MAJOR SPOILERS for Soul, so consider yourself warned. Pixar's latest animated feature debuted on Disney+ just last week and was greeted with largely positive reviews. The film stars Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, a high-school music teacher who falls down a manhole and is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul (Tina Fey) learning about herself.
Those who have seen Soul knows that it came to an end with Joe preparing to head to the Great Beyond, only to be stopped at the last minute and given a second chance for life back on Earth. While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Soul directors Pete Doctor and Kemp Powers, along with producer Dana Murray, revealed that the original ending didn't include Joe's second chance and that they went back and forth up until the last screening of the film. "For a long time, Joe did go to The Great Beyond," Murray said. "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." Powers added, "We have versions of the ending where Joe does not go back to his body, where he actually stays dead. We have versions of the ending where you see Joe on Earth a year later. Man, that ending sparked more debate than I think any other element of the film." Peter Doctor explained that each possible ending had passionate supporters.
Oh yeah, there were definitely camps. Because I think people felt like it's cheating to let him go back. On the other hand, story-wise, you can't teach this guy 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. At the time, I was thinking, "The most selfless act you could do is to pass on — I've had the chance. I've already enjoyed life. Now, you should have that chance, you, 22, who has not dared go down." That seemed poetic and nice, but ultimately, in the movie, every scene was Joe going, "Wait a second, I didn't live this the right way before." So, it didn't seem right then at the end to go, "All right, off you go!" [Laughs].
Had Joe Gardner actually gone to the Great Beyond in Soul, Doctor was concerned about showing too much of the afterlife. "That version he was, like, at peace and went in," Doctor said. "But there was another version where he actually went to The Great Beyond, there was a scene there and then he returned. And we realized we were probably playing with fire, even though it was pretty esoteric. I don't think it was too explicit in terms of, 'This is what the afterlife looks like!' It was more abstract. But still, we decided, 'Eh, probably dangerous.' And not ultimately right for the film, most importantly." Soul is now streaming on Disney+, so be sure to check out a review from our own Matt Rooney.