LMCR 2252 EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT

SEMESTER 1 2022/2023

SET 3

TITLE

INSIDE OUT MOVIE REVIEW

LECTURER

DR FAZILAH IDRIS

WRITTEN BY

NURAINA SHASHA BINTI AHMAD KHALID

A196871
Background

Inside Out was directed by Pete Docter from a screenplay he co-wrote with Meg LeFauve and Josh
Cooley in late 2009. Inside Out was set in San Francisco. He was inspired after witnessing the changes
in his daughter's personality as she got older. She used to have this upbeat, silly demeanour but she
began to become quieter and more reclusive when she turned eleven. As a result, he devised the concept
of the story taking place in the mind of a young girl, with her emotions being characters in a film. Docter
recruited psychologist Paul Ekman to advise the crew on the nature of emotions early in the film's five-
year development. According to Ekman, there are seven universal facial signals – joy, sadness, anger,
fear, disgust, contempt, and surprise. However, Docter sought simplicity for his storyline, and five was
exactly enough for discordance and fun.

Plot

Inside Out depicts the inner workings of an 11-year-old girl’s mind called Riley as five personified
emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust manage her thoughts and behaviours as she struggles
to acclimatise to her new life in San Francisco and the tough process of growing up.

Characters and characterization

Riley Andersen – Riley's emotions influence her behaviours throughout the film. Riley is a cheerful,
honest, and goofy child but as she enters preadolescence, she becomes more emotional, reclusive, and
self-conscious. By the time her family relocates to San Francisco, she is increasingly agitated, irritated,
and lonely. At this stage, her emotions are attempting to assist her in adjusting to her new life.

Jill Andersen (Riley’s mom) – Jill is very kind and empathetic as Sadness appears to be her dominant
emotion. This might be due to she has lived long enough to understand that it is only through hardship
that we can fully appreciate happiness. Sadness is her primary emotion not because she is perpetually
down in the dumps but rather because she has come to appreciate the significance of this emotion.

Bill Andersen (Riley’s dad) – Bill is proven to be extremely disciplined, as seen by his Anger
controlling his emotions in his mind. Perhaps he has gotten more stressed over the years and that is now
his dominant emotion. He appears to be battling with work-related stress throughout the film.

Joy – Joy is the dominant emotion within Riley’s brain control centre. Her goal is to ensure Riley’s
happiness to the point that she doesn’t want any other emotions to impact Riley. She is also highly
energetic and optimistic, and always looking for ways to turn negative situations into positive ones.
Sadness – Sadness is insecure and believes that her actions are wrong and that she may endanger Riley
due to how other emotions treated her. But Sadness is shrewd; she just takes her time, which enables
her to be more deliberate and cautious. She can bring people together thanks to her deep compassion
and understanding of their plight.

Anger – Anger fights for Riley's rights. His temper flares easily, and he often loses his cool when things
don't go his way. He’s also prone to exaggeration and quick to criticise.

Fear – Riley’s safety is Fear’s main priority. He is always on the watch for impending catastrophes and
carefully considers the risks associated with Riley's daily routine.

Disgust – Disgust is highly critical and judgmental, and she often tries to prevent the Riley, from
engaging in activities or behaviours that she finds distasteful or unappealing. Disgust is often triggered
by things that are perceived as being dirty, rotten, or inedible, and she helps to protect Riley from harm
by steering her away from these things.

Analysis

Seven years ago, when I watched this film for the first time, I felt Sadness to be a rather annoying
character. I felt this when Sadness changed the several of the memories to blue when she and Joy were
transported to long-term memory. Every time Joy told her not to, she went ahead and touched them
anyhow, driving Joy crazy. But when I watch this movie again now, I think differently. Joy’s the one
who annoys me the most because she kept on gaslighting Sadness. I understand that she didn’t mean to,
but I wish she’d listened to Sadness more and stop neglecting her feelings. When Joy ditched Sadness
and said, “Riley needs to be happy”, she implicitly telling others that she’s the superior one. I’d say
she’s really being selfish at this moment, but I don’t think she fits into this description. A person who
is selfish does not care about anyone but himself/herself. Joy cares a lot when it comes to Riley but not
for her colleagues (other emotions). Therefore, she’s not selfish but self-importance – considering
oneself to be of more significance or worthy than other individuals. Joy puts herself first and considers
everything else to be secondary. In fact, the idea that we should always be happy is evident in the story.
And if we aren't, then something is wrong and must be fixed. Joy and Sadness are unaware of it at the
moment, but they are connected in some way.
How Inside Out Represents Depression
The way inside out depicts depression is by using three core emotions: anger, fear disgust. What the
movie is trying to tell us that depression can be visualised by feelings of anger, being afraid and being
disgusted. The mixture of these three emotions causes Riley to lose her core personality. Therefore, it
makes her emotionally numb and unable to feel anything. She has lost interest in everything she ever
enjoyed and is now trapped inside her own mind. When you're depressed, it's hard to muster the energy
to do the activities you formerly enjoyed. You may even find that you've changed as a person during
those difficult moments. So, here is where sadness must be felt. Sadness is what brings Riley back.
Because she chooses to admit, "I need my family because I'm hurting," instead of shutting down. All
these happy memories from the past are now sad memories because they're gone. Riley needs to accept
that time has passed. Riley needs to grieve over this. Cry for the people and the things she has lost, for
the memories she has lost, and for the strength it took to confront her losses, accept how they've changed
her, and ultimately let them go. Many individuals in the world attempt to put on a front rather than being
honest about how they really feel which cause a negative impact on their relationships. Positivity is
great if it's genuine. If it's not real, you're telling yourself a lie. When Joy tries to prevent Sadness from
influencing Riley's actions. This could be seen as an example of toxic positivity, which is the practice
of trying to maintain an overly positive outlook in difficult or negative situations, often at the expense
of acknowledging or dealing with difficult emotions.

It is often said that "time heals all wounds," but this is not entirely true. While time can help to lessen
the intensity of negative emotions, it is often through the process of feeling and acknowledging those
emotions that we are able to heal. Hence, Sadness can play a crucial role in the healing process. If we
attempt to be happy all the time and not allow ourselves to get sad, we will get stuck. Once Joy
understands this, she decides to let Sadness influence Riley’s core memories which helps Riley to
express and process her emotions. This allows her to move on from difficult situations and to better
cope with her feelings. From psychological point, if you've never known what it's like to be sad, you
can't truly understand what it is to feel joy.

On a final note, emotions serve as signals to help us understand and navigate the world around us, and
they can provide valuable insights into our own thoughts and feelings. While some emotions, such as
joy and love, may be generally considered "positive," and others, such as anger and sadness, may be
generally considered "negative," all emotions serve a purpose and can be important in helping us to lead
healthy, fulfilling lives. It is important to recognize that there is no inherent value in labelling emotions
as "good" or "bad." All emotions are valid and deserve to be acknowledged and expressed in a healthy
way. It is not healthy to try to suppress or eliminate negative emotions, as they can play an important
role in helping us to cope with difficult situations and make positive changes in our lives. Instead of
trying to avoid or eliminate negative emotions, it can be more helpful to learn how to recognize and
manage them in a healthy way.
References

Cinema Therapy. (2020, June 4). Therapist Reacts to INSIDE OUT [Video]. YouTube.

https://youtu.be/vTVQtsIfoo8

Emily Pulcastro. (2020, May 10). How Inside Out Depicts Depression [Video]. YouTube.

https://youtu.be/aIcgVNmOUd8

Inside out. Pixar Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pixar.fandom.com/wiki/Inside_Out

Roper, C. (2015, June 19). How Pixar picked the 5 core emotions of Inside Out's star. Wired.

https://www.wired.com/2015/06/pixar-inside-out/