The 2015 Disney Pixar film Inside Out took us into the mind and emotional core of a young girl. In 2020’s Soul , directors Pete Doctor and...
The 2015 Disney Pixar film Inside Out took us into the mind and emotional core of a young girl. In 2020’s Soul, directors Pete Doctor and co-director Kemp Powers go beyond the body to explore metaphysical matter.
The gorgeously animated Soul is also a play on the protagonist’s passion for music. Joe Gardner is a music teacher with unrealised dreams of becoming a performing jazz pianist. The 100-minute movie is being streamed on Disney+ Hotstar.
The film begins with disharmonious musical instruments playing in the background as the Disney logo is revealed. Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) is patiently encouraging his largely disinterested class of 12 year-old students to try harder.
Joe’s heart is in jazz. When he plays piano, he goes into a trance-like state. Whenever he dreams of a life as a performing musician, his seamstress mother Libba (Phylicia Rashad) is quick to bring him down to earth.
If all good things come to those that wait, then Joe’s luck is about to change. He lands himself a gig playing with Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett) at New York’s Half Note Club. As he skips along in glee, oblivious to his surroundings, he slips right into an open manhole.
Joe is now a luminous little creature gently riding an ethereal...
