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“Inside Out” Will Turn You Right-side Up
Disney-Pixar’s new movie “Inside Out” will turn you right-side up.
In true Pixar fashion, you will laugh, cry, and laugh again. It truly touches your heart and will have you looking at the way you think, feel, and view memories in a whole new light!
(Editor’s Note: My husband won tickets to a preview showing of this film. All opinions are my own.)
“Inside Out” is the story of a young girl named Riley who moves from Minnesota to San Francisco with her family and has to adjust to life in a new city. Seems pretty basic, pretty innocent enough but to a young person-a major uprooting like that can be a catastrophic event. We see Riley’s emotions led by Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (voiced by Phyllis Smith from the “Office”), Anger (perfectly voiced by always-disgruntled comic Lewis Black), Disgust (voiced by Mindy Kaling), and Fear (voiced by Bill Hader) as they try to adjust, with Riley, to this new life.
As Riley is settling in, Joy tries to keep control of the emotions in their new surroundings, but Sadness can’t seem to control herself and keeps touching the precious memory marbles turning happy yellow memories to sad blue ones!!! Joy tries to stop Sadness from ruining all the core memories and amidst their tussle, she and Sadness get sucked out of Headquarters, deep inside the brain, leaving Fear, Disgust, and Anger left at the helm! Joy and Sadness embark on a Homer’s Odyssey through amazing lands of long term memory, personality islands, subconscious, dream studios, and abstract thought as they try to make it back to Headquarters to save Riley before it’s too late!
Why is “Inside Out” so special?
This is a very special film that actually tries to explain how and why we feel the way that we do through rich character driven story lines and exquisite animation. The imagery and creativity that bring to life such complicated abstract concepts as personality (represented here as “islands”) and memories (represented here as different colored marbles-yellow for happy, blue for sad, etc) are nothing short of genius.
We learn that each life-changing event/experience in Riley’s life becomes a precious “core memory.” Core Memories lead to the creation of Riley’s “islands” of personality. A brilliant representation of how our memories and experience create our personality…or in this creative case–“islands of personality.” So Riley’s love of classic Minnesota hockey generated from experiences playing on the ice with her parents when she was a baby up to playing in a junior hockey led to the creation of Hockey Island. Her love of being silly and goofy led to Goofball island. So smart! I’ve found myself, as mom, thinking about kids’ islands of personalities and what experiences am I giving them to help them build up fantastic islands too.
Who will like this film? Everyone!
This movie will leave you in awe. There is so much to absorb, it’s definitely a repeat-worthy film. Younger kids will love it because it’s hilarious, beautifully animated, and helps explain emotions and memories. Older kids or teens will appreciate it for it’s humor, and the concept of growing up, finding your place, being in strong in the face of adversity, and remembering the importance of love and family. Adults will love it for all of the aforementioned reasons plus the message that sadness leads back to love. In the movie, Riley is suffering from the loss of her old way of life, but as we get older, we encounter deeper loss (the end of a relationship or job, the loss of a home, a loved one, even the loss of a pet). This movie helps provide comfort and catharsis for those who have buried their, once yellow now blue, marble memories and gives license or power to peek back at them, taking comfort in the fact that sadness is ok. They’re just blue marbles and they have an important place and maybe by seeing them in a new light, one will be able to bring back a little bit of that yellow again.
We all want to be happy and filled with joy! But “Inside Out” reminds us that in times of trouble, we need a little sadness to bring us back to love. We need all of our emotions working together in order to stay Right-Side-Up!
Final thoughts:
- My daughters are 3 and 5 and loved it!
- My 3 year old got a little bit scared during a scene with a “scary” giant clown. I would advise to remind little ones that clowns are funny and nice.
- I also showed my girls the trailer before we went so they understood the premise…”It’s a movie about your emotions! And they talk! How funny is that?!”
- My girls loved it and are still reciting lines from the film.
- I find myself constantly referring back to it when my girls are having trouble with their own emotions, and it helps them work through their feelings and behavior. In other words–it’s helped curb meltdowns! #ScoreForMoms!
“Inside Out” opens in theaters nationwide this Friday, June 19. Check it out, and when you do, swing on back here and let me know your thoughts!
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite clips from the beginning of the movie. Hilarious! Enjoy!
Tell Your Story-Live Creatively
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HI! I’m a Shana, self-proclaimed Media Mixologist, wife, and mom to two little girls. I love to mix up cocktails of crafts, recipes, wellness, family and business with just the right amount of sparkle to help you shine everyday. So, grab a glass, and let’s celebrate the cocktail of life!
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