Soul is a 2020 American 3D computer-animated drama comedy film directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Kemp Powers, written by Powers, Docter, and Mike Jones and starring Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey. It follows a pianist, Joe Gardner, who is involved in an accident before his big break as a jazz musician and seeks to reunite his separated soul and body. The film was originally wide released in theatres, but instead to go on Disney+ due to the extended COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which was released on Christmas Day of 2020. It was received acclaim and more praising its craftmanship, story, characters, and musical score. It was considered one of the best film ever made and was nominated at the Academy Awards 2021, winning two and gaining numerous other accolades.
Plot[]
In New York City, pianist Joe Gardner teaches music class part-time at a middle school while dreaming of playing jazz professionally. When he receives an offer for a full-time teaching position, his mother Libba urges him to accept it. Joe learns famous jazz musician Dorothea Williams has an opening in her quartet and auditions at a jazz club. Impressed with Joe's piano playing, Dorothea hires him for that night's show. As Joe heads off, his excitement distracts him, and he falls into a manhole down the sewer drain.
Joe finds himself as a disembodied soul heading into an afterlife dubbed the "Great Beyond". Unwilling to die, he tries to escape but ends up in the "Great Before" — a realm where souls gain personalities and interests before being born on Earth. In the Great Before, counselors — all named Jerry — prepare unborn souls for life with the help of mentor souls. Each soul has a badge that grants passage to Earth, once the badge is completely filled with personality traits. Mistaken for a mentor, Joe is assigned to train a soul named 22, who wants to avoid Earth. 22 discovers that Joe's physical body is hospitalized and in a coma. She agrees to let Joe help find her "spark" — a soul's personal passion — to complete her badge so he can use it to return home. After Joe fails to find 22 a spark, they visit "the zone", a place that souls can enter when their passions create a euphoric trance, but becomes a trap for obsessed, lost souls. They meet Moonwind—a galleon captain—who helps the duo locate Joe's body on Earth.
Joe returns to Earth but accidentally carries 22 with him. They mistakenly enter the wrong bodies — with 22 inhabiting Joe's body and Joe inhabiting the body of a therapy cat. They find Moonwind, who agrees to meet at the jazz club to restore Joe to his body. In the meantime, 22 settles into Joe's body and enjoys small moments while interacting with Joe's peers. She holds poignant conversations with his student Connie, his barber Dez, and mother. Meanwhile, Terry, being in charge of counting souls, arrives on earth to find Joe and restore the count.
As the day ends, Joe and 22 visit Moonwind to return Joe to his body. After Joe tells 22 that her experiences were not purposes, 22 refuses and flees to find her spark with Joe tailing behind. As they run through a subway station, Terry traps them both and brings them back to the Great Before. 22 realizes her badge is filled out, yet Joe insists it was because of his traits, and that she has not truly found her spark. Angry, 22 throws the badge at him and disappears into the zone. A Jerry informs Joe that a spark is not a soul's purpose in life, but Joe refuses to believe this and uses 22's badge to return to Earth.
The show at the jazz club is successful, but Joe is upset at his unchanged life even after fulfilling his dream. Looking at objects that 22 collected while in his body, he recalls the moments they had enjoyed together. Joe realizes these experiences have given 22 her spark. By playing piano, he enters the zone with the intent to return her badge, but discovers that she has become a lost soul. He chases her down, showing her a maple seed she collected to remind her of her time on Earth. They realize that a spark is not a soul's purpose, but indicates an intention to live. Joe's actions restore 22 to normal, returning her badge and escorting her out of the Great Before for her journey to Earth.
As Joe prepares to enter the Great Beyond, a Jerry stops him and offers another chance at life for finally inspiring 22 to live. Joe returns to his body on Earth, and starts the next day committed to enjoying life.
Cast[]
- Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner
- Tina Fey as 22
- Questlove as Curly
- Phylicia Rashad as Eleanor-Libba Gardner, Joe's Mother
- Daveed Diggs as Paul
- Angela Bassett as Dorothea Williams
- Donnell Rawings as Dez
- Steve Carell as Phillip
- Rachel House as Terry
- Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Wes Studi, Fortune Feimster, and Zenobia Shroff as Jerry
- Graham Norton as Moonwind
- Daveed Diggs as Paul
- Cora Champommier as Connie
- June Squibb as Gerel
- David Tennant as Scottsman Billy
Additional voices were provided by
- Muhaned Aljabiry,
- Lanai Chapman,
- Fred Tatasciore
- Sylvianne Chebance,
- Nolan North
- Lilly Doyle,
- David Kaye
- Tara Sands
- Dariana Fustes,
- Willow Geer,
- Elsa George,
- Ramone Hamilton,
- Max Mittelman
- Ben Diskin
- Troy Baker
- John Kassir
- Islie Hirvonen,
- Madeline Hirvonen,
- Avery Jones,
- Mike Jones,
- Brigitte Kali,
- Michael Bruzzone
- James Kyson,
- Jamie McLean,
- Jeremy Maxwell,
- Phil LaMarr
- Piotr Michael,
- Jim Ward
- Ulka Simone Mohanty,
- Angel Oquendo,
- Hyein Park,
- Ajani Perkins,
- Nicole Pettis,
- Sam Sako,
- Hans Schoeber,
- Garett J. Sheldrew,
- Kari Wahlgren
- Cathy Cavadini
- Emmanuel Todorov,
- George Vincent,
- Avery Kidd Waddell,
- Stewart J. Zully.
Trivia[]
- Joe Gardener is the first African American main protagonist of a Pixar movie, and the second person of color to be the main protagonist after Miguel in Coco.