We're taken inside the mind of 11-year-old Riley, a girl who loves her family, her friends, hockey, being a goofball, and Minnesota in general. Then everything changes when she and her parents move to San Francisco for her dad's job. Against this backdrop, the majority of the conflict and drama comes from Riley's five primary emotions (Joy, Fear, Anger, Sorrow, and Disgust) interacting with each other. Joy tends to more or less run the show, and most of Riley's memories end up happy. Not that the other emotions don't have their times occasionally, but it's apparent that they seem to be on board with Riley being happy most of the time. Well, most of them do. Then there's Sadness. Not surprisingly, she and Joy aren't exactly best buds. Sadness wants to touch some of Riley's memories (making them sad in the process) and Joy is intent on keeping Sadness as far away from influencing Riley as she can. When an accident separates Joy and Sadness from Headquarters, they have to work together if they're going to get back. Along the way, Joy discovers that Sadness is far more important than she ever imagined.
Inside Out utilizes the emotional punch of Up and combines it with a complexity and scope reminiscent of the door system from Monsters, Inc. As usual, it's surprisingly deep for a "kids movie." While there are certainly plenty of moments that will make kids laugh, there's a lot of serious moments. I am not a crier. I've cried at one book in my life, and prior to last Saturday, I never had in a movie. During one scene late in the movie I had to force myself not to actually cry, but I definitely teared up. It feels real. I know our emotions and memories don't work the same way the ones in the movie do. I know that. But the events that trigger the emotions and the reactions to those events could easily happen in real life. The people are believable.
There's a strong emphasis on family, a rarity in today's films. Riley's parents are portrayed as flawed but also loving, intelligent, and caring. Riley's connection to her parents is viewed as a key aspect of her life. And, unlike most other Disney movies, neither of the parents die, which was a pleasant change. In a society where family is being systematically devalued, it was really nice to see it shown positively.
I think what I liked best, and what I've thought about the most, is the message of the movie. It surprised me. In a world where happiness and pleasure are worshiped, the idea that happiness isn't the most important thing is wonderfully refreshing. All emotions are important, and they all make us who we are - even sadness. Sometimes, we need to be sad. It can be the most healthy thing for us, and the most helpful thing for others. I'm disturbed by the common opinion that being joyful equals being happy all the time. I often get the impression from people that if you're truly spiritual then you won't ever be sad, at least not for any length of time. But that's simply not true.
Emotions are a precious gift from God, and they're part of being made in God's image. No other creature in all of creation can experience emotions as richly and deeply as humans do. God Himself displays anger, disgust, joy, and sadness. Jesus was enraged at people turning His Father's house into a place to rip people off. He wept when Lazarus died. He was disgusted by Israel's insincere worship. He rejoices when sinners repent. We are commanded to fear God, rejoice in Him, grieve over our sin and mourn with those who mourn, and to be angry at and disgusted by the things that God Himself is angry at and disgusted by.
This isn't a Christian film. Not even remotely. But it makes me think and has a lot of great talking points about who we are and how God made us. By the way, this is probably a given, but the animation is solid. The score is supportive but not overwhelming. The morals are right. It's a bit heavy at times, but there are plenty of moments to make you laugh and smile. I greatly look forward to seeing it again and highly recommend it.
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