What I Learned About Emotions From Seeing Pixar Movies

When I was a kid, I loved going to the movies with my dad. We would always see animated movies, and at the time, that didn’t seem like an unusual choice for us. 

But now that I’m older, I realize how much those films impacted me, not just because they taught me lessons about life and love but also because they helped shape my understanding of what emotions are and how they work. 

So here are some of the biggest lessons I learned from Pixar movies:

Key Takeaways
Emotions play a significant role in storytelling, creating relatable and engaging characters.
Pixar movies often mirror real-life emotional experiences, allowing audiences to connect on a deep level.
The portrayal of emotional struggles in Pixar films can provide insights into coping mechanisms and personal growth.
Animated characters’ emotions reflect universal human feelings, making the narratives resonate across cultures.
Pixar’s storytelling approach teaches the value of addressing complex emotions and embracing vulnerability.

We Don’t Have To Show Our Emotions To Express Them

This is something I’ve learned about myself over the years. As a kid, I used to think that showing your emotions meant crying and yelling in front of people. It wasn’t until later that I realized there are ways you can express your feelings without doing that. 

One way is by making eye contact with someone who’s talking to you and nodding along with what they say like “oh yeah, totally agree” when you don’t actually agree at all. 

Another way is by saying things like “I’m so sorry” even though it’s not your fault and you don’t feel bad about anything. 

The last way is by just sitting there and pretending nothing happened even though something definitely happened because it’s still happening right now as we speak!

It sounds obvious but sometimes we get so caught up in our own emotions that we forget other people have them too and they might not always be obvious or easy to read on their face or body language.

Especially if they’ve been practicing hiding those feelings from others their whole life (or at least since childhood). 

But Pixar movies remind us that sometimes those signals come through loud and clear anyway; all we have to do is pay attention long enough for them show themselves again!

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There Are Nuances Even In “Negative” Emotions

When you think about emotions, there are a few preconceptions that come to mind. The first is that they’re either good or bad. The second is that they only have one purpose: to make us feel things. 

If a character feels bad, they will cry or get upset and if they feel good, they will laugh and smile. Both of these images are wrong! There are many different types of emotions in Pixar movies and each one serves a different function within the story.

Emotions aren’t just about feelings; they’re also about thoughts and actions.

When it comes down to it, emotions are all about how we respond in any given situation and this can mean more than just changing our facial expression or crying on cue when someone says something mean (although those options are certainly available). 

When characters react differently than expected due to their internal monologue, we get insight into what makes them tick and sometimes even why their behavior could seem out-of-character at first glance! 

For example: have you ever wondered where Dory got all those motivational posters? 

Maybe by looking into her past with Marlin (her parents), we’ll find out that she used them as tools for dealing with her fear and anxiety around social situations where she wasn’t sure how best to act…

Love Is More Than Just Being Happy Together

Love is more than just being happy together. I’ve always felt that love is about being there for each other through difficult times. 

That’s why I think the ending of Up (which we’ll get to later) was so beautiful. It showed what it would be like if you were married to someone and they died, which is a really sad thought when you think about it. 

But instead of focusing on sadness, the movie makes you feel hopeful for Carl and Ellie because their love still exists even though their bodies are gone and that’s something that lasts forever.

Love is also about being there for each other through good times. 

In The Incredibles, Mr. Incredible has a big fight with his wife while they’re both saving civilians from being crushed by falling debris in an earthquake-ravaged city where buildings are collapsing everywhere around them! 

They don’t miss a beat in their relationship though; they still care deeply about each other and work together right away at saving people’s lives without any resentment towards one another at all even though they had just been shouting at each other seconds before! 

(And then they save the day.)

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We Should Acknowledge The Negative Emotions We Feel, Too

Pixar’s movies are about a lot of things the magic of friendship, the importance of family, and the joys of imagination. But if you look at Pixar movies through the lens of emotion science, they’re all about how to experience and regulate our emotions.

This is obvious in some ways: characters go on emotional journeys that end with them learning how to cope with their feelings. But it’s also true in more subtle ways: characters don’t just feel good emotions like love or happiness; 

They also have negative experiences that teach them something important as well often as part of an overall arc where they learn how to accept their feelings instead of denying them or getting rid of them by lashing out at others (which isn’t always a bad thing).

In short, Pixar teaches us that we should acknowledge the negative emotions we feel too not just avoid them or pretend they don’t exist because acknowledging them can help us grow as people

If A Person You Love Is Feeling Negative Emotions, It’s Not Your Job To Solve Them Or Make Them Go Away

You can’t make someone else’s negative emotions go away. You can’t solve someone else’s problems for them, and you can’t make someone else happy no matter how much you want to! You can only offer support and understanding when they’re experiencing a difficult time. 

That’s all that’s expected of you in these situations; beyond that, it’s up to the other person if they choose to move forward with their lives or not. If they decide not to take action on their issues right now but come back later when they’re ready, then by all means help them out then! 

However, if someone decides not to do anything about their situation right now, it doesn’t mean that there was something wrong with the way in which we helped them through those difficult times (even though we might think otherwise). 

Even if our intentions are good and genuine and we truly care about this person who is currently experiencing pain (maybe even more than ourselves), ultimately what matters most is our ability as humans beings who exist within this world together: 

We should all respect each other enough so that no one feels pressured into doing things against their wishes just because “it will help us feel better.”

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You Don’t Necessarily Need To Get Rid Of All The Negative People In Your Life

This is a really important lesson. In my personal experience, it’s easy to want to keep friends who cause you pain. 

You can justify it by saying they’re your friend and you don’t want them to feel bad or lose touch with you, and that’s all true; but sometimes, the best thing for everyone is for a friendship to end.

It’s okay to have people in your life who you don’t always get along with and it doesn’t mean those relationships are bad or that the people involved aren’t good at heart (even though some of them are not). 

Sometimes just being friends means letting each other grow and learn on our paths without trying too hard or getting frustrated when we fall short of perfection.

You Can Learn A Lot About How Someone Might Feel From Their Actions Rather Than From Their Words

“Actions speak louder than words.” This phrase is so common that it’s become a cliché, but when you think about it, it really does describe an important truth: We can tell a lot about a person by their actions rather than from what they say.

When someone tells you something, they have to put some thought into the words they use and how they say them to convey what they want you to understand which means there may be some external influence on those words. 

But when someone does something, it’s more likely that their feelings and intentions will be authentic because there aren’t any barriers between those feelings and intentions and your understanding of them (you don’t have to interpret or figure out what the person meant).

And even if we do get all the nuances right when describing ourselves or other people using our language and even if we’re speaking honestly with no ulterior motives we still might not give off the impression we want because of our tone of voice or body language. 

That’s where Pixar movies come in handy! When someone acts out their emotions through animation instead of trying to explain themselves verbally, it gives us all a clearer picture of what’s going on inside their head at that moment.

We Can Feel Multiple Emotions At Once

You might not realize this, but you’re capable of feeling multiple emotions at once. We can feel love and fear at the same time, or joy and anger. We can feel completely different emotions for different people in our lives at the same time!

For example: if I were to tell you that your favorite Pixar movie has been banned by Netflix (because they don’t want to give me any more money), you’d probably feel a lot of different things at once angry (#netflixbanned), sad (#why), and maybe even hurt (#whataboutme). 

You could also get scared because now there will be no more new Pixar movies ever again not even sequels! 

And maybe this would make you happy because now there won’t be any competition for Finding Dory 2: Finding Nemo 3D Edition on Blu-Ray (available only from Wal-Mart).

What’s important from all of this is that when we do experience emotion as human beings, it doesn’t have just one source or cause; instead, it comes from many places all at once (like my hypothetical example above). 

Even though these feelings might seem contradictory sometimes like “I’m both angry AND sad.”

We still experience them as part of being human beings living in an interconnected world with other human beings who sometimes do dumb things like banning our favorite Pixar movies without asking first so please sign this petition if that sounds like something you’d like to do!

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It’s Sometimes Helpful To Give Yourself Private Space To Grieve

When we’re experiencing sadness or anger, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that we need to be strong and put on a brave face. 

But it’s important to remember that you have permission not to feel okay all of the time and that sometimes, staying silent about your emotions can be harmful.

If you are feeling sad or angry, there is no shame in sharing these feelings with others in your life. You don’t have to hold them inside; instead, try talking with a close friend or family member. 

If this doesn’t feel comfortable for you yet (or if someone close isn’t available), consider writing down how you’re feeling and leaving it somewhere where others will see it (like on their desk). 

This might seem silly at first how could someone reading your words change anything? but just knowing that someone else knows what’s going through your mind will make a big difference!

Everyone Has A Different Way Of Grieving And Doesn’t Necessarily Mean They’re Not Grieving Deeply Enough If They Seem Fine After Loss

When you lose someone, you are allowed to feel whatever feelings come up for you. It’s not your job to manage how other people deal with their grief.

It can be easy for us to think of grief as a process that looks one way and moves along predictably. But in reality, there’s no right order or set speed for what we’re experiencing when we lose someone close to us. 

And even if someone feels “fine” after losing a loved one, it doesn’t mean they aren’t grieving deeply enough or vice versa! 

We all have different ways of processing our emotions and making sense of death, so there’s no need to judge anyone else’s process in light of yours (or vice versa).

This is something Pixar movies help me remember every time I watch them: there isn’t just one way for us all to grieve after loss; every human being has his or her own unique path through mourning and healing.

Feelings Are Hard Sometimes, But That Doesn’t Mean We Have To Stop Having Them

Emotions are a part of life. They’re not always easy to understand, and they can make us feel stressed out at times. But there’s nothing wrong with having emotions and it’s even more important that we express them!

After watching several Pixar films, I’ve learned that it’s important to accept your feelings and express them in healthy ways. 

It’s okay if you have negative emotions, such as anger or sadness; just make sure they don’t get too out of control (like how Anger in Inside Out feels after Riley moves). 

It’s also normal if you’re feeling positive emotions like joy or happiness. You should have a range of feelings all the time because everyone does!

Emotions Are Complicated, But Pixar Movies Can Help Us Understand Better

Pixar movies are a great way to learn about emotions. Indeed, the storylines of Pixar films often revolve around characters’ emotions, but they’re not just about emotions. 

They’re also about people, and people have emotions. This is why I think Pixar movies can help us understand ourselves better: they show us how our feelings work about others’ feelings.

The Pixar universe is populated with humans who feel all sorts of things love, sadness, and anger as well as animals that don’t necessarily have recognizable human-like facial expressions (just look at Dory). 

But even if you look at an animated fish whose face seems impassive on the outside but who’s feeling something (say pride).

It becomes easy for those watching him or her to relate those feelings to themselves because we all experience similar ones at some point in our lives.

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Conclusion

This is not just a problem for kids. Adults struggle with their emotions all the time, too. But I think it’s important to remember that there are some things we can do to help ourselves feel better. 

Whether it’s talking with someone, watching a movie, or reading a book that inspires us to keep going.

Taking time away from our normal routines, or even just remembering that we have these feelings because they mean something all of these tactics can help us move forward in life and find happiness again!

Further Reading

Lessons I Learned from Pixar’s Inside Out: Gain valuable insights into emotions and psychology through a reflection on the movie “Inside Out.”

Exploring Pixar’s Insight into Feelings: Dive into the world of emotions and feelings as depicted in Pixar’s “Inside Out.”

Life Lessons and Emotions in Inside Out: Discover the life lessons and emotional insights derived from the movie “Inside Out.”

FAQs

What is the central theme of Pixar’s “Inside Out”?

“Inside Out” revolves around the personification of emotions and how they influence our thoughts and actions.

How does “Inside Out” explore the complexities of human emotions?

The movie delves into the inner workings of a young girl’s mind, portraying emotions as distinct characters that influence her decisions and experiences.

What are some key takeaways from “Inside Out” regarding emotions?

“Inside Out” teaches us that embracing a range of emotions, including sadness, is crucial for personal growth and resilience.

How does “Inside Out” contribute to discussions about mental health?

The movie provides a platform to discuss the importance of understanding and addressing one’s emotions, promoting conversations about mental well-being.

What role do memories play in “Inside Out”?

Memories are depicted as integral to shaping an individual’s personality and emotional responses, showcasing the interplay between memory and emotion.