What If Feelings Had Feelings

You've heard of Inside Out. Or you haven't because you live under a rock like substance.

It's Pixar's most recent creation in which we follow Riley, an eleven-year-old hockey-playing pizza-eating badass, as she makes the move from Minnesota to San Francisco. Though the main characters are actually her emotions:

The second I saw this trailer, I was thrilled. I don't think the importance of recognizing and reacting to feelings and emotions is always taught to kids. Parents can do this of course, and some do, but there's still a stigma. It's uncool or weak or lame to feel how you feel.

You should be tougher or keep it to yourself. Well, sometimes you're angry and it's irrational but you still feel angry. Yes, you need to resist flipping over a table and screaming, but you can feel angry. You learn to take deep breathes or take a walk or do whatever you have to do to let joy back out on top.

Mom's Emotions

Inside Out showed the importance of all the emotions. It wasn't just Joy's show. Sure she was at the forefront a lot, but Riley's 11! In the mom's head, sadness was front and center whereas the dad had anger at the helm.

I don't think this means Riley's mom is inherently sad or that her dad is always angry, but as you grow up, you have a base, some state you come back to and it can't always be happy time.

Dad's Emotions

Another quick note in here about the parents... all their emotions are one gender. In Riley, it's a mix. I don't know if this was intentional, but I'd like to think Pixar is subtly showing that Riley perhaps doesn't identify yet as one or the other. Everything about her is developing from her mind to her body and there's no rush to figure it all out at once.




Now onto the plot, Riley has to move, you know that already, and she's not thrilled but not miserable either as she's decided to make the best of it. You know this because Joy is in charge. Fear and Anger take a stab, but Joy wins. This is going to be okay.

Except for then Riley's dad is working too much and her mom is worried and tired and none of her stuff has come on the moving truck and life is stupid, unfair, and really hard. And Joy gets lost. Both Joy and Sadness get stuck in the massive maze of longterm memory. This leaves Riley mad, scared, and annoyed. A great blend we're probably all familiar with - it's not the most productive of combinations. 

My mom was listening to NPR and I guess some neurologists were very huffy and saying this movie wasn't very accurate - this isn't how emotional responses work.

WHAT.

You're telling me there isn't a control panel where a few odd looking, yet colorful creatures fight over which buttons to press and decide what reactions I should have? My memories aren't little glowing orbs? Of course not, but this movie does an amazing job with the metaphor. 

There are adorable moments when some creatures and vacuuming up faded memories like old telephone numbers or state capitals and they mutter to each other, "She won't need that, she has the Internet." Or when you discover there's now an imaginary boyfriend in the mix who essentially has flopping hair and repeatedly pledges, "I will die for Riley." (That's all a girl really wants right?)

Joy and Sadness continue to make their way through Riley's brain, trying to get back to the control center, when they run into Bing Bong, Riley's childhood imaginary friend. He's a myriad of animals which he explains is because he was invented when Riley was three, and animals were all the rage.

So Bing Bong (is that not the best name?) helps them through Imagination Land, Dream Land, and Abstract Thought. He's energetic and happy and BFFs with Joy. They get along immediately and realize they have one common goal - let's help Riley and get her back on track. 

I'm not going to bring you through the plot points of the movie because you should watch the movie. You will cry. You will laugh. You will cry again and then smile wistfully.

It's smart and important and clever and fun. As is Pixar's way, it's teaching the whole time, whether you're learning it all or not. It even teaches lessons I think are sometimes ignored. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to grow up. It's okay to be giddy or scared or annoyed. It's okay to feel. And your emotions are all trying to protect you. They're part of you. They make you you.

You can't give in to any of them all the way and ignore the rest. If you ignore joy and sadness, you're left with disgust, anger, and fear:

But if you ignore fear, you'll never be cautious, and if you ignore anger, you may not stand up for yourself, and if you ignore disgust... you might wear an ugly shirt.

They all have their role and are meant to keep you going. 

Everyone has them too. Even if it doesn't seem like it or they're out of synch with yours. They're there and they are just as important. 

So go on, feel and let feel.

 I couldn't help myself, if you haven't seen the below... Pixar's movie history: