An Emotion Filled Movie Screening: My Thoughts on Inside Out #InsideOut #InsideOutEvent

The day of the Inside Out premiere I wrote about my experience walking the purple carpet, It was an emotional high filled with so much joy and excitement.  Just before entering the El Capitan Theater I caught a glimpse of the stars who voiced characters in the movie and just thought things couldn’t get better.  After grabbing a Coke and popcorn, I pulled out my ticket and was guided to my seat that happened to be FRONT ROW center just behind the organist.  The last time I watched a film in this theater I was in the balcony.  Here I was sitting just 6 rows from Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling as well as being surrounded by the entire conglomerate that made up the Inside Out film!  My mind was buzzing and the energy was electric.

The lights went out and the newest Disney Pixar short, Lava was shown. Now if you know me, I’m a huge fan of Hawaii and any tropical islands for that matter and the music and story line of Lava began the stream of tears that would be the theme for the night.

Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, “LAVA” is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years.  From Pixar Animation Studios, director James Ford Murphy and producer Andrea Warren, “LAVA” opens in theaters on June 19, 2015, in front of “Inside Out.”

That music is guaranteed to be in your head all weekend!

Already between my head cold and the crying I was a sniffling mess and wished I’d brought more Kleenex (if you’re a crier you need to plan accordingly). I already had seen trailers and heard stories from other bloggers who had caught most of the movie at a conference, so I had so preconceived ideas of the film and where it was headed.  But those of you who may be going in blind, listen to what the main stars of the film say about what goes into making a Disney Pixar film!  Because they’re all comedians of course it’s totally hilarious!

The movie begins and runs through the early years of Riley’s life and the emotions that make it work.  The movie includes a step beyond and this look into the mind and how emotions work together in “headquarters” is such a unique concept that we most often take for granted. From the beginning, director Pete Docter loved the idea of going inside the mind, “I thought it would be fun,” he says, “I wanted to explore the abstract version not the brain, but the mind. I thought it was perfect for animation.”

We see Riley as an infant and how the emotion Joy is predominant in many aspects.  When she begins to walk, Fear takes the helm at “headquarters” and his main job is to keep her safe.  Disgust makes an appearance when Riley is first introduced to broccoli so that she isn’t poisoned by the taste.  Anger ensures that all is fair and Sadness isn’t sure what her role is and her efforts to get more involved in Riley’s life are not exactly welcomed by Joy. While the group of us mom bloggers are all laughing and nodding our heads in agreement because we’ve been there experienced that, it was surreal to hear the laughs and applause at different moments of the film by the actors, directors, producer, etc themselves!  They made this movie a reality and for them to see it complete on the big screen must be such an accomplished feeling!

The story of the film develops as we see a major life change happening to Riley. This now 11-year-old hockey-loving midwesterner is uprooted and moved to San Francisco for her father’s new job. Inspired by Docter’s own daughter Ellie who at age 11 herself became a more quiet and withdrawn child, he wondered what was going on in her head and why is she changing from that effervescent child? “It’s a very personal story about what it means to be a parent,” says producer Jonas Rivera. “As a parent, there are so many perfect moments when I wish I could make time stand still forever. But that’s not right. That’s not our job. Our job is to be their guides.” “As our kids grow older, we tend to miss those days when they were little and would sit on our laps and hug us,” adds Docter. “And while all parents want their kids to go out into the world—I’m happy for my kids and want nothing more than where they are right now—but it’s bittersweet and a little sad when childhood passes by. That’s a key
element to this film.”  Here I wanted to run from my seat and find Pete in the audience and give him a big hug.  He really made a connection in this film that I’ve not seen in any other!

In a new place, a new school, a different hockey experience, Joy gets less and less time behind the wheel of Riley’s emotions and when Sadness begins putting her hands on some of the important memories chaos begins to ensue. The relationship between Joy and Sadness forms the root of the story, and when they’re accidentally pulled up into the far reaches of Riley’s mind leaving Fear, Anger, and Disgust in the forefront of Riley’s mindset and decision making. Amongst the strife we see that Riley’s Core Memories (those that we think about and remember the most and have made us who we are) that have shaped her personality are collapsing.  Joy and sadness are lost in Imagination Land (enter the cute imaginary friend Bing-Bong), Dream Productions, and Long-Term Memory very much like human emotion evolves during those tween years.  “It all lines up with being an adolescent,” says co-director Ronnie del Carmen. “Riley no longer feels happy—she can’t express empathy. It happens to a lot of kids her age.”  Having 3 kids aged 16, 14, and 9 this movie just speaks to me and how I can change the way I understand their  thought processes and emotions.  Just don’t get me started on how embarassed I was loudly sobbing when we meet the Forgetters and they’re job. Whoa.

Lost and desperate to return to Headquarters, Joy and Sadness must actually work together to find their way home, and their thoughtful journey will reveal some surprising truths that just might change all of their minds forever. According to Docter, the key to happiness—in the movie and beyond—is likely in how you define it. “Joy is able to learn and grow and reconsider what she thinks happiness is,” he says. “In the beginning, it’s all about laughter and ice cream—and there’s nothing wrong with that. But life shows us that it’s so much deeper. “When I was making the film, I realized that family and close friends are what make me happy,” he continues. “Sure, those are the people who I share fun times with, but they’re also the people who I’ve been angry with, scared for and sad about. It’s really the depth and complexity of all these emotions that bring a real connection between people.”  I couldn’t say it better.  It’s the relationships we have with the ones we love most!

I was on an emotional roller coaster in the El Capitan Theater.  I laughed whole heartedly with the audience and cried painfully about how deep this movie adventure gets into my heart.  I’ll spare any more spoilers so you can get to the theater and make up your own mind.  As an emotional person and mother, I loved this movie.  The actors who voiced the film fit like a glove into their roles and as much as Sadness is actually sad, Phyllis Smith was so incredibly funny and perfect for the role.

I know my nine-year old will love this film, some details may honestly go over her head a bit, but the bright animation, funny lines, and overall theme will have her begging for the Blu-ray to watch over and over.  I’m most definitely bringing my teenagers to the film as it’s a story that I will hope makes them think on a different level.  I love that this movie has all the elements for the whole family, thank you Disney Pixar for yet another brilliant creation.

Need movie times and tickets? Check out http://www.fandango.com/insideout_175715/movietimes and then head to the theater and let me know what you thought of Inside Out!

Disney sent me on a 3 day all expenses paid adventure but all the opinions are 100% my honest opinion!