I was going to post a different story today but put it on the back burner. Instead, I am posting about a really good “feel good” holiday movie from Disney. With this year ending on a low note with a pandemic still raging, I want to focus on the hope that this film brings.
Aside from hope it is also about following your passion, jazz music in this case, two things that give me joy. The animated movie gets into the deep meaning of one’s purpose in life, and in 2020, a lot of us might be feeling just a little bit listless, rudderless as we keep things low-key in quarantine. With that in mind, this film struck a particular chord with an audience that has spent the year doom-scrolling the news, social-distancing, masking up, and canceling plans.
Some people said this film taught them a much-needed lesson about what they need to prioritize in life. The so called “spark” is not your passion about something, but rather the ability to live in the present moment, we were all born with it, but most of us lost it somehow later on in life, because “life happens.” Pixar’s Soul centers around “pre-mortal” existence and the meaning of life. The creator of this movie must have gotten some inspiration from Buddhism. However, enjoy it for what is intended, entertainment. It is a sweet movie with heart and Soul!
The story follows a middle school music teacher named Joe Gardner, who seeks to reunite his soul and his body after they are accidentally separated, just before his big break as a jazz musician. Director Pete Docter began developing the film in 2016, working from his contemplations on the origins of human personalities and the concept of determinism. He co-wrote the screenplay with Mike Jones and Powers. The film’s producers consulted various jazz musicians including Herbie Hancock and Terri Lyne Carrington, and animated its musical sequences using the sessions of musician Jon Batiste (who created original compositions for the film) as reference. Soul is the first Pixar film to feature an African-American protagonist.
Hope you watch it…..you will be glad you did.
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