“Soul” (by Pixar) is about a jazz pianist who has a near-death experience and gets stuck in the afterlife, contemplating his choices and regretting the existence that he mostly took for granted. The central questions it raises are: Are you doing enough with your life that it would be meaningful if you died today? What is your spark which takes you in the flow, in the world of people working with passion?
It is a fantastic movie to approach the meaning of life with children. And an introduction to the jazz world, the Half-Note where the protagonist plays being the famous Blue-note Jazz Club of NY.
Interesting facts: the story is based on a very real teacher, Dr. Peter Archer, who taught music at Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School in Bayside (Queens, NY) and inspired generation of children during his 34 years carrier. Soul is also the first Pixar film to feature an African-American protagonist.
