A splendidly concise scene-setting pre-credits sequence sidesteps religion to show newborn Riley as a blank canvas until Joy (Poehler) materialises to fire her up, whereupon her eyes open and she starts to giggle. But sadness has an important role to play as well, which it is why it is one of the six basic emotions described by psychologist Paul Ekman (“Surprise” was not included in the film). They’ve been policing her responses to the world since she was born: the green-faced Disgust (Mindy Kaling) is on the lookout for anything suspect at mealtimes (say, broccoli) while Fear (Bill Hader) trembles and the lobster-coloured Anger (Lewis Black) gets ready to combust.
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It would be easy to get lost in the labyrinth where old memories are stacked along infinite aisles, or in Abstract Thought, where you could take a wrong turn and emerge as 2D or cubist.
They might also help children understand the complex emotions they must wrestle with every day.
Joy’s mission is to keep Riley’s spirits up as the youngster relocates to a new city with her family, and ensure that her memories remain happy, but her efforts are thwarted by this motley crew.
The film comes from Pete Docter, the man behind two of the studio’s other great stories of the human condition, Monsters Inc and Up. However, besides showcasing an aesthetic upgrade, the film, in typical Pixar fashion, put an inventive spin on its traditionally deep moments, depicting internal turmoil while Trojan-Horsing a profound statement about the necessity of emotional balance in our lives.
“My daughter was very like the Ellie of Up – spirited and sparky”, he explains. She also does all she can to prevent the frumpy Sadness (Phyllis Smith), in her chunky-knit sweater and bicycle-wheel glasses, from having any influence on Riley’s state of mind.
Do the pair have any real-life figures they’d like to venture inside the head of? Scientific research involving fMRI scans has proven that, when we see someone hurting, we literally feel a sympathetic pain. “I think a lot of parents ask that question”. Joy and Sadness end up being swept into the far reaches of Riley’s mind, leaving Fear, Anger and Disgust at the helm.
This, according to Poehler, who runs an online community for girls and women called Smart Girls, could be a step forward for children trying to articulate their emotions.
After having nearly a lifetime of fun in Minnesota, they all have to cope with moving to a gloomy house in San Francisco, without her friends and beloved ice hockey team.
The film, from the makers of 2009 animation Up, brought back memories of Poehler’s own childhood and adolescence.
For any avid Disney fan this is another film that is all about the journey and not the destination and of course both you and the characters learn something along the way. “As a kid, at least if you are raging you lie on the floor and kick and scream, but as we grow up we realise it’s not socially acceptable to do that and sometimes we bottle things up. I can’t wait for people to see it. It’s a lovely film”.
Psychotherapist Dr Dacher Keltner, from the University of California, who was a consultant on the film, says what it gets right is the idea that emotions oscillate. It’s a nice reminder that sadness can be your friend.
I also wondered why Riley’s emotions were mixed sex, rather than all the other characters which appeared to have unisex emotions?
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The Disney Pixar flick is taking the world by storm following its release in the US earlier this month, which saw it become Pixar’s highest grossing original film.
