: Joe finally lands his "big break" to play with jazz legend Dorothea Williams, but he accidentally falls down a manhole and dies shortly after. The Great Before
10/10 Recommendation: Essential. Prepare to cry, laugh, and fundamentally re-evaluate your relationship with success. Available on Disney+.
: Angela Bassett (Dorothea Williams), Phylicia Rashad (Libba Gardner), and Richard Ayoade (Counselor Jerry). Critical & Commercial Reception Soul 2020 Movie
: After a life-changing accident on the day of his big break, Joe Gardner's soul is separated from his body. He finds himself in "The Great Before," a fantastical realm where new souls get their personalities. There, he teams up with a cynical soul named 22 to find a way back to Earth.
Then the call comes. Dorothea Williams, a legendary saxophonist, needs a pianist tonight . Joe nails the audition. He floats out of the jazz club onto the rain-slicked streets, a man reborn. In his euphoria, he dodges a subway grate, a falling sign, a speeding bus—and then falls straight through an open manhole. : Joe finally lands his "big break" to
For an entire year, the world had been forced into the mundane. No blockbuster events. No parties. Just cooking at home, looking out the window, calling family. The film validated that quiet, simple existence. It argues that a leaf falling onto your palm, a lollipop from a kind stranger, or the sound of your mother’s voice are not distractions from the "real" life—they are the real life.
When Joe finally gets back to his body (thanks to a chaotic body-swap sequence involving a therapy cat), he plays the gig of his dreams. The notes are perfect. The crowd applauds. Dorothea Williams respects him. Yet, after the show, walking out into the rainy New York night, Joe looks confused. Available on Disney+
One of the most striking aspects of the Soul 2020 movie is its visual dichotomy. Pixar has always pushed the boundaries of computer animation, but Soul presented a unique challenge: How do you animate the metaphysical?
Early in the film, Joe Gardner believes that his spark is jazz. He believes that without music, he is nothing. The conflict with Soul 22 highlights this disparity. 22 tries everything the Great Before has to offer—archery, physics, painting, baking—but fails to find her spark. She feels broken because she has no singular passion.