Yesterday I shared how Inside Out Busts Through 5 Myths of Your Emotions: Joy, Anger, Sadness, Sorrow, Disgust.
The movie is still dancing in my mind.
I couldn’t help but watch Inside Out through the lenses of all I’ve learned through researching joy and happiness for Fight Back With Joy.
Here are 10 details of Inside Out I adored:
- Joy, Sorrow, Fear, Disgust, and Anger were portrayed as energy. Instead of giving them smooth skin, the creators gave them effervescent particles. The emotions weren’t stationary, but moving and changing—especially when responding to a situation or memory.
- Joy glows. Oh, yes she does. She’s radiant. Not just in Inside Out but also in real life. If you watch the scenes where Joy tumbles into the subconscious, you’ll see what we all know to be true: Joy glows brighter in the dark.
- No one escapes life without experiencing loss. Rather than be skittish of pain, Pixar tends to root movies in it. Remember Finding Nemo? A story about losing a family. Or Wall-E? A story of losing a planet? Riley has lost life as she knows it. Sometimes we do, too. Like Riley, our emotions will go into overdrive, act chaotic, and drive us toward some unbecoming behavior. But in the unbecoming—we can become something more.
- Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith are “bazziliant.” Yep, that’s one bazillion brilliants.
Amy Poehler = melodic delight Phyllis Smith = melancholy disposition
Amy’s vocal styling embodies joy at every turn. Her exuberance and mania are contagious, especially set against Phyllis’ gloomy glum. Both actors shine and develop from one-dimensional to multi-faceted as the story progresses.
- Moving forward requires letting go. One of the most carnival-like characters, Bing Bong) is a beloved, delightful character reminiscent of one of Toy Story’s toys. One of Riley’s imagery friends, Bing Bong steals her heart (and ours). Yet for Riley to move forward she must let go. So must we.
- Inside Out is Pixar’s first original film to come to the screen without Steve Jobs. The guru had played a significant role at Pixar’s studio until his passing in 2011. This film shows that the Pixar team is still in good hands.
- Sadness can save the day. Our culture leaves little room for sadness. Sometimes, like the characters of Inside Out, we may even wonder why she is there? When we don’t shove her to the margins or ignore her voice, sadness can learn to make peace with our other emotions. We may even discover, that like Joy, sadness brings healing and serves a mighty purpose.
- Both Joy and Sadness shared blue hair. Perhaps Joy and Sadness are more connected than we realized. In earlier drafts, the heroes of Inside Out were Joy and Fear. According to writer-director Pete Docter’s previous version had Joy and Fear getting lost. This created comedic moments, but as the project progressed the paring felt off.
- I almost forgot. Oh, we’re all forgetful. In one scene, memories that are shaped like round marbles that are no longer in use—like beginner piano lessons or the names of US presidents—are eliminated to make room for new memories. This helps explain those days when I feel like I’ve lost my marbles.
If you had one emotion that you wish was depicted as a character in a sequel Inside Out, what would it be?
I’m nominating Hope.
