Inside Out

Release Date: June 19, 2015

Watch Date: July 19, 2024

“Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her Emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler); Fear (Bill Hader); Anger (Lewis Black); Digust (Mindy Kaling); and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The Emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her Emotions struggle to adjust to a new life, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important Emotion, tries to keep things positive, the Emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.”

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   I know it’s not the 20th, and so technically we should have watched some old movie. But, here’s the thing: I don’t care. Rules were made to be broken. Some more caution to the wind slogans.

   The thing is this, we bought tickets to go with our son to see ‘Inside Out 2’ on Sunday, and he’s never seen the original ‘Inside Out’ and so you kind of have to watch the first one to understand the second, and besides Bob has only seen ‘Inside Out’ once and I needed a refresher. So here we are.

   I actually tried to make this an education experience, since I know pictures of the characters were on display in my son’s kindergarten classroom and were being actively used to teach them how to handle and identify their emotions. So we quizzed everyone on the characters names, and to give examples of each emotion. We talked a little about what emotion each of us feels a lot of the time. We talked about how no emotions are bad. We talked about how this was a movie about our emotions reacting to a big change.

   And then the boy sat riveted for the entire run time.

   Our soon to be three year old? Not so much. But that’s fine. There’s no music, no princesses, and absolutely no mermaids, and so other than the pretty colors of the characters it didn’t have a lot to hold her interest.

   So anyways, I have high hopes for ‘Inside Out 2’. Our son also knows a lot about anxiety, as I have it and he’s been tentatively diagnosed with it as well, so he’s very excited to see that emotion be portrayed.

   But enough about the sequel we haven’t even watched yet. Let’s talk about the original.

   This movie blew everyone’s minds when it first came out, and that makes a lot of sense. It’s an incredibly unique way of thinking about emotions, about our mental health, and about the difficulty of growing up. I don’t think that depression can be cured that immediately, but I do also understand that it’s a film, and things have to be wrapped up in a timely matter. I think the depiction of having neither joy or sadness when one is depressed is very accurate.

   Honestly, I mostly love that this film has given educators a way to increase awareness of mental health, and a language with which to help kids discuss their emotions in a healthy way, as a group and by themselves. Kids can easily identify one of the five emotions, and it teaches them how each emotion helps them, and that none should be treated like a problem, or something to be ashamed of.

   I mean it’s a Pixar movie, and so many wonderful things have already been said about it, I’m not going to be able to add very much to the conversation. But what I can say is this; watch this film. If you never have, in some crazy world, make the time. Watch this film. I bet you walk away from it understanding yourself just a little better.