Analysis Of Inside Out

Inside Out is a 2015 animated film that depicts the life of an eleven-year-old girl named Riley and her struggles after moving to a new city. Throughout the movie, her emotions are personified as different characters and through their own struggles in trying to manage Riley 's feelings, Joy and Sadness are tossed into the deep, inner workings of Riley 's mind. Thus, the plot follows them as they find their way back to "headquarters." When Anger, Disgust, and Fear are left in control, Riley begins to act out and put herself in dangerous situations. The film shows the importance of each emotion as well as the development that a child goes through, due to said process of maturation. Inside Out attempts to give perspective as to why children respond

We see Anger take over and convince the other emotions that running away is the best choice for Riley, explaining that she was happy when she lived in Minnesota and therefore would be happier going back (Inside Out, 1:01:01). While the audience can recognize the flaw in that logic, the creators meant to show that a child is not yet able to fully view situations logically because they are primarily ruled by emotions. Logic is not depicted in the movie at all and thus seems to be both literally and hypothetically absent during childhood. Thus, Riley needs the support of others outside of herself to help her maneuver her feelings. To get this support, she actively seeks the comfort of her parents and, in turn, they provide her solace rather freely without question, strengthening the relationship that she and her parents

In our present society, youth is thought to strive when given a strong support system in which they are shown affection and a sort of familial intimacy; however, this way of bringing up a child was not popular until the mid-twentieth century. Prior to the 1900 's, child rearing manuals and advice books suggested that the main objective of childhood was to prepare one for adulthood and the way to properly ensure one 's readiness was to do so " by constraint and deprivation."(Mintz, 191)*. One behavior psychologist, John B. Watson claimed that parents should "above all, avoid displays of affection"(Mintz, 191), heavily conflicting with the way Inside Out portrays childhood. Riley 's parents are seen as a constant resource of emotional and physical support and their acts of endearment toward their daughter is depicted in a positive light that often drives the continuing development of