Inside Out
Let’s be clear about one thing, Inside out is my second most favorite animated film of 2015, tied with the beauty that is When Marnie Was there. A bright, well-lit, color-dependent, heavily alluring film about archetypes (let’s be real, there’s something a little bit familiar about the emotions) masterfully paints the effects of repression, and brilliantly (though not without its inaccuracies) represents what I imagine sometimes goes on in my mind.
Inside Out juxtaposes the story of a Riley, a 12 year old girl departing from Michigan, her home with all of her friends and all that she is used to, to San Francisco, and what goes on inside her head as she deals with this major change in her life.
As we are greeted with witty quips from the emotions, portrayed by renowned comedians, and a wonderful depiction of the inside of what goes on in a young girl’s head, themes of isolation, loneliness, and repression add further dramatic flair to what may seem like a simple children’s movie. At first glance the movie seems to be quite predictable, Riley struggles to deal with her new life, as two of the main characters, Joy, the ‘leader’ of headquarters, and Sadness, the emotion nobody gets in headquarters and seen as the primary ‘antagonist’ by the other emotions, gets sucked out of ‘headquarters,’ leaving Anger, Fear, and Disgust to control Riley.
Of course it is hinted at and blatantly said at the start, that things would spiral out of control but the way the movie unfolds more than makes up for what detractors may say as a very predictable story. At the very beginning of the movie Joy frames Sadness as the antagonist of the film; happy equals good, sadness equals bad. Each of the emotions have their own purpose, but at the end of the day Joy was bent on making sure that Riley stayed a ‘happy girl.’ This works out for all of them as Riley lives a pretty good life in Minnesota as an honest, goofy, friendly, family-oriented, hockey-playing girl, but as a major change comes that the main characters, Riley and all of her emotions, are caught off guard and struggle to deal with the change.
One of the aspects that movie goers might miss out on is the fact that Riley and the emotions are not separate from each other, they may be living inside her head but they are manifestations of Riley and all that she feels, and thus what they think and feel, Riley thinks and feels. This multileveled representation of a human person adds that deeper insight to how the movie deals with that major change. When they get to San Francisco, all of the other emotions get to take a step forward and Joy realizes that she is losing control of headquarters and she must keep Riley happy. One pivotal scene is when all of the emotions, except Sadness who is still viewed as the more negative of the emotions, start to take over headquarters, complaining, ranting, and dreading in Riley’s head, when Riley’s mother thanks Riley from staying their happy girl. It is this specific moment when Joy, again gets fired up to push even harder to keep Riley happy.
All through out the movie Joy and the other emotions struggle to keep Riley happy, even with Joy outside of headquarters, failing to notice that 1) Riley was not okay, and 2) the more they ignored the fact that Riley felt isolated and lonely, the more they lose control of the girl whose emotions they represent. A breath of fresh air comes into the movie in the form of Bingbong, an imaginary friend that is shown at the very start of the movie as a drawing, and becomes the companion of Sadness and Joy as they make their way back to headquarters. Bingbong was the innocent sidekick that eventually turned out to be the unexpected breakthrough star of the movie; providing comic relief and one of the most dramatic moments in Pixar history as the forgotten imaginary friend sacrifices his existence to make sure Riley becomes happy, giving us heartbreaking feelings similar to Jessie’s ‘When She Loved Me’ moment in Toy story 2.
As one of the more latent but major themes of the story, isolation and loneliness fill the movie with grit that is otherwise unexpected in a children’s movie. Riley feels alone in her new home, with none of that which she is used to (her house, her clothes, her bed, her friends, et al.), but it’s not until the very end that it is highlighted as the major themes of the film. Bingbong is also an expression of isolation and loneliness, collecting old memories, treasuring them and making sure they don’t end up as ‘forgotten’ memories. It is only until the very end that the spotlight is shone on this theme when the control panel of Riley’s emotions turns untouchable as she decides to run away from home, which was the effect of constant repression of sadness.
Joy eventually realizes that Sadness is essential because Sadness makes other people realize that Riley needs help. She realizes that Sadness was vital and it is only when sadness returns to headquarters that Riley accepts that 1) she is not okay, 2) she needs to be honest with how she feels, and 3) she transcends seeing the world as black and white, or as the movie puts it as happy, sad, angry, disgusted, and afraid singularly, and accepting that what goes on in a person’s life is a multi-faceted mix of emotions that contribute to what and who a person becomes.
These profound stories, symbolisms, and themes add an overall depth to what people already appreciate as a funny, cute, children’s movie. Put all of these things together, Inside out is truly a brilliant, heart-warming, and emotional (pun intended) movie that has made every viewer look at their emotions and their lives in a different light.
