This year has been a wild ride and there have been plenty of ups and downs. Everyone went through some sort of challenge this year. We often feel lost in the world and we try to grab onto anything positive in our life. We set goals for ourselves, we have places we want to go and we inspire to be the best in our field of work. As humans we often get lost in the mindset of pursuing the dream and get fixated on it. Pixar came out with a new movie this year for the lost souls of the world. It teaches us that we should follow our spark and pursue the things that we love. At the same time it also teaches us that the path we want isn’t always going to be the path we take. That those people who only think their main purpose of living is to accomplish something grand will be lost in their obsession. In reality we should appreciate doing what we love no matter have far we get in life. We must live in the moment and appreciate what we have rather than what we want to have in life. People will always find a reason to live, even with the small things that happen in our life and every small accomplishments.
Pixar Soul follows Joe played by Jamie Foxx and 22 played by Tina Fey and their relationship they have with each other and also the world. Joe as a musician hasn’t achieved his dream and 22 doesn’t think life is worth living because there is nothing that interests her. Joe is obsessed with becoming a big jazz player and is only focused on that. Where as 22 doesn’t know where she belongs in the world and doesn’t really have a passion. Without spoilers, they get a chance to learn more about life through each others perspective. All the things Joe took advantage of such as eating pizza, subway cars, public music, bagels and more are the things that 22 starts loving. Which shows that there are so many things to love about the world and there are so many things to live for and enjoy. Joe was a lost soul in the fact that he was consumed by his own ambitions. He later puts that on 22 and she later becomes lost herself. That the reality is thinking that the only reason why we live, is to accomplish a certain goal. The ideology of if we don’t accomplish that goal, we failed at life.
There is a lot of layers to this movie and it’s honestly tailored more for young adults to older adults, rather than children. Although this movie will still be entertaining for children, the messages this movie conveys will go right over their heads. Mentorship is a huge component of this movie and serves for a good reminder for adults on the impacts they have on younger individuals or their own children. The influence we have on the younger population is massive. There are a lot of resources available nowadays and kids are exposed to bad mentorship all the time. Joe although an overall good person, he was lost in his pursuit of his goal, which made him a bad mentor to 22. He put the idea that 22 should find one specific thing or goal and that’s the meaning of life. Instead of just appreciating life and all the things you can get out of it. There will always be a reason why someone should want to live. A perfect example of this bad mentorship are the parents that think they are doing what they believe is right for their child. The parents that want to make their child a doctor only because they are a family of doctors. It happens a lot these days which is sad to see. This movie perfectly shows the affects it could have on that child if they are forced to believe that. That they will feel like a lost soul if they do not accomplish these goals.
Let’s talk about how amazing this movie portrays living in general. They do not suger coat the fact that life is a ride. That there are for sure going to be a lot of times of happiness but also there will be many times of sadness. This is a big part of living and what makes us who we are. The experiences themselves have us enjoying every moment of life and really appreciating what we all ready have. As long as people are looking at the world in this view, there will always be a reason to live. There are so many activities we can do besides our passion that will bring us joy. It can be trying a new food for the first time, traveling to a new exotic location or even making a new friend. Having connections with others and sharing these experiences are just as important.
Overall this movie is one of the best movies Pixar has ever released. One of Pixar’s strongest movies in my eyes as well in storytelling. There is a lot to love about this movie. The animation is super well done, the story is deep, very impactful message, relatable and so much more. The score is also fantastic and I’m definitely gonna be listening to it a lot. Perfect movie for this year in general. There are so many great moments that will get you the feels and make you think about this movie a lot! Please go ahead and check it out when you can. Currently streaming on Disney+. Please also let me know your thoughts over on twitter @NutiFrederick.