By Kevin Genthert

Soul is a movie about someone who has lived what he thinks is a disappointing life, and just as things are going his way, he dies and is forced to relive his failures. He goes on a journey with the underlying themes of trying to find out the purpose of life. I came away from the movie with the understanding that there is no possible way to answer this and provide a definition for it. The truth is that the purpose of life is however you make it out to be, finding your “spark”, a passion, something that will put you into the “zone”. Joe, the protagonist, realizes this and helps a lost soul find her way, but he also figures it out for himself, and the end of the movie shows that there is no way for anyone to know what he will do, and his purpose is only for him to decide. The important things in life are the things we have a passion for. This could be any combination of things and they vary greatly from person to person. Something is only important if you make it so, and you will know if it is by the way you feel about it and the drive you have to work on it. For a movie that focuses on getting back to the world of the livin and helping people find their way there, Soul did an excellent job of showing the beauty and fragility of life. It can be taken so quickly, and it is important to take in the little things from the taste of pizza to the way the world is seen by children. No one can decide what your destiny is except for you. Joe thought that because his father was a musician, and he was also good at music, that it was his destiny to make it big and become a famous musician. The movie takes him on a path that shows him it is his life to live, and he can choose to carve his own path in the classroom or on stage.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie Soul and would recommend it to anyone who likes a movie with emotional depth and well-written characters regardless if they are a fan of animated movies or not. Pixar really hit the nail on the head with this one, and proved that they know how to pull on their viewers’ heartstrings when they want to. If you are not willing to get emotional over cartoon characters, maybe consider sitting this one out. Official Rating: 8.13/10 stars.