Soul arrived on Disney+ in December 2020, released into the pandemic rather than theaters. The film is asking questions that deserve real attention: what is a life for? What does it mean to have a purpose? Is the moment worth more than the destination?

Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a jazz musician in New York who finally gets his big break and immediately falls into a manhole. En route to the Great Beyond, he escapes into the Great Before, where unborn souls develop their personalities before being sent to Earth. He is partnered with 22 (Tina Fey), a soul who has resisted being born for centuries.

The film’s argument, that the spark of life is not a single purpose but the capacity to be alive to experience itself, is rendered simply enough to work for children and substantively enough to reward adult reflection.

Foxx is excellent in a voice performance of real warmth. This is among Pixar’s finest films.