When Riley moves from the home she has always known to a new place with different kids and schools; it is a jarring experience. Riley had always been a happy child, led on by Joy, her leading emotion, who wanted to make Riley's life the happiest it could be. But, when her new home is not what she hoped for, and all her things are stuck in a lost moving van, Anger, Disgust, and Fear take the helm, while Joy desperately wishes to keep Sadness away from the controls. However, things truly take off when Joy and Sadness are removed from Headquarters, leaving Disgust, Fear, and Anger to pretend to be Joy until the duo return.
Inside Out portrays Riley's frustration and confusion as she attempts and fails to be the happy person she has always been amidst so many new conflicts. The movie explores emotions, the catalysts and reasons for why Riley feels certain things, and the results they can cause. Meanwhile, it is also a movie that wishes to understand how Joy and Sadness can work together, even though it takes time for Joy to understand the vitality Sadness brings to the table. Inside Out is a rollercoaster of emotions that portrays a very relatable journey of what it means to attempt to deal with so many fighting emotions while growing up and experiencing new things.
Discusses The Emotional Effects Of Change
Moving away can undoubtedly be a challenging experience, and Riley struggles to keep up her happy attitude as her entire world changes. So far away from home, Riley must make new friends, join a new hockey team, and adjust to a new school while her home lacks all the familiar furniture meant to follow them. Inside Out depicts Riley's struggle to handle a new environment. Meanwhile, Inside Out also tackles a similar story for Joy and Sadness. Joy is used to controlling Riley's head, but every unique experience leaves her behind. Through Joy and Sadness being in long-term memory, they and the audience get a front-row seat to the Islands of Personality crashing as each attempt to recreate a core memory fails.
Anger's decision to have Riley run away, believing it will be the saving factor in recreating happy core memories, is the result of Anger, Fear, and Disgust running the show without Joy and Sadness present. Therefore, Sadness must lead the control panel to allow the full spectrum of emotion back into Riley's life to save Riley from going through with the plan.
The Balance of Joy And Sadness
Joy may believe she is the most fundamental emotion in Riley's life, but she disregards Sadness' importance. Without Joy, Riley may not be able to be happy. But, without Sadness, Riley can not feel the full scope of emotion and lacks the ability for sympathy and empathy, something Sadness grasps without thought. Joy and Sadness have two different jobs in influencing Riley's life. However, both positions are crucial to keeping Riley a well-rounded individual.
Inside Out portrays the idea that while people may think they need to be happy all the time, that is not true. Instead, the film encourages the full spectrum of emotions, conveying that they all are an essential part of life and there is nothing wrong with feeling sad. Inside Out shows that Joy and Sadness can go hand-in-hand and that Riley's personality and how she recalls memories can affect how she lives her life.
The Emotional Depth
Given the concept, it is clear Inside Out will be a very emotional film from the beginning. Riley crying in school as she recalls living in Minnesota, is only the beginning of the emotional journey the movie creates. When Joy and Sadness run into Bing Bong, Riley's childhood imaginary friend, it adds another layer to grasping what is occurring in Riley's head. In addition to adjusting to living in a new place, she is also growing up, slowly leaving her childhood activities behind, which includes Bing Bong being a crucial part of her life. It seems as if Riley had not thought about Bing Bong in years, as suggested by his rocket ship being sent into the abyss to be forgotten forever.
Bing Bong's decision to sacrifice himself for Joy, realizing he is beginning to disappear, is not only sad for the happy character but also a devastating understanding of what it can mean to let go of the past and grow up. Joy's devastation at realizing she may never make it back to Headquarters and be a part of Riley's life is another crucial moment in character development. However, perhaps one of the most critical moments of the film is Riley's breakdown of her parents after returning home. Finally, by allowing Sadness to drive, Riley can be vulnerable about her struggles to remain happy and be honest about how hard the move has been on her. The family's group hug, ultimately giving Riley the chance to take a breath, ends up allowing Joy to take the wheel as well, as Riley can gain comfort from the bonding moment with her parents. Joy and Sadness working together build a brand-new core memory, showing all Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear that Riley's memories can have more than one emotion attached to them.