Disgust, Anger and Fear in “Inside Out.” Three emotions my 11-year-old feels deeply right now.
Last night we had a family outing to see the new Pixar movie “Inside Out.” It is brilliant. Yet, it’s a bit unnerving how well they know our family.
1. The girl Riley is 11 and she once was ruled by the emotion Joy. Yet, now she’s ruled by Disgust, Anger and Fear. This totally explains what is happening with our 11 year old: the eye rolls, the muttering under the breath, the slamming doors and the general opinion that everyone is beneath her. Oh, to be 11.
2. The Mom’s emotions pick up on the fact that Riley is having a hard time at her new school. The Dad’s emotions are sidetracked by thoughts of sports. While sports isn’t what the Dad in our house would be sidetracked by, there’s definitely some wandering thoughts of “Star Wars,” The Beatles or anything having to do with pop culture. Meanwhile, the Mom is trying to solve a problem she can’t really fix.
In “Inside Out” Mom and Dad are trying to figure out what’s going on with Riley.
3. The boy at the end of the movie has emotions that are in total chaos, bumping into each other, not thinking clearly, not able to make words come out of his mouth. Oh, this is so my 14-year-old son. I have to grab him and look into his eyes when I’m talking to him or else nothing translates. There’s just too much going on in his head.
4. The dog at the end who’s only thought is that there might be food. Yep, that’s Penny. She’s a one-thought at a time kind of girl.
5. The cat whose emotions are no where to be found, then they fight with each other, then one walks on the control panel causing disorder. They nailed Jack and Jill. One shuns us constantly, the other creates havoc everywhere he walks.
Could my kids see themselves in “Inside Out”? I think so, even if maybe they didn’t want to admit it. It’s definitely a movie that will have your kids talking about their emotions. And I know one local child psychiatrist who already has the complete set of plush emotions in his office.
Here’s to trying to understand kids a little better while enjoying a great movie.
