Has anyone else seen it yet? My 17-year-old daughter and I went to see it tonight. She has been looking forward to it for months, and she was not disappointed. I think it’s one of my favorite movies now. It has so many levels to it, and lends itself to great discussions with kids about emotions.
Without giving too much away, I can say that the most poignant part of the movie for me was towards the end, when some of the girl’s happy memories turned blue. That’s how I feel when I think of my ill son’s happy childhood.
The film also did a good job of illustrating the concept that “depressed” doesn’t really mean “sad,” but a “lack of emotion.” What a good thing for kids to learn!
I could go on and on. I’m usually not a gushy person, but I loved this film. I will go see it again, and look forward to the sequel (there will obviously be one).
Someone gave us movie tickets as a wedding present and that’s the movie we’re planning on seeing with it. Spouse works with special needs (often depressed) children and their families and I’ve battled depression for over a decade. We’re both very excited to see it and I’m glad it didn’t disappoint.
Nothing but good things are being said sbout this film. I’m thinking it’s a must-see. There are few movies that actually make that list for me in recent years.
A CC friend mentioned that she and her daughter thought the movie was a little long, and I can see what she means. At one point, two of the characters are wandering around, lost, and their journey did seem kind of dragged out. That’s the only negative I can think of.
I suggest staying for the credits. The first part is really funny, and there’s a really cool list towards the very end (I won’t give it away, but it was impressive!). My family knows I ALWAYS watch all of the credits. Occasionally I am rewarded for my effort.
Absolutely you must see it in 3D if possible. Because most of the action takes place in a non-realistic world, the 3D depth and beauty is at the astonishing level. I could stare at the tiny glowing bits on Joy’s sides for hours.
I have nothing negative to say. The movie is a journey and part of a journey is that it has to slow down to let the sense of journey come to you. That’s storytelling. The movie is never boring and they do a fantastic job of going through the challenges required in a story without falling into cliché or sappiness.
I read a piece about the film’s development in which the director, Pete Docter - [here[/url] - describes originally pairing Joy and Fear because that was funny and then realizing the movie was completely wrong. They had a showing scheduled with the chief, John Lasseter, and Docter called it off and said they needed to shift the movie to pair Joy and Sadness. Docter describes a long walk in which he fantasized about being fired from Pixar and he “started to think about his friends at Pixar and what he would miss about them. “I love them,” he said. “They make me happy. But these are people I have also been angry at. I’ve gone through sadness with these people, especially when we lost Steve.” He continued: “At that moment, I realized that Sadness was the key. We were trying to push her to the side. But she needed to be the one going on the journey. Joy needed to understand that it’s O.K. for Sadness to be included at the controls once in a while. It’s only the interaction and complexity of all of these emotions that brings a real connection between people.”” As Docter says in [url=<a href=“http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/pixar-inside-out-pete-docter-podcast-andy-greenwald/%5Dthis”>http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/pixar-inside-out-pete-docter-podcast-andy-greenwald/]this interview](‘Inside Out,’ Pixar’s New Movie From Pete Docter, Goes Inside the Mind - The New York Times), that was 3 years into making the movie.
Docter based the movie on his growing up in MN and the dislocation he felt when his parents took the family to Denmark for a year when was in 5th grade. “That was the most difficult time of my life,” he said. “Suddenly, bam, your idyllic boyhood bubble is popped, and you’re aware that everything you do and everything you wear and everything you say is being judged by everyone else.” He rooted the girl Riley in his daughter Ellie who was 11 when they started this and, “If you saw Up, she was the voice of young Ellie at the beginning of the film. She was kind of like that character, where she was really spunky and full of energy and opinions and things. Then she got a little older and she became kind of more quiet and she changed. And I realized: I remember going through that in my own life. That’s a difficult time for most people. Maybe this film can explore why that happens, what’s going on in our heads, you know?”
Went to see it in 3D yesterday. Definitely liked the story and message. Didn’t quite connect with the character of Joy, maybe it was her character design (though loved the glow effects around her), and yes, the journey in the outer world could be tightened up and shortened, but enjoyed the rest.
Also amazing was the short, “lava,” before the movie. The animation of the water and clouds over time was just breathtaking.
Also read the Wikipedia about the movie. Conceived in 2009, it is the first Pixar movie that Steve jobs didn’t had a hand in and john Lassiter was minimally involved.
Docter should be applauded for creating an animated movie with complexity and, dare I say, depth.
@Lergnom, thanks for your thoughtful posts and info about the movie. That’s one reason this movie hit close to my home. I’ve always called my 17-year-old daughter my “Sunshine,” but she’s lost that glow about her the last few months, after dealing with her ill brother and school. When the dad said something like, “I just want my happy girl back!” I about lost it.
After the movie, my daughter said, “You know, kids are taught about first aid for physical problems, but not for mental health. Why is that?” I remarked that that is one of our motivations for her sending her to a counselor, but she said she meant that ALL kids should be educated in this area, and I have to agree with her.
I also liked the research that went into this film on psychology:
From Wikipedia:
They consulted Paul Ekman, a well-known psychologist who studies emotions, and Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Ekman had early in his career identified six core emotions—anger, fear, sadness, disgust, joy, and surprise. Docter found surprise and fear to be too similar, which left him with five emotions to build characters around.[21]
As soon as I saw an ad for this movie, I thought “It’s been done!!” In the early days of the Fox network, late 80’s or early 90’s, there was a sitcom called “Herman’s Head”, with the exact same premise. Don’t recall who played the lead, Herman, but Hank Azaria played Herman’s best friend.
Not a new concept in the least. (May still be a good movie, though).
My family and i just returned from a Disney cruise and, since it’s a Disney Pixar film, they did a screening of the movie at MIDNIGHT last Thursday. DH and I went and did not regret going (though we did yawn a lot the next day.
They showed it in two different theaters on the ship, and one was adults-only, so we went to that one (less crowded). I would like to see it again in a theater with kids, as I am really curious to know how they respond to some of the “deeper” bits.
I just saw the movie - thanks to all your reviews and discussion. Wow! The synopsis and descriptions really can’t convey what a wonderful experience this movie was. DH accompanied me - he’s usually the hardest to please, but he’d like to see it again! Not being aware of “Herman’s Head” as mentioned by MADad, I must say this movie was unique in my experience. 3D brought something extra I’m sure and we stayed for all the credits. Found the list at the end. I know several young psych graduates now working with young kids. Can’t wait to recommend it to them and hear the feed back.
My family saw this movie together – I loved it, and want to see it again. It does work on more than one level – the way I responded to it as a parent is different than the way my daughter, for example, could appreciate it.
As a parent, you watch your kid change – some changes seem to happen overnight, others take years, and some changes are in response to specific events. My kid definitely had a goofball island when she was little, which did go away. Watching this movie, I would occasionally look over to my daughter and remember the little kid she used to be, and the moments when she did change, when she grew up. As much as I love my daughter now, I sometimes yearn for the little girl she once was – watching Riley go through that process brought back lots of memories.
I also liked the concept that different people have a different emotion in charge – for Riley it was Joy, for some people it’s anger, or sadness. (Anyone see the meme of Scalia with Riley’s anger emotion in his head?)
I didn’t see it in 3D (gives me a headache) and I think it worked great.
I will go see it again, and look forward to the sequel (there will obviously be one).