Now this is not my favourite style of animation, I find it all a little unnatural to watch. That said, though, this is a charming story that follows the life of a music teacher who really just wants to play his beloved jazz. "Joe" finally gets an opportunity to tinkle the ivories with the band of the renowned "Dorothea". She like shim, he likes her - then an accident befalls and in best "Matter of Life and Death" tradition, he is on a conveyor belt to the afterlife. Determined not to follow the masses of other dead folks, he jumps from the pathway and ends up in a curious plane of existence that is designed to train new souls for exportation to newborns arriving on Earth. Shrewdly, he manages to capitalise on this administration mix-up and become a mentor - to the unruly and pretty irredeemable "22". After a bit of bargaining, the latter, who has been there for aeons and has no interest at all in being "born" - agrees to help the former to get back to Earth in the right body. What ensues now are a series of characterful escapades that see them flirt with rebirth (only in swapped bodies) but that ultimately cause both to re-assess what their priorities are. Of course there's some moralising - it's Disney - but that is delivered quite subtly and wrapped in some entertainingly witty dialogue and some - though not enough - gorgeous jazz. There's not much doubt as to the conclusion, but along the way we find a story that's optimistic, life-affirming and does rather encourage people to count their blessings. Glass half full, and all that!
