History YMMV / Soul

** There are quite a few theories that 22 becomes some other Pixar character, the most popular guesses being [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Boo]] (who is already considered to be the Witch from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' according to Fanfic/ThePixarTheory) [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut Riley]] and [[WesternAnimation/TurningRed Mei]]. Due to 22's explanation of [[NoBiologicalSex not having a biological sex]], theorizers also postulated that rather than being born a girl, 22 could've became [[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} Russell]], [[Franchise/TheIncredibles Dash]], or [[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} Miguel]].

* EnsembleDarkHorse: Connie, the trombone-playing student in Joe's class quickly became quite popular, as well as Terry.

%%** Comparisons to ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' have been made due to the overall plot of someone falling into another world and ''Undertale'''s SOUL mechanic.

* NightmareFuel: The Lost Souls. They are souls who enter "The Zone" when they become fixated on an obsession, turn into black hulking creatures with glowing green eyes and utter a MadnessMantra while they work through their obsession. [[spoiler:This fate befalls 22 after her visit to Earth when she enters "The Zone", mumbling, "No purpose. No purpose."]]
** [[spoiler:We even get to see what happens inside her Lost Soul form, and it's not pretty. She's basically trapped in a dark PocketDimension in a constant self-inflicted MindRape, as she repeats, through giant shadowy version of her past mentors (now including Joe), every bad things they said to her as they give up on her. For those who suffer from low self-esteem and anxiety issues, it can be a soul-crushing experience]].

** Joe’s piano flourish that he plays in front of Dorothea Williams is stunning, lively, and beautiful.
** A lot of the score by [[Music/NineInchNails Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross]] counts as this, but the standout has to be "[[https://youtu.be/zNXY1av-NUE Epiphany]]", which plays when [[spoiler:Joe realizes he needs to make amends with 22 and allow them to live on Earth.]]

** "IT'S TERRY TIME."[[note]]Terry's {{Catchphrase}}.[[/note]]

* MisaimedMarketing: Both the first poster and the teaser prominently feature Joe in his human form, which lead many to believe that this was going to be a more "mundane" Pixar movie like ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''. [[spoiler:Of course, it's while he's not in his body the whole time, human Joe is the character/body who appears the most throughout the film.]]

** The title refers to both [[OurSoulsAreDifferent the Soul as a construct of human existence]] and to [[Main/{{Soul}} Soul music]]. Soul music is deeply ingrained into Afro-American culture, so it makes sense for the main character to be African-American.

* WTHCastingAgency: While Creator/TinaFey's performance as 22 was well-received, many people questioned her being cast as a character that spends a significant chunk of the film in the body of a Black man, given her controversial history of using racial humor [[note]]most infamously, writing episodes of ''Series/ThirtyRock'' in which characters don {{blackface}}[[/note]].

** There are quite a few theories that 22 becomes some other Pixar character, the most popular guesses being [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Boo]] (who is already considered to be the Witch from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' according to WebOriginal/ThePixarTheory) [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut Riley]] and [[WesternAnimation/TurningRed Mei]]. Due to 22's explanation of [[NoBiologicalSex not having a biological sex]], theorizers also postulated that rather than being born a girl, 22 could've became [[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} Russell]], [[Franchise/TheIncredibles Dash]], or [[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} Miguel]].

** Latin American users on social media like to juxtapose this film with the ''{{Film/Saw}}'' franchise for its perceived similar aesop. "Appreciate your life the easy way (Soul) or the hard way (Saw)".

** There are quite a few theories that 22 becomes some other Pixar character, the most popular guesses being [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Boo]] (who is already considered to be the Witch from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' according to WebOriginal/ThePixarTheory) [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut Riley]] and [[WesternAnimation/TurningRed Mei]]. Due to 22's explanation of [[NoBiologicalSex not having a biological sex]], theorizers also postulated that rather than being born a girl, 22 could've became [[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} Russell]], [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Dash]], or [[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} Miguel]].
** To a lesser degree, there is some discussion on who the soul that claimed to be a manipulative, megalomaniac would become. Some cite [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Syndrome]] or [[WesternAnimation/Incredibles2 Evelyn Deavor]] as the likeliest candidates.

* AccidentalAesop: Watch where you're going, or you're going to get hurt, like by falling into a manhole and going into a coma as a result of the fall. This especially applies in a busy city like New York, where Joe's ditziness in real life would have caused him to get [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking maimed, killed, or yelled at]] in a matter of minutes.

** The Jerrys in general. Did they just go with the flow about Joe not being ready to die and accidentally mistook him for a child psychologist, or [[spoiler:was the whole setup a SecretTestOfCharacter and XanatosGambit for Joe not only helping 22 find her spark but also teach himself to live]]? After all, the first Jerry recognized Joe and kindly gave him a tour of the Great Before, not showing anger when he runs off in an attempt to jump back to Earth. He succeeded, helping a soul that has been around since virtually the beginning of time and [[spoiler:resolving to live rather than survive]]. There is the fact that [[spoiler:if Joe had failed to help 22 find her Spark, he would have either moved on to the Great Beyond or become a Lost Soul , and the Jerrys would have chosen someon else to be her mentor. The hint toward the latter is that the Jerry who allows Joe to go back to life -- and gives him a choice, telling him he can move onto the afterlife if he wishes -- warns him to watch where he's going on Earth, because not many people get second chances]].

** Many were not happy that this is the [[WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog second]] time Disney has had a Black main character spend a lot of the film as anything but a Black person. Moreover, most of the time we do see Joe's human form on screen, he's voiced by a white woman. However, some people don't particularly care and are either simply glad for the representation at all or don't view it as an issue.

* UncannyValley: Joe Gardner's human face is [[https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/191108190511-03-pixars-soul-copy-large-169.jpg very elongated, with a large bulbous nose]]. The level of realism in the character's design can make this look quite unnatural.

** There are quite a few theories that 22 becomes some other Pixar character, the most popular guesses being [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Boo]] (who is already considered to be the Witch from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' according to WebOriginal/ThePixarTheory) and [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut Riley]]. Due to 22's explanation of [[NoBiologicalSex not having a biological sex]], theorizers also postulated that rather than being born a girl, 22 could've became [[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} Russell]], [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Dash]], or [[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} Miguel]].

** There are quite a few theories that 22 becomes some other Pixar character, the most popular guesses being [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Boo]] (who is already considered to be the Witch from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' according to WebOriginal/ThePixarTheory) and [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut Riley]]. Due to 22's explanation of not having a biological sex, theorizers also postulated that rather than being born a girl, 22 could've became [[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} Russell]]; [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Dash]], or [[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} Miguel]].

%%* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: Some people were... less than thrilled when the designs of the Souls heavily resemble the emotions from ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', except a lot less detailed.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment:
** The fact that 22 had hundreds of famous mentors who ended up frustrated and annoyed by her is something of a RunningGag near the beginning. [[spoiler:It's much less funny after she becomes a lost soul, and we find out that despite her [[StepfordSnarker snarky demeanor]] she took their rejection ''badly'', and always thought there was something wrong about her because of that.]]

* ParanoiaFuel: Related to the above, YOU, reading this, could be a Lost Soul yourself, so obsessed with your passion that it blinds you to everything else in your life. Your work? Your hobby? Your phone? [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife This very site]]? If you've ever obsessed over something without realizing it, your soul could end up in the black desert.

** Courtesy of [[spoiler: 22's stint as a Lost Soul]]: Words hurt, and their effect can linger far longer than the emotions that prompted those words. So be careful what you say in the heat of the moment; you might cut deeper and leave longer-lasting impressions than you intended.

** A lot of the score by [[Music/NineInchNails Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross]] counts as this, but the standout has to be "[[https://youtu.be/zNXY1av-NUE Epiphany]]", which plays when [[spoiler: Joe realizes he needs to make amends with 22 and allow them to live on Earth.]]
* BrokenBase

** A cute little soul happily declaring itself "a manipulative megalomaniac who's intensely opportunistic," and the Jerries sending it off to Earth without a care, since it will no longer be their problem.

** There are quite a few theories that 22 becomes some other Pixar character, the most popular guesses being [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Boo]] (who is already considered to be the Witch from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' according to the [[WebOriginal/ThePixarTheory Pixar Theory]]) and [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut Riley]]. Due to 22's explanation of not having a biological sex, theorizers also postulated that rather than being born a girl, 22 could've became [[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} Russell]]; [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Dash]], or [[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} Miguel]].

* FanficFuel: 22’s collection of name tags shows a ton more historical figures who tried to mentor her. Have fun imagining how they all went.
**At the end of the film, [[spoiler:22 is going to be born as a human. What will she be like? What will she do? Will she still be a 'she', even?]]

** The fact that 22 had hundreds of famous mentors who ended up frustrated and annoyed by her is something of a RunningGag near the beginning. [[spoiler: It's much less funny after she becomes a lost soul, and we find out that despite her [[StepfordSnarker snarky demeanor]] she took their rejection ''badly'', and always thought there was something wrong about her because of that.]]

* JerkassWoobie: 22 is a cynical, snarky and mischievious LongLived newborn soul, who makes no effort to hide her unwillingness to be born, as the Jerrys and her past soul mentors can attest it. But, [[JerkassHasAPoint as she points out multiple times, there is an huge difference between "simulating your hypothetical life" and "actually experiencing it directly" (such as feeling tastes, smells, listening your favorite music, etc)]]. Furthermore, [[spoiler: when she becomes a Lost Soul, we find out that, while she doesn't show it, she does take everyone' criticisms at the heart, to the point of even questioning herself if she has something inherently wrong or if she's unworthy to have a chance to live her own life]].

** "Even in a Pixar movie, the BlackDudeDiesFirst".[[note]]Making fun of the fact that Joe falling into a manhole is one of the first things shown in the teaser.[[/note]]

** "IT'S TERRY TIME."[[note]]Terry's {{Catchphrase}}[[/note]]

** Latin American users on social media like to juxtapose this film with the {{Film/Saw}} franchise for its perceived similar aesop. "Appreciate your life the easy way (Soul) or the hard way (Saw)".
* MisaimedMarketing: Both the first poster and the teaser prominently feature Joe in his human form, which lead many to believe that this was going to be a more "mundane" Pixar movie like ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''. [[spoiler: Of course, it's while he's not in his body the whole time, human Joe is the character/body who appears the most throughout the film.]]
* NightmareFuel: The Lost Souls. They are souls who enter "The Zone" when they become fixated on an obsession, turn into black hulking creatures with glowing green eyes and utter a MadnessMantra while they work through their obsession. [[spoiler:This fate befalls 22 after her visit to Earth when she enters “The Zone", mumbling, "No purpose. No purpose."]]
** [[spoiler: We even get to see what happens inside her Lost Soul form, and it’s not pretty. She's basically trapped in a dark PocketDimension in a constant self-inflicted MindRape, as she repeats, through giant shadowy version of her past mentors (now including Joe), every bad things they said to her as they give up on her. For those who suffer from low self-esteem and anxiety issues, it can be a soul-crushing experience]].

** The first two trailers caused a bit of controversy with the indication that it would be one of (surprisingly) many animated features with a perceived "separate but equal" plot of having its BIPOC main human character spend a majority of the film as an animal or otherwise nonhuman being (other examples being ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog,'' ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'' and ''WesternAnimation/SpiesInDisguise''[[note]]Developed by Blue Sky Studios, Disney had zero creative input during its development, but the point still stands[[/note]]). The movie proper zig-zags this a little bit: Joe's consciousness isn't in his own body for a majority of the film, but the cat that it ''is'' in is on screen in virtually every scene with his body when it's occupied by 22. Nevertheless, all future advertisements either played up the scenes of Joe as a human or downplayed any indication that his body and soul weren't one and the same for most of the time they're on screen.

* WTHCastingAgency: While Creator/TinaFey’s performance as 22 was well-received, many people questioned her being cast as a character that spends a significant chunk of the film in the body of a Black man, given her controversial history of using racial humor [[note]]most infamously, writing episodes of ''Series/ThirtyRock'' in which characters don {{blackface}}[[/note]].

* WinTheCrowd: The official trailer offset many worries brought on by the teaser by showcasing the more surreal and emotional elements and the film's SugarWiki/AwesomeArt, and it only increased more with each trailer and TV spot to come afterwards.