Telling a Story from the Inside Out

Creating a story is often as much of a journey for the writer as it is for the characters. In this video I look at the writing process for Inside Out to examine how the powerful emotions in the film were inspired by the real-life experiences of the writers.

The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith Interview with Inside Out screenwriter Meg LeFauve:

Special Features were used from (Amazon Affiliate link):

[rockinoff]

As a father I was punched when the goofball island is destroyed, I came up with the realization that that part of my kids will be lost one day. Powerful moment.

[sebastiangomezletelier]

It's okay to be sad. The greatest lesson by Pixar

[matthewprice]

One of the smartest "kids' films" in a long time

[alya]

People say crying is weak.

But it does make you feel better than just denying your feelings all the time. It actually makes it worse when you do.

[TJ]

I never thought I'd end up crying in the theater over a pink elephant named Bing Bong.

[Juhani]

This is such a deep movie. Every time I watch it I notice something new. The first time I watched it, I loved Joy and was extremely annoyed by sadness. But the more I watched it the more I realized what a control freak Joy is and how awful she really is towards Sadness. That part where Sadness says "I think I'm having a breakdown" and Joy says "No, you're not." That is called invalidation. The lesson of the movie, in one word, is "Validation". Like when Sadness validated Bing Bong after the loss of the rocket.
Good video, thanks.

[ApforThat]

I remember when I first saw Inside Out. It left me speechless for almost an hour afterwards. I never thought I'd see such an accurate portrayal of depression in a movie. As someone who suffered from depression in high school (and occasionally still in my adult life now), the most powerful moment for me was when the emotion board grayed out. It broke my heart because I knew what that meant, since that is exactly how I felt at the time.

[kuksoolfreak]

Bruh, the ANALYSIS of the emotional aspects of Inside Out are making my chest hurt just as much as the damn movie. You're telling a great story while making a point. Just like Inside Out. Just like a good movie.
Well done, my man.

[ShivamMalik]

I love and appreciate the fact Disney/Pixar are sticking to original movies and this is one of the best example, movie with such a mature and intelligent storytelling and come out with a heart. Zootopia is another masterpiece as such of how it touches adult themes and still be a kids movie, would love to see your view on that movie as well, and as always great content.

[probablydei]

This film resonated with me so much. Not only because of the psychological and emotional truths that Pete Docter masterfully portrayed, but because Riley's own story was so relatable to my own life as well.

My parents growing up were my solid foundation. I have a tendency to bottle things up even as an adult, but growing up, whenever my parents would come to me to support me, I just let it all go crying in their arms. When this movie came out, I was also fresh in a new place for college, having to find new friends and learn new cultures, just as Riley did.

So that part in Act 3, where she lets out everything to her parents, it just left me bawling. I realized that was exactly what I needed. I needed to let out all the stress of moving to a new place to someone who truly cares.

That's why this movie will always be one of my favorites.

OMG I just realised something: Sadness is blue and Joy has blue hair. To have joy you need a bit of sadness.

[katthunter]

This is one of the greatest films I've ever seen. Purely for its emotional intelligence and strong message. I cry every time I see it. As someone with major depressive disorder who also felt they had to hide how they were feeling from their parents as a child, watching Riley finally break down and cry is just so relatable. It's a fantastic film with humor and heart, a great score, realistic characters, and such a powerful message for everyone

[hunterthedisneylover]

I love that Joy's design always had sadness. Her blue hair and blue eyes. And I love that sadness has a warm tight sweater. I also love that in the thumbnail we can see family island, showing their connection is back.

[SuperMovieLvr]

Great, now I wanna watch Inside Out again.

[cambriakilgannon]

Vulnerability lends so much power to ALL art, not just film or visual medias. If only this was prioritized in schools instead of the rigorous application of technical skill. Technique, after all, is simply a means to an end.
Wonderful video as always, I await your next entry with baited breath.

[gimmickgotbored]

Pixar: So, for this story about toys who love their owner, we should have the main character, the smiling cowboy, be a huge jerk.

Pixar: So, for this story about emotions who love the person they live in, we should have the main character, the embodiment of happiness and positivity, be a huge jerk.

[recommendedforyou]

Seeing the thumbnail, I rolled my eyes..."Do we really need *another* 'Inside Out' analysis??"...But, Michael, you squeezed this rock of a subject and to my surprise, presented us with a tall, refreshing glass of juice. Thank you for your unique perspective and resounding insight.

[killthecatpodcast]

"Write what you want to know." That's the best piece of screenwriting advice I've ever heard, and so simply and succinctly. I find my best screenplays are the ones where I learn lessons myself along the way with the characters, and feel more complete for having written it at the end.

[nicktomato]

Thank you *so much* for doing this.
This film for me was like therapy. I watched it at a particularly vulnerable point in my life (just gotten surgery, family was going to shit) -- and it taught me how to cry. In all my years of depression, I had avoided actually experiencing sorrow and grief in exchange for just feeling... empty. This movie unlocked something in me, and the dam just burst. I think I cried more in the few months after I saw this movie than I ever had before, but giving sadness its due time at the controls helped me move *through* a bunch of things instead of just saving the grief for later.

Glad to hear it's important to someone else too.

[mikahjohn]

This film is genuine brilliance, in every way. I'm 31 years old and I watched this movie for the first time today, and it really hit home. All the nuances of turning human emotion and experience into entertaining visual characters, all the while making it's audience actual feel something in their hearts.. pure genius. 10/10!