‘Inside Out’ Continues to Delight
Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Joy in Inside Out | Credit: Disney Pixar
Inside Out takes into the mind of eleven-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) as she navigates her family moving from the Midwest to California.
I think that Inside Out is Pixar’s most ambitious film and it is one of the studio’s best. The brain is such an interesting and yet unknowable place. Sure, we’ve figured out a lot over the years, but there’s still so much that we don’t know. This film is able to take these complex concepts that are both real and abstract and make them understandable for parents and kids alike.
Is it perfectly scientifically accurate? Probably not (I wouldn’t know; I’m not a scientist). But I still appreciate the attempt that the team behind Inside Out has made to shine a light on these really important topics.
Within Riley’s brain, we meet her five core emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). Early in the film, Joy makes it clear that the emotions all serve a purpose (except for Sadness, who Joy discovers is important by the end of the film).
Joy says lines like, “Fear is really good at keeping Riley safe,” and “Anger cares very deeply about things being fair.” I love that Inside Out is so deliberate to make it clear that there aren’t “good emotions” and “bad emotions.” The emotions that Riley feels are all important and play an important role in who she is.
I think this is so important, especially for us in America, because culturally, we’ve definitely deemed some emotions to be good and others to be bad. I was taught not to show my emotions—crying was a sign of weakness, and I shouldn’t be weak. Anger was fine for boys but not for girls, so I had to stuff that down, too. And once I was in religious circles, I learned that fear was a bad thing, so I had to ignore that, too.
I think it’s so important that Inside Out is working to undo some of those narratives that I’m sure so many of us picked up on over the years. Of course, there are negative ways to express these emotions, but the emotions themselves aren’t bad. I think that’s a really helpful lesson for both children and adults to learn.
Joy in Inside Out | Credit: Disney Pixar
While most of the film is focused on the journey that Joy and Sadness go on within Riley’s brain, Inside Out touches on a number of other topics that are important and relevant.
One thing that surprised me most while rewatching is the emphasis on sleep. Throughout the film, Riley will go to sleep and the film will take us into the process of her dreaming. We get to see one of her emotions stay up to monitor the dreams that she is experiencing. At one point, Joy interrupts a dream where Riley is processing through a difficult event in the day, trying to make it a happy dream. Joy doesn’t understand the important role that dreams play in our lives in helping us process difficult emotions.
Dreams are wild and mysterious parts of our lives that do play an important role, even if we don’t fully understand them. I appreciate Inside Out’s nods to this part of our lives.
The film has moments of levity, like when Joy and Sadness miss the train of thought and aren’t sure when it will come back around. Or like when they have to pass through Abstract Thought and go through different types of abstract animation. And, of course, there’s the gum jingle that workers in Riley’s brain will randomly send up to the surface — we’ve all had those moments when a jingle will randomly pop in your head.
Inside Out is so smart in its writing and constantly reminds us of things that we experience every single day. That helps make the adventure of these emotions feel real and grounded in reality. It also feels like the film is giving us inside jokes that we can relate to. There is this feeling of belonging and understanding in the fun and cute moments throughout the film.
Joy and Sadness in Inside Out | Credit: Disney Pixar
Inside Out is an impressive accomplishment filled with laughs and heart. It’s a great look at what our brains are like and how we process through emotions. It tackles big topics in a way that’s easy to understand and digest, making it appropriate for kids. But it’s also meaty enough to be entertaining for adults.
Rewatching Inside Out, I’m even more excited to watch the sequel, which is coming out later this year. I can’t wait to spend more time with Riley and her emotions as they go on new adventures.