Thread by @xenocryptsite

Someone pointed out that they might have been worried about just redoing "Mr. Holland's Opus".

https://twitter.com/JennyENicholson/status/1349019147338977289

As I've said I agree that "Soul" had like three or so possible themes floating around but they didn't want to engage with the negative implications of any of them so they're all half-finished.

Even down to the world-building itself. "No it's not your PURPOSE that's determined before you're born, that'd be grim, right, ha ha, that's not our premise, it's your...spark, a completely different thing".

Like they definitely wanted Joe to learn a lesson, but they didn't really want to say he did anything WRONG, since the possibilities (not giving up jazz altogether, not giving up his dreams and just being a teacher, not starting a family) are kind of depressing and judgemental.

So instead it's like "well I'll probably do the exact same thing but I won't stress about it and I'll stop and look at pretty leaves if I see any", which is honestly not bad advice, but a little thin if you say it outright.

Yeah I mean at the start of his arc Joe is defined by "unwilling to accept death" which does give a natural ending to the story...which they even did, but like, with a quick cop out.

https://twitter.com/Doctor_MPhD/status/1349060435106951168?s=19

Omniscient beings: "There's no wrong way to live your life, Joe. That's what you got wrong, in how you lived your life."
Joe:

They might have also worried about redoing "Up", "the real house on a cliff is the friends we made along the way, but the house does also end up on the cliff".

"When I was a little girl, Papa would sing such beautiful music. But then he stopped because ghost Tina Fey found a leaf and he didn't want to be too obsessive."

I think that's the MOST complete theme but IDK if it works either.

https://twitter.com/PestiEsti/status/1349078437441523713?s=19

Like I was thinking "that theme would play better if Joe ended the movie playing jazz at peace In The Zone" but then I remembered he STARTED the movie playing jazz In The Zone. So he's already at the movie's sign of "good purpose".

He probably should have started the movie playing jazz obsessively with the visual signs we later learn mean "lost soul", and then ended the movie "in the zone".

Maybe it did need another ending scene at the end. Think of "Up", "Coco", "Ratatouille", hell "The Incredibles", they all end with the protagonists like, active and happy.

Surrounded by friends and/or family, self-actualizedly mentoring or playing music or cooking or superheroing. You're happy for them!

If "Soul" had another thirty seconds where Joe is at the keys and it's panning around alternating between him at the club with his mom and friends in the audience, and in his classroom with his students rapt, then I'd probably feel differently. Maybe I just like those endings.