Therapist Reacts to INSIDE OUT with the filmmakers! Meg LeFauve, Kevin Nolting, and Jonas Rivera

Why is it important to sit with sadness? How do you sit in sadness with others?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are returning to a very special film, Inside Out. This time they are taking a look at the theme of navigating change, and this time they are joined by three very special guests: screenwriter Meg LeFauve, editor Kevin Nolting, and producer Jonas Rivera. Pixar legends! Jonathan talks about Riley’s struggle with change and how Joy and Sadness navigate that journey within Riley. Each of our guests shares insights into writing and story developments and why Pixar works on one project for so long. And you bet both Jono and Alan are crying in this one. Damn you, Pixar!

This is a very special episode, and our original Inside Out episode is the video that made us. Thank you for watching!

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Cinema Therapy is:
Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, Alan Seawright, Corinne Demyanovich, and Stu Arbury
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis

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[maxsalmon]

That moment when Riley's hugging her parents at the end...and they welcome her to them, and she just kind of...exhales. And it creates the feeling that she'd been holding her breath THE WHOLE MOVIE, afraid to let it out. Afraid of what would happen if she broke down like this and if she'd still be able to be held like that. Even just remembering that moment breaks me down.

[damedeviant]

I saw this film when my eldest daughter was 1. After the film, my parenting when she was upset evolved to include the phrase “Oh, big sad.” Which then evolved to her being a toddler saying ‘Nah, little sad’ and picking herself up, to her being 8 now and saying ‘It’s actually healthy to cry, Mum.’ 😢❤

[amandastowers]

Saw Inside Out in theatre with hospice coworkers. While walking out, RN pointed at me, "you're Sadness!" As a Grief Counselor, I consider that comparison the highest honor. My mom thought it was mean until I made her watch the movie & then she agreed, I am Sadness!

[christine]

My parents called me their “happy little girl” when I was little. I won’t ever forget when they asked me one day as a teenager when I was going through stuff, “where did our happy little girl go?”. I didn’t know what to say. It’s not like that girl died, she was still inside of me, and I expressed happiness a lot still. I still am a goofy and wisecracking person even as I struggle with depression and anxiety. But now, it’s so complicated. Emotions are hard, and somehow they get harder as you get older. It’s like more knowledge and understanding makes them stronger and more difficult.
I love that scene at the end where they’re all hugging. The crew behind the movie perfectly captured that “safe hug”, a moment after a rough time when you finally feel safe and secure. It feels so warm and and makes you decompress from whatever just happened.

[Impromptwo]

I had dragged my wife (then gf) to the West Coast out of college, for work and adventure. She was from Minnesota, and would have been completely fine staying there if not for me. Inside Out released about a year after moving, and of course we went to see it because we'd never miss a Disney/Pixar movie. The moment when Riley cries and says, "I miss Minnesota, " my wife utterly broke down in the theaters. Like, straight ugly crying. I had no idea what to do, because while I did my best to love and support her, I was ultimately responsible for her feelings of sadness. I took her away from her home, and neither of us were aware of how impactful that would be to her. It took a lot of talk and thought for us to process all of that, and it gave us an opportunity to improve how we communicate and support each other.

So thanks Pixar, for providing us with that. But I'll never forget how awkward I felt in the theaters with the person I loved having a breakdown that I in no small way caused.

[VidralliaArchives]

"Vulnerability, sadly, isn't always rewarded."

I felt that. The only times I've ever been bullied is when I decided to share my feelings and the person I was talking to decided that it would be funny to mock me for having feelings.

[amethystimagination]

I love that when Riley gets upset in class, the emotions interrupt the other kids as judging Riley, but when we see the classmates from the outside, they look like they’re worried about her or they feel sorry for her. Great way of showing that how we perceive things isn’t actually how they are.

[mokimon]

28:05 the film has shown that Riley's mum and dad are good parents, even though they aren't always on the same page (e.g. the dinner scene) but when Riley says "please don't be mad" and they look at each other. That single second MAKES this scene for me. That single look shows years of working as a team, and how even if their parenting styles differ at times, they both want Riley to be happy.

[KatieVanHelsing]

Along with the safe hug, nothing has hit me harder in a Pixar Movie than “Guys, we can’t make Riley feel ANYTHING.” I literally felt the air leave my lungs when I saw that scene. I felt that on such a personal level.

[MineSpeak]

Haven't checked if they address this yet but I think what I love most about this movie is the realization that even with good parenting, mental health can still struggle. These parents play and laugh and smile together and they support her well, they haven't neglected or abused her. But life still brought her down. Just because a kid struggles doesn't mean you're a bad parent, and being a great parent doesn't mean your kids won't ever struggle or need extra help😊

[Donttrustthatburger]

I saw this movie a few months after a tragedy that took my family from me. I was deep in the "have to be happy" mentality, and I didn't think I should feel what I was feeling

This movie... These characters... Told me something that I couldn't have told myself.

[rita]

When Bing Bong evaporates, I still cry after watching this movie at least 5 times. The representation of childhood and memories being lost over time, but how it helps to support the person you'll become makes me very emotional.

[lerneanlion]

To those who like to shame and humiliate the others for crying, shame on you all! It is healthy to let it all out. And this movie, Inside Out, confirmed it!

[ajencks]

"that gut punch tells you that it mattered" truer words have never been spoken

[DavidMadrigalHernandez]

“I know you don’t want me to… but I miss home… you need me to be happy, but… please don’t be mad.” This break me. Every time. 😭

[geddyw]

My favorite part of the movie was how they showed that the 5 core emotions have layers and different complexities to them instead of just being their primal reaction:

-Joy has hope, curiosity, pride, love, and tenacity

-Sadness has empathy/sympathy, care, boredom, lethargy, and calm

-Disgust has vanity, judgement, morality, and contempt

-Fear has nervousness, surprise, preparation, and caution

-Anger has justice, competition, passion, and boldness

Then by mixing said emotions allows us to feel an entire spectrum. So I'm hoping the new movie adding in 4 new emotions doesn't mess up the current dynamic too much.

[yb]

Emotions are so hard to handle and navigate. I use to think I’d eventually fit into my own feelings as I grew but turns out, I grew and my emotions grew more. It just got so much harder to feel like they were *MY* emotions and not just emotions happening *TO* me. Now, I’m trying to learn things as simple as just allowing myself to feel what I’m feeling freely, without needing to categorize, label, rationalize. Just feel.

This movie is great for kids who might not have access to that kind of education. Emotional intelligence is a skill, it is something invaluable that kids need to learn.

[AndreCbrito]

In Portuguese, we have one word to describe the feelings represented in this scene 26:45, where you remember the past with sorrow and happiness and a weight that pulls you down but keeps you suspended and light, longing and nostalgic for the past. We call it "Saudade"

[audjusushi]

Inside Out deserves all the love and accolades. It's literally changed thousands of lives for the better.

[ryebread]

My step mother drilled that joy and happiness was the only emotion I could express into my head for years. I was 15 when this movie came out. And it taught a very sad and broken 15 year old me that sadness wasn't the enemy and it was perfectly OKAY to feel those other emotions. It was the first thing to ever do that for me. Truly a beautiful movie, hats off to everyone who worked on it and to the CT team for covering it in such detail. It means a lot to me and my inner child.