Riley Didn't Learn Anything. When Feelz > Realz

Rating: 6/10 (21 April 2018)

On some level, Inside Out does a somewhat admirable job at trying to explain to children (and I guess, easily impressed adult children) how emotions work... sort of. It tries to explain that our emotions control our mental faculties, that we think BECAUSE of our emotions.
This line of thinking is far too naive.
What old Pixar was really good at doing, is telling a story that had both a simplicity that made children understand and a maturity which reflects the reality of the world. It was exceedingly clever and charming and it taught children on how the real world works. Inside Out however, is too fictitious to be taken seriously, and not fictitious enough to be taken lightly.
First off, to think that our thoughts and minds and behaviors are controlled by emotions is just patently wrong. Feelings are not reality. Humans are not a manifestation of feelings, the environment is not built upon emotions. Emotions are a symptom of how our minds process our environment.
We are happy when something good happens to us, we get angry when we are transgressed, we are sad when we lost something of value to us, we are disgusted by things that would harm us, we are afraid of things that we don't understand. Emotions are reactions, not actions.
So right off the bat, the premise of the film is already off. Things are not made any better with the plot. The film centers around Joy, (an emotion of 12 year old girl Riley) having forced to confront a life-altering change and going through a coming of age journey, learning things about Riley, about Joy itself and of other emotions Anger, Disgust, Fear and specifically Sadness
This journey is something that Riley should go through herself, by learning to deal with overwhelming emotions, rather than represented by proxy through Joy. Instead, the movie shows Riley simply "feel" things that are happening to her, rather than understand what's going on and take responsibility and accountability for her own wellbeing - which is the essence of growing up. By the end of the show, Riley herself didn't learn anything, she didn't have any growth.
Despite this obvious and blatant flaw in the plot, everything else is acceptable.
It shows that every emotion is critical in the development of a child, including hardships and sadness. It shows how experiences, and how we recollect them, shapes who we are. Riley's reactions towards the internal turmoil that she is experiencing is very convincing.
Amy Poehler performance as joy is right on the mark, while the rest of the cast and crew does an admirable job as well. I wish the story was better, Pixar used to be better. Despite all my ranting, it's still an enjoyable movie.