3 Lessons Disney Pixar’s SOUL Teaches About the Meaning of Life
By: Sylvie Soul
Tags: Disney, Personal Development, Film, Personal Growth, Mindfulness

Photo by Jens Thekkeveettil on Unsplash

Note: This post contains spoilers

I watched the new Disney Pixar film Soul on Disney Plus and I was blown away. Pixar has done it again with another beautifully animated feature film just in time for Christmas. But Soul isn’t just a gorgeous-looking movie; aside from being the standard cinematic eye candy the company is known for, Soul — unlike the previous Pixar offering in 2020, Onward— is a thought-provoking tale with a deep message of existentialism and the meaning of life.

The story of Soul stuck with me long after the credits rolled, and I think it’s because the movie’s message resonated deeply with me as someone who is a creative.

Here are 3 lessons the Pixar movie Soul teaches about following your passion and purpose:

Practice Mindfulness

The movie Soul takes place in the span of one day. The main character, Joe Gardner (played by Jamie Foxx), races against the clock to get back into his body in time to perform with famous jazz artist Dorothea Williams. Joe is accompanied on his journey by 22 (played by Tina Fey), an unborn soul from the Great Before who has no intention of living life on Earth.

However, as the story progresses, we see 22 experience a sense of joy and wonder from seemingly mundane activities. Eating a pepperoni pizza, listening to a musician in the subway, seeing a little girl with her daughter, walking — all of these seemingly mundane activities captivate 22 during her time on Earth.

Watching 22 derive such pleasure from simply being is such a wonderful reminder of what a joy the miracle of life actually is.

Photo by Katerina Jerabkova on Unsplash

We get so caught up in accomplishing this and achieving that we sometimes forget to stop and smell the roses. We neglect ourselves and don’t live in the now.

It’s important to take a step back from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and just stop and breathe. Appreciate the present, the moment you’re currently in, and celebrate every opportunity, good or bad, for it means you were fortunate enough to experience life. A gratitude journal can be a helpful tool to assist with this practice.

Don’t Get Tunnel Vision

Joe Gardner is passionate about jazz. That much is evident from the first moments of the movie.

But as the plot unfolds, it becomes apparent to the audience that this is the ONLY thing he cares about; he is so consumed with playing piano for a living that he neglects relationships with friends and family.

There is a poignant scene in a barbershop where Joe learns that Dez, the man he thought was BORN to cut hair, actually wanted to be a veterinarian, but chose the less expensive barber school when his daughter was born. When asked why he never revealed that detail about himself, Dez replied “You never asked.”

Photo by Imat Bagja Gumilar on Unsplash

It’s so easy to become obsessed with following our passions above all else, but we have to remind ourselves there is more to life than just that one thing. To only focus on our passion can isolate us from the rest of world; we become lost souls devoted to an all-encompassing drive where nothing else has meaning.

So yes, pursue your passion, but don’t forget that there are other great things in our life that need to be cherished and valued.

Find Your Spark

Toward the end of the movie, Dorothea Williams tells Joe the following tale: “I heard this story about a fish, he swims up to an older fish and says: ‘I’m trying to find this thing they call the ocean.’ ‘The ocean?’ the older fish says, ‘that’s what you’re in right now.’ ‘This’, says the young fish, ‘this is water. What I want is the ocean!’”

Throughout the film, Joe talks about how it’s his big break to play alongside Dorothea and that his life would be changed forever if he could accomplish it. Well, Joe actually does succeed at accomplishing his goal and securing the gig, but is disappointed when he thought it would “feel different”. Instead, he was still the same old Joe, riding the same old subway, living the same old life as before.

Joe made the fatal mistake of equating following his passion with the trappings of fame and fortune.

What Joe failed to realize was that he didn’t have to LIVE his passion. As was shown earlier in the film, Dez did not fulfill his dream of becoming a veterinarian, but he still lived a meaningful life.

Even Joe’s mother reminds him that “passion doesn’t pay the bills” and that it was her tailor shop that covered the finances while Joe’s father chose a career as a musician.

As creatives, we may want our passion to drive us and to sustain us, but that doesn’t mean we have to make it our everything.

There is a popular saying that if you follow your passion you’ll never work a day in your life.

Well, I’m here to tell you that this “follow your passion” myth is pretty crappy advice.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

I’ve been to the mountain top, there’s nothing there. Prince

The meaning of life is a life of meaning; it’s not enough to constantly strive for bigger and better accomplishments. It’s important to appreciate the moment, as that is what makes life truly worth living.

So to recap: here are the top 3 lessons on the meaning of life taught by Disney Pixar’s Soul: