneath your feet and smell the pizza from the corner shop. Every frame celebrates the sensory richness of physical existence, making 22’s eventual appreciation for earthly life viscerally understandable.
In contrast, the Great Before and the Great Beyond feature abstract, ethereal designs inspired by avant-garde art. Souls appear as translucent, simplified forms moving through spaces that blend geometry with cosmic wonder. This stark visual contrast reinforces the film’s central message: the physical world, with all its messy complexity, offers irreplaceable beauty.
The animation during Joe’s performance sequences deserves special mention. The way his fingers dance across piano keys, the subtle expressions crossing his face as he loses himself in music—these moments capture what it feels like to be completely present in your passion. Pixar’s animators studied real jazz musicians extensively, and their dedication shows in every frame.
🎵 The Soundtrack: Where Jon Batiste Meets Trent Reznor
Perhaps no animated film has ever boasted a more perfectly matched dual soundtrack. Jon Batiste composed the jazz pieces that represent Joe’s earthly passion—vibrant, improvisational, and deeply human. These tracks pulse with the energy of live performance, capturing jazz’s spontaneous soul.
Meanwhile, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross crafted the ethereal score for the metaphysical realms. Their electronic, ambient compositions evoke the infinite and unknowable, creating sonic landscapes that feel both ancient and futuristic. The interplay between these two musical worlds mirrors the film’s central tension between transcendent purpose-seeking and grounded, present-moment living.
The music doesn’t just accompany the story—it is the story. When Joe enters “the zone” during performance, the animation and music merge into pure expression, showing rather than telling what it means to be fully alive and present.
💭 Philosophy for All Ages: Soul’s Deeper Messages
What makes Soul genuinely revolutionary is its willingness to present complex philosophical ideas without dumbing them down. The film engages with concepts from existentialism, mindfulness, and positive psychology, yet never feels preachy or academic.
The “zone” concept—where passionate individuals become so absorbed in their work that self-consciousness disappears—directly references psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state. But the film adds a crucial caveat: while flow experiences are wonderful, obsessively chasing them can blind us to life’s other gifts.
22’s character arc addresses a particularly modern anxiety: the pressure to find your passion. In an era of “follow your dreams” mantras and hustle culture, her inability to discover a singular spark feels painfully relatable. Her eventual realization—that life itself can be enough, that you don’t need one defining passion to justify existence—offers profound relief to anyone who’s felt inadequate for lacking a clear calling.
“I heard this story about a fish. He swims up to this older fish and says, ‘I’m trying to find this thing they call the ocean.’ ‘The ocean?’ says the older fish. ‘That’s what you’re in right now.’ ‘This?’ says the young fish. ‘This is water. What I want is the ocean.’”
This parable, delivered near the film’s conclusion, encapsulates Soul’s wisdom: we often search for meaning in distant achievements while overlooking the miraculous fact of being alive right now.
🌟 Cultural Impact and Critical Reception
Upon release, Soul sparked conversations far beyond typical animated film discourse. Mental health professionals praised its nuanced portrayal of existential anxiety and depression. Educators used it to discuss purpose and passion with students. Jazz communities celebrated its authentic representation of their art form.
The film earned numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. Critics lauded its ambition, with many calling it Pixar’s most mature and philosophical work to date.
Importantly, Soul features Pixar’s first Black protagonist, with Joe’s cultural background authentically woven throughout. The film doesn’t make his Blackness the story, but honors it through details like the barbershop scene, family dynamics, and the rich cultural tapestry of his New York neighborhood.
🎭 Final Reflections: Living Your Soul’s Purpose
The true brilliance of Soul reveals itself not in a single viewing, but in how it lingers in your consciousness, subtly reshaping how you experience daily life. After watching, you might find yourself more present during a meal, more appreciative of a conversation, more aware of the small miracles that constitute an ordinary day.
The film’s conclusion refuses easy answers. Joe doesn’t definitively choose between teaching and performing, between practical stability and artistic dreams. Instead, he chooses to live—fully, presently, with eyes open to both passion and simple pleasures. This ambiguity is the point. Life isn’t a problem to solve but an experience to embrace.
Whether you’re a jazz enthusiast, animation lover, or simply someone wrestling with questions of purpose and meaning, Soul offers something rare: entertainment that genuinely enriches. It reminds us that while having goals and passions adds flavor to life, the real magic lies in being awake to the experience of living itself—the taste of pizza, the warmth of connection, the feeling of wind on your face. That’s not settling for less than your dreams. That’s recognizing you’re already living in the ocean you’ve been searching for. 🌊