“Soul” opens with an ear-splitting rendition of Disney’s theme song and a scene taken straight out of my worst nightmare: middle school band class.

The band is playing a jazz piece quite poorly, with most of the students looking at their phones, sleeping, or otherwise distracted as their earnest teacher attempts to pique their interest by sharing the story of how he discovered music: As a teen, he’d reluctantly accompanied his father to a jazz club, where he fell in love with the piano and decided that he “was born to play.”

It is with this that the audience is introduced to Joe Gardener (voiced by Jamie Foxx), a middle-aged, part-time middle school band teacher and struggling jazz pianist with hefty musical aspirations.

Joe’s aspiration in life is to be like his father, who had been a famous (albeit struggling) jazz musician. Despite being 46-years old, and with a permanent job offer from the school, Joe is determined to continue pursuing his dreams.

Joe’s mother (voiced by Phylicia Rashad), however, urges him to find a backup plan, having witnessed the struggles Joe’s father faced in his own musical pursuits. Joe reluctantly agrees with his mother, promising he will give up gigging and become a full-time teacher.

Despite this, Joe hears from a former student that famed jazz musician Dorothea Williams (voiced by Angela Bassett) is in town, and she’s looking for a pianist. Joe jumps at the opportunity, auditioning for Dorothea that very night. The audition goes well, so well in fact, that as he joyously makes his way home, head lost in the clouds, Joe falls into a manhole in the road, and–well–dies. 

Joe comes back to consciousness on a moving staircase, and after some inquiry, he realizes he’s headed toward the Great Beyond. Joe decides that he’s not ready to die, not after he just got his big break, so he runs in the opposite direction, falls off the walkway, and winds up in the Great Before.

The Great Before is a colorful cosmic plane where unborn souls reside, building a personality and finding their “spark,” before they’re able to go to Earth. There, Joe is assigned to mentor number 22 (voiced by Tina Fey), who despite having been mentored by the likes of Mother Teresa, Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln, has yet to find her spark. 

The remainder of the film follows the dichotomy between Joe, whose sole aim is to return to his life and play at the show, and 22, who is skeptical of life at best, and at worst, despises the mere idea of going to Earth. 

Directed by Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami) and Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out), “Soul” succeeds a smattering of Pixar movies that have also featured existential themes and incredible depth. Yet, none of them did it quite as well as “Soul.” 

“[The movie was] so beautiful and eye-opening,” reflected Air Academy sophomore Ellie Levy. “Definitely made me feel a lot of comfort with a spice of sorrow after my grandma passed away last week. I hope her soul is still thriving.” 

Senior Sydney Spindler also noted the positive message.

“‘Purposes’ are the only ways to cope with life instead of living fully,” Spindler said.

Garnering a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and plenty of Oscars buzz, “Soul” has been a smash among a variety of audiences. My entire family loved watching the movie, and the different life lessons we took away reflected our varying life experiences, furthering cementing the relatability of “Soul.”

“It puts out a great message for not just their younger audience, but an older audience as well!” said sophomore Finn Horsefall. 

“I don’t usually like movies about little blue guys,” joked sophomore Evan Scherr, “but this had me in tears, to be honest.”

“Soul” portrays a new type of poignancy and profoundness rarely found in films, animated or otherwise. The film is inspirational, witty, and at times, downright cynical:

“Don’t worry. You can’t crush a soul here,” remarks 22. “That’s what life on Earth is for.” 

“It’s written in a way that forces the audience to reflect on their life and allows them to discover what they truly want out of it,” said sophomore Chloe Riggs. 

That is not to say that “Soul” is the perfect film:

“I didn’t appreciate the “you need someone else in order to find your purpose” subtext, but the animation was incredible,” said sophomore Marcella Williamson.

Additionally, while “Soul” has been heralded as the first Pixar animation to star a person of color, there have been complaints as to how the filmmakers chose to tell the story, as documented by Business Insider.

“Despite really enjoying the concept and plot of the movie, I think we have to recognize that it follows the trend of all Disney POC not being human for some if not most of the movie (Princess and the Frog, Brother Bear, etc.),” explained sophomore Kianna Gray.

Despite its controversy, “Soul” encapsulates valuable life lessons: namely, to find your passions and follow your big dreams, but still take time to appreciate the little things in life, and most importantly, always, always watch where you’re walking. 

Disney and Pixar’s Soul is available to stream on Disney+.