Today, June 19, Pixar’s Inside Out celebrates its 10th anniversary, and it’s the perfect opportunity to remember the most valuable life lessons and emotional intelligence that this brilliant and moving animated film left us.
Have you ever wondered how emotions work? What happens in our minds when we experience happiness, anger, or sadness? In Inside Out, everything that goes on inside the brain is illustrated through the story of Riley Andersen, an 11-year-old teenager who is dealing with many significant changes.
It all begins when Riley suddenly moves from Minnesota to the San Francisco Bay Area. Although at first she tries to make the best of a difficult situation, she soon begins to miss her hometown and her life, feeling confused. School is difficult, her new home is nothing like her old one, and she is convinced that her parents don’t understand the difficulties she is going through.
Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley.
But, the film is not so much about Riley and her environment, but about her mind and her individual feelings. The plot is told primarily from the perspective of Joy (Amy Poehler); Fear (Bill Hader); Anger (Lewis Black); Disgust (Mindy Kaling); and Sadness (Phyllis Smith), as they struggle and strive to help her and make her happy.
At the time, Inside Out won a total of 98 awards out of 114 nominations, including Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice and Annie Awards.
To mark the 10th anniversary of Inside Out, we’ve compiled four valuable lessons ranging from the power of emotions to the importance of personal growth, not to mention the role of family and social connections.
All emotions have a purpose
Written and directed by Pete Docter, Inside Out demonstrates that all emotions are necessary and play a vital role in our emotional wellbeing.
In this sense, it is a proven fact that emotions such as joy, sadness, anger, fear and disgust are fundamental to navigating the world, reacting to situations and forming memories.
While not all emotions are pleasant, each plays an essential and irreplaceable role in people’s lives. For example, fear serves a protective function, anger is an impulse that drives us to act, and disgust protects us from that which could be harmful to us.
“It really tells us something very real and unique about emotional experiences,” said psychology professor Dacher Keltner of the University of California at Berkeley, an expert in the study of emotions who advised Pixar on this project.
“The film suggests that, in some way, all emotions have their purpose, and it’s very much in line with recent scientific studies.”
Throughout history, it has been emphasized that suppressing negative emotions distances us from our authentic self and can have a negative impact on our health. Simultaneously, we are urged to validate all our feelings and learn to manage them consciously.
Sadness is crucial for healing and connection
Inside Out challenges the idea that happiness should be the only dominant emotion.
The film highlights the relevance of experiencing a full spectrum of feelings and how, for example, sadness can be a catalyst for empathy, healing and deep connections.
Often, we tend to associate sadness with grief, inaction, passivity and isolation. We think being sad is bad, we are distressed to see someone crying or crestfallen, and the first thing we want to do is cheer them up without giving sadness a place.
It is sadness, not joy, that leads to emotional healing and growth for the protagonist
However, Riley’s journey, just like real life, illustrates how sadness is normal, and even helpful. Sadness is an internal note that allows people to face their processes and deal with them.
Let us remember that, in the resolution of the story, it is sadness that leads Riley to reunite with her parents and overcome her difficulties.
It is sadness, not joy, that leads to emotional healing and growth for the protagonist.
Feelings are often mixed
Sometimes emotions can intertwine, complement, and collaborate with each other. For example, at a crucial moment in the plot, Riley allows herself to feel sadness, as well as fear and anger, about her idea of running away from home.
In a later moment, already in the final chapter of the film, this is exemplified in a more elaborate way, when Joy finally accepts that Sadness is an important part of Riley’s emotional life, and openly invites her to the control panel for the two to interact and achieve a healthy regulation of the teenager’s moods.
Ultimately, as a result of joy, fear, anger, disgust, and sadness working together, a new kind of hybrid memory originates and Riley seems to experience a deeper form of happiness.
One of the major revelations of the animated feature is that joy is only one element of happiness, and happiness can be tinged with other emotions.
Social connections are key to happiness
Moreover, Inside Out examines how social isolation can lead to a sense of disconnection and loneliness, which, in turn, has a significant impact on the protagonist’s physical and mental wellbeing.
As the plot unfolds and all of Riley’s emotional aspects are properly managed, the film advocates for the establishment of new social bonds and the fostering of meaningful personal purpose. For the teenager, this change involves an increase in time spent playing ice hockey, forming new friendships and living lovingly with her parents.
Like Riley, we all need healthy relationships with other people to be happy. When we are separated from friends and family, we are not fully complete.
No one is so self-sufficient that they don’t need other people, and that’s okay.
Inside Out, 10 years later
Inside Out is an extraordinarily original and heartfelt story about growing up and learning to handle the most intense emotions. Under the guise of children’s entertainment, the feature film takes us on a journey through the human psyche that is not just for children, but serves as a model for becoming better parents, teachers and caregivers.
For the uninitiated, Inside Out will offer an exhilarating and wonderful experience that addresses fundamental themes such as emotions and their impact on our lives, self-discovery, and mental health. For loyal fans, it will always be rewarding to once again enjoy such an insightful and eye-opening film.
In any case, Riley’s struggles and triumphs offer valuable lessons about human psychology. Inside Out makes it clear that understanding our emotions is the first step toward a more fulfilling life.