Soul Was a Bust, Not a Blockbuster

Disney Pixar’s movie “Soul” came out December 25, 2020. Many families were anxiously waiting to get together on Christmas Day and watch the film. However, most of these families were disappointed. Many are surprised that the movie received a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and won two Golden Globes, including me. Although Pixar served us some jazz, comedy, and more; we were also given a confusing plot and a storyline that was hard to follow. The message was difficult to catch and after watching the movie, I was left with many questions.

In the story, Joe, voiced by Jamie Foxx, dreams of being a jazz musician. His dreams however are far from coming true. He is a middle school band teacher and feels ‘stuck’ and like he has not yet achieved his soul purpose. That is, until a former student offers him a chance to audition for a well known band. Joe was so excited to get the gig that on his way home, he did not see a manhole in the ground, causing him to fall to his death. He accidentally ends up in a place called The Great Before. Here, new souls’ personalities are made before being sent to earth. There, he meets a soul named 22, voiced by Tina Fey, and together they try to make it back to earth. 

I think that the main idea of the movie is good, and the colors and animation were wonderful. However, I think that there were too many plot holes and it jumped around quite a bit. While watching the movie, I felt like the makers of the film would begin a part of the story, then get bored of it, so they would add something random in order to move on to the next part. The movie seemed as if it was rushed or forced, therefore it did not deliver the nostalgic, good feeling that Pixar normally creates. Under further thought, I believe that Pixar basically took two of their previous movies, Inside Out and CoCo, and combined them to make this remix. 

The film Soul is confusing, but you can see Pixar’s idea and the point they were trying to get across. My opinion is to not waste your time by seeing this film. If you are deciding whether or not to watch it with your child, I would not, because the story is too complex and confusing for a child. I think that the reason why it was such a flop is due to the disorganized plot which caused a negative reaction from kids and adults alike.