The scrapped ending of ‘Soul’ that almost no one knows about

Released in 2020 under the Disney and Pixar label, ‘Soul’ was commanded by the directors Pete Doctor It is Kemp Powers to introduce Joe and 22, an unlikely duo who have almost opposite ways of seeing life, but who find, amidst their differences, the real meaning of living when they discover how important the little things are for real happiness.

Why are you… YOU? In this Pixar animation, Joe Gardner is a music teacher who gets the chance to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York to Pre-Life – a fantastic place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to get back to his life, Joe joins forces with 22, a precocious soul who has never been amused by the human experience. And in desperately trying to show 22 the perks of being alive, Joe just might discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.”

In the animation, the story comes to an end with Joe helping 22 to achieve life on Earth, Soon after, he also returns to his body so that he can finally live his life truly, enjoying every moment – but what some may not know , is that this was not Joe’s true destiny.

The scrapped ending of ‘Soul’ that almost no one knows about

That’s because, in an interview given to ET Online (via Screenrant), Pete Doctor It is Kemp Powers revealed that the plan was to keep Joe in The Great Beyond (The Great Beyond, in English) after he sent 22 to Earth, as a “selfless act”, where he would accept his destiny after imparting his knowledge to the little soul.

We have versions of the ending where Joe doesn’t go back to his body, where he actually remains dead. We have versions of the ending where you see Joe on Earth a year later. Man, that ending generated more debate than any other element in the movie,” Powers said.

The filmmaker also said that if the ending was chosen, the audience could follow Joe becoming the “ultimate mentor” of You Seminar, the place where young souls develop and gain personality before being transported to a newborn on Earth.

The version with Joe not returning to his body, he basically ended up as a mentor at You Seminar, but a repeat mentor. He stayed and ended up being, like, the best mentor ever, and he brought a lot of new ideas to the You Seminar. He kind of revolutionized it. It was really cute and really funny and pissed off some people, but you know, you learn by trying. It didn’t work, but it was a fun exploration.

Although the bittersweet ending could not please everyone, the original idea was only replaced because the final concept already seen on screen would work better, since all the learnings that Joe acquired while helping 22 should be enjoyed by him as well.

[..] Story-wise, you can’t teach this guy how to enjoy life the right way and then rob him of that. So it just didn’t seem like the right way to go. Although that was the original draft,” explained Docter.

doctor continued: “At the time, I was thinking, ‘The most selfless act you can do is die – I had the chance. I already enjoyed life. Now, you should have that chance, you, 22, who haven’t dared come down.” That sounded poetic and cool, but ultimately, in the movie, every scene was Joe saying, “Wait a second, I didn’t live through that. the right way before”. So it didn’t feel right in the end to say, “Fine, go away!” In that version he was like, at peace and went in.”

Furthermore, doctor revealed that a third ending was also discussed. “There was another version where he actually went to the Great Beyond, there was a scene there and then he came back. And we realized that we were probably playing with fire, even if it was quite esoteric. I don’t think it was very explicit in terms of “This is what the afterlife looks like!” It was more abstract. Still, we decided: “Eh, probably dangerous.” And it’s not right for the movie, most importantly.”