[Support Group Article Gem] Is Disney’s “Inside Out” Really “Outside In?”

The New Movie “Inside Out” might be “Outside In”

by Nicholeen Peck

I know this article could ruffle a few feathers but I felt like my support group would reallyappreciate it even if they didn’t totally agree.I recently saw the new movie “Inside Out” and couldn’t help but analyze it. My husband alwaysteases me for how much I analyze movies. I actually just analyze everything. That is whatthinking people do. My brain is always searching for more truth or more traps. I guess it’s in myprograming.

The movie “Inside Out” made my husband fall asleep and my mother bored, so if you don’t likewatching characters go to different lands you could have the same feeling. But theentertainment value is not the purpose of this review.I want to discuss the point of the show; the big picture message that is slightly problematic formy self-government principles.The movie is about little characters inside people’s heads. The characters in every head areSadness, Joy, Anger, Fear, and Attitude Problem. (This character actually has another name,but she is all attitude and selfishness.)

There are some cute and even funny, as well as stereotypical, parts of the show. However,despite those entertaining moments the movie itself is about why people make the choices theymake in their relationships; and the message simply isn’t true. Of course Disney never said itwas a true concept. It is just creative and should definitely be taken as such. This meansdiscuss it with your children if you see it.

The only elements to every brain are memories and the five emotions. Throughout the show thecharacters trigger memories and take emotional control of their characters. The humans aretotally helpless to their memories and emotions. The main human girl in the movie makes some horrible emotional choices that are rationalized by her emotions and are apparently from a lackof memory retention. The audience can’t help but validate her bad choices because she isclearly the victim of her emotions and past experiences.

The movie “Inside Out” is clearly giving the message that people are helpless. They arecontrolled by emotions and must validate them. People are also victims of their past and currentexperiences. No one really has control of their own thoughts or their own life.

Joy, was a main character and obviously valued as a kind of hero by the other emotions, but inthe end it is sadness that saves the day. The message is that a person must give in to theirsadness to find freedom somehow. I got what they were trying to do and how they were tryingto explain how valuable empathy and understanding is. But, these things don’t actually comefrom sadness. They come from love and a conscious effort to value to someone else. In fact,sadness is a turn inside yourself, but real understanding and love is a turn outside of yourselfand inside someone else.

Do we really need to validate and promote depression? This is kind of what the sadnesscharacter does. There is way too much childhood depression now days. The role of sadnesswas concerning to me as it was sure to confuse children.

I could go on. Hopefully I didn’t ruin too much. Normally I don’t write about movies, but this onewas related to self-government. What if a person really can’t control their own heart and mind? What then? Are we all supposed to embrace our helplessness or are we supposed to see themind as a powerful part of learning cause and effect and self-government?

The movie “Inside Out” was really promoting common beliefs about how weak we all are, andhow we are victims of our emotions. These outside ideas can ruin us on the inside, so I thinkthis movie should really be called “Outside In”. I’m giving the movie a thumbs down for it’sconfusing theme. The last thing we need are children who think that anger and depression arecool parts of who they are.