Soul
Movie, 2020, Originals, Set in New York & the Great Before
Soul is #23 of 31 in release order and #9 of 31 in chronological order in the Pixar.
The story
Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.
Soul recap
Joe Gardner, a middle school band teacher in New York, finally lands a gig with the jazz saxophonist Dorothea Williams, then falls down a manhole. His soul flees the way to the Great Beyond and ends up in the Great Before, where new souls get their personalities before going to Earth. Posing as a mentor, he is paired with 22, a cynical soul who has refused to go to Earth for thousands of years. They try to get Joe back to his body, but on Earth 22 lands in Joe's body and Joe in a therapy cat. Living as Joe, 22 enjoys pizza, music and talking to people, and starts to want to live. Terry, a soul counter, tracks the missing Joe.
Soul ending explained
Joe gets his body back and plays the gig, but feels empty, realising the small moments 22 enjoyed were what mattered. He returns to the soul world, finds 22 lost and helps her to Earth by giving back the badge she earned. The counselor Jerry gives Joe another chance at life, and he steps back into his body determined to live every minute of it.
Post-credits scenes
Yes. After the credits, Terry the soul counter tells the audience the movie is over and to go home.
Where to watch Soul
Soul is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes 95%
Where it fits
What to watch before Soul
In release order, 8 Pixar essentials come before Soul (2020), from A Bug's Life (1998) to Onward (2020).
Cast
- Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner (voice)
- Tina Fey as 22 (voice)
- Graham Norton as Moonwind (voice)
- Rachel House as Terry (voice)
- Alice Braga as Counselor Jerry (voice)
- Richard Ayoade as Counselor Jerry (voice)
- Phylicia Rashād as Libba Gardner (voice)
- Donnell Rawlings as Dez (voice)
- Questlove as Curly (voice)
- Angela Bassett as Dorothea (voice)
- Cora Champommier as Connie (voice)
- Margo Hall as Melba (voice)
Directed by Pete Docter.