Pixar’s latest animated feature, Soul, was released to stream exclusively on Disney+ in the absence of functioning movie theaters, and it’s been widely praised by critics as one of the studio’s finest efforts in years. But, while its closing message about finding purpose in life is on par with Inside Out’s message about the importance of sadness and Coco’s message about embracing death, Pixar’s story team considered a bunch of different endings before settling on the perfect way to conclude Joe Gardner’s existential adventure.
Since dropping on Disney+ on Christmas Day, Soul has quickly risen to the ranks of the streamer’s most-viewed content. A study by research firm Screen Engine found that 13% of the viewers who watched Soul had subscribed to Disney+ specifically to watch it. The ending of the finished film (SPOILER ALERT!) sees Joe relinquishing the badge that would let him live on Earth again to 22, who finally understands the joys of living, only to be given a second chance on his way to the Great Beyond. In one version of the story, Joe actually did go to the Great Beyond after accepting that he already had his lifetime and giving his badge to 22.
According to producer Dana Murray, this wasn’t just an early-draft suggestion, but rather the actual ending of the movie until it was almost time to release it: “We went back and forth on the ending up until the last screening. For a long time, Joe did go to the Great Beyond. There was a lot of debating back and forth, but I think the more we saw him live his life and just thinking about his mother, Libba, and all these different factors, it felt like the right ending, that he needed to be able to go enjoy his life in the way he wanted to, because he’d learned so much throughout the film.”
In the same interview with Entertainment Tonight, screenwriter Kemp Powers (who co-wrote the movie with Mike Jones and director Pete Docter) said that there was more debate amongst the creative team about the ending than any other aspect of Soul. Docter said some of the people working on the movie felt that not sending Joe to his death at the end would be “cheating.” Powers also outlined a couple of other alternate endings, including one that caught up with Joe a year after he returned to Earth. In another ending, he didn’t return to his own body at all.
While the initial ending with Joe’s death might have had more emotional oomph, ultimately, the team made the right choice by switching to a happier ending. After everything Joe goes through in the movie – and everything he discovers about himself, like all the ways he’s been living his life wrong – he deserves the second chance that Jerry gives him.
Joe ends the movie with a new lease on life, just like many viewers did, and he has the opportunity to act on what he learned throughout his journey with 22 by forging a stronger relationship with his mom and talking to his barber about something other than jazz and simply appreciating the little things. For families who gathered to stream Soul over the holiday season, the darker original ending might’ve been too depressing a note to finish on.
Source: Entertainment Tonight
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