Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.
It was okay. I didn't like the character design choice for the beyond. The animation quality is superb and the ending message is satisfying and feel-good, but is the narrative tight-knit enough? I feel like it could have been more. Nothing about this movie was particularly memorable, none of the characters are particularly memorable, none of the music is particularly memorable. The harsh cut between beyond and earth in terms of design is a shame, those fluffy blue things reminded me of Inside Out which I also felt was quite weak. Just "live your life fully" as a message isn't compelling enough. Maybe I'm just getting older? Maybe the magic is still there but I'm seeing it differently? I'm not sure, since the protagonist is a failed jazz musician, something adults may find more relatable, while the blue things are more childish and goofy, I'm not entirely sure who this movie is aiming at. Most Disney movies are for children with an underlying, more adult-oriented theme, but this one is
Peter Doctor er bare en af de bedste historiefortæller, der laver film lige nu. Han kender sit medie så godt, så han ved hvilke historier, der kun giver mening, at fortælle igennem animation. Det er super smuk film, og spirituel fortsættelse til Inside out... Indtil videre er dette 2020s bedste film i min bog. Den har så meget på hjertet, og fortælle det på den eneste måde det er muligt.
