What Disney-Pixar's 'Inside Out' Can Teach Us About Mental Health
Start writing a post
Entertainment

What Disney-Pixar's 'Inside Out' Can Teach Us About Mental Health

'Inside Out' is more than just a kid's movie.

10118
What Disney-Pixar's 'Inside Out' Can Teach Us About Mental Health
Inside Out / Walt Disney Pictures

Everyone loves Disney-Pixar's smash hit, "Inside Out." Small animated emotions living inside our heads, how cool is that? It benefits children, adults and everyone in between to watch this film. It offers so much more than an escape from boredom for an hour and 40 minutes. "Inside Out" has a much deeper meaning, and yes, it is even deeper than its most apparent lesson of the importance of opening up.

Riley, the main character, is an 11-year-old girl who grew up in a loving and warming environment in Minnesota with her parents and hockey team. However, when her dad lands a new job in San Francisco, this causes Riley to uplift her roots and move there. Leaving all of her friends, hockey team and hometown behind is hard enough for a preteen, but with her parents stressed out with the move, new home and new jobs, Riley feels alone and abandoned. The five emotions that dictate her head -- Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear -- all go into this spiral along with her. Then in the midst of all of this, Joy and Sadness disappear from the Control Center and are now lost somewhere inside Riley's head and have no way of making her feel joy or sadness.

"Inside Out" is clearly a movie about depression and how quickly it can develop. This movie clearly exemplifies the quick progression of depression, how depression does not discriminate and how crucial it is that society starts becoming OK with talking about mental health. In society today, any type of emotion is seen as ridiculous, and a lot of people are found wishing they did not feel anything at all. Disney-Pixar shows how dangerous it can be to feel nothing and how scary it is to feel nothing. This movie is an outcry to society, basically screaming for us to give into our feelings and to stop fighting them. Riley does not talk to her parents or open up about what is going on inside her head because she cannot. She has basically shut down and cannot feel joy or sadness. To show this, the characters Joy and Sadness disappear from "Mission Control," which controls all of Riley's head, leaving her to only feel Anger, Disgust and Fear. Without the ability to feel sad, she cannot open up about her true feelings which causes her to slip into a further depression and to then start feeling almost nothing.

This movie is a wake up call for society about the importance of talking about mental health and explaining it to the younger generations as well. It shows the younger audiences that it is OK to talk about feelings, even if they are not always happy. This movie is an effective way of explaining mental health to younger generations who can not quite understand it in adult terms just yet. It also shows kids that it is OK to feel the way they do and that there is not anything wrong with feeling sad, angry or anything else.

This movie also shows the importance of feeling sadness. Now I know, no one likes feeling sad, but, it is important because there are things that happen in everyday life that we need to feel sad about. Sadness helps Riley cope with the move and the readjustment, just as sadness helps everyone readjust to new situations that are mostly unwanted.

Let this movie become the bridge between society and mental health, making it OK to talk about mental health and illnesses. With mental illnesses becoming more and more apparent in society, it is crucial that we start acknowledging it and talking about it.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
the beatles
Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

Keep Reading...Show less
Being Invisible The Best Super Power

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

Keep Reading...Show less
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

94874
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments