Pixar released the new animated movie “Soul” to the popular streaming service Disney+ on December 25, 2020. This family movie follows the story of Joe, a middle school band teacher who lives in New York. Early on in the movie, Joe is offered his dream job playing piano in a jazz band. As Joe excitedly rushes home after getting the gig, he falls into a manhole where he and the audience are taken to another dimension. 

Joe, now re-drawn as a soul, is on a conveyor belt that is taking him and other souls to the great beyond. Out of fear, Joe jumps off of the conveyor belt in hopes to escape his date with the bright white light. Joe is transported into another realm where a soul with a clipboard explains he is in “the great before”. It is explained that the great before is where the new souls are assigned personalities and sent to earth. 

Joe is determined to get back to earth and get his life back on track. To earn a ticket home, Joe is put in charge of 22, a stubborn soul who is uninterested in life on earth. The rest of the movie focuses on the journey to find 22’s spark. Joe and 22 return to New York, where 22 ends up in Joe’s body, and Joe in a therapy cat’s. 

This part of the movie starts the race against time to get Joe back into his own body before his big gig. Along the way, 22 teaches Joe that there is more to his life than playing piano in a Jazz band. Joe learns that his purpose does not just correlate to his love for music. 

Joe’s realization that he is more than just a musician concludes the movie, and he is sent back to earth in his own body for a second chance at life. This movie follows the heartwarming and perspective-changing theme that most Pixar movies provide. While “Soul” is aimed at a mostly child-based audience, the message of finding a purpose in life hit home for many young adults and adults. The positive ratings and reviews show that Pixar’s Soul was one of their most successful movies released to date.