Is your spark your purpose? Or is your purpose your spark? According to Disney plus, original movie, “Soul”, it is neither.

We came here to experience life as a whole and why not make 2021 be the year to simply “find yourself”. Watchers of this movie say it gives a positive look into the new year…

“I watched Soul with my boyfriend last Friday night. I feel like Soul showed me that everyone has a ‘spark’ in them; they just need to see the color and beauty in the small things,” said Sarah Ashley, reporter at Bee Group Newspapers.

Ashley said she had not yet made her New Year’s resolution but she plans on making a bigger and better one than the last!

Rachel Marie, West Seneca West teacher and mother decide not to make a resolution but instead goals for her family.

“I would say that I’m not typically someone who makes New Year’s resolutions but one goal I have is to plan a monthly “event” for my family,” Marie said.

“With the pandemic I got into the habit of planning safe outings for us and we really seemed to enjoy them and look forward to them as a family. This is one thing I would like to keep doing into the New Year as the pandemic hopefully begins to subside.”

I asked a couple of people on Facebook, if they had watched “Soul” yet and what they took from the message the movie gave.

Ash Kirk of Facebook answered, “Absolute gem. My favorite Disney/Pixar movie thus far. My daughter and I loved it. Looking forward to watching it many more times with her. Cherish being in the ocean, don’t mistake it for water .”

She also went on to thank Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, and Angela Bassett for “giving this film life”.

So maybe this year, instead of your normal, same old New Year’s resolution, look for your spark. Whether that be just simply walking or your passion to become a musician. But remember your spark is never your purpose, it is just what makes you, you!

As Ashley said, “It taught me to find the good in everyday. Because life is too short and you may “fall through a sewer any day.”

If you have not yet seen the movie just yet here is a small spoiler on the underlying message portrayed throughout the film;

“Soul” is a movie about a inspiring jazz player who’s only goal in life was to play jazz. He had a bad fall, was put in a coma and sent to “the great beyond”. This is where souls pass over. Although, he didn’t want to die yet and goes on a conquest to reverse his fate and return to earth.

On his attempt to return he ends up as a mentor to a new soul who just hasn’t found its “spark yet.” She has been a new soul for so long and it was the jazz player’s goal to get that spark for the new soul, but for his own selfish desires. He had finally landed a gig of his dreams back on earth.

The new soul hated earth and was too scared to go. So the new soul and the jazz player agreed that he would take her earth pass.

The new soul had finally received its earth pass. So he took it and they fell to earth but with a twist. They returned but in the wrong bodies, like a “Freaky Friday” type deal.

The jazz player was the therapy cat meant to take him out of the coma and the new soul was in the jazz player’s body. The new soul was very scared of earth and it was a transition. But again the jazz player was very tunnel-visioned and only thought about himself and needed to get to the gig of his dreams.

In order to switch bodies they must “get into the zone of their soul.” Although the new soul was actually loving how beautifully scary earth was and ran off before they could attempt “the zone.”

The new soul had mentioned she loved walking and eating on earth. The jazz players ridiculed her optimistic nature and said that’s not your spark that’s just regular life. Although he will regret he ever said that to the new soul.

The movie ends with the jazz player finally playing at his freak gig but he didn’t feel any different after. He said he had waited all his life for that moment and now that’s it’s happened he thought he would feel something.

He had went home and stared at the souvenirs the new soul left in his suit. He came to realize the meaning of life and wanted to give his to the new soul.

The new soul had found her spark once again and that was her optimism. The after world decided to give him another chance at life for being so inspired by his unselfish decision to give his life to the new would to live out its spark. When he was asked what he would do with his new life he said “I don’t really know, but I know I will live every moment of it.”

It was a very tear jerking moment when he had finally realized jazz wasn’t his only purpose in life; it was just his spark and the purpose of life was to live everyday and enjoy the little things in life.