‘Inside Out’ on Blu-ray: Pixar Makes it Clear Women Can Do Anything!

This week, Disney-Pixar’s latest creation, Inside Out, will be released on Blu-ray. The digital version was released through Disney Movies Anywhere on October 13th, with which you can buy the download on iTunes and Amazon. If you buy this movie you will not only enjoy a touching story of a pre-teen processing her emotions through several major life changes, but also the numerous bonus features.

Our family had a chance to get a sneak peek at the Blu-ray and digital download and really enjoyed the bonus features.

Inside Out has become very near-and-dear to my heart since seeing it back in July while sailing on the Disney Wonder; I particularly connected with Riley’s mother as she was dealing with her 11-year-old and a cross-country move. You see, I also moved with an (almost) 11-year-old and many of the emotions Riley went through were seen in my oldest son in 2013. Like Riley, he dealt with trying to fit in with new friends and getting re-involved in his favorite sport (baseball).

The scenes in Inside Out where you hear Riley’s parents dealing with the delays in the moving truck’s arrival are also familiar in our family. My husband and I have numerous memories of dealing with moving truck delays, broken items, and disappointments in the house we had arranged to live in.

My husband recently showed me a parody short called “Pixar’s Sad Lab: The Science of Making You Cry” and it absolutely hit the nail on the head. Pixar knows how to make us cry! Parents will see the scenes from throughout Pixar movies that have been known to make us cry: Andy leaving his toys with Bonnie at the end of Toy Story 3, Frederick losing his wife in the first 10 minutes of Up, and who could forget Sully tucking Boo into bed at the end of Monsters, Inc.? Included in this short is a scene from the end of Inside Out, also certain to make parents cry. I certainly did…both in July and while watching the Blu-ray this past weekend.

By the way, who else couldn’t get over how beautiful the animation was for baby Riley’s face in the very first scenes of the film? Pixar has come a long way since the baby in Tin Toy!

Besides having the chance to own the feature film and the short Lava, which was shown in theaters before the film, the Inside Out Blu-ray and digital download also offers over a dozen bonus features that will take you behind-the-scenes with the animators, voice actors, and senior crew. Here’s a highlight of our family’s favorite extras:

“Riley’s First Date?”

In this short, we continue to look into the heads of now-12-year-old Riley and her parents, Bill and Jill, set one year after the end of Inside Out. We also see more of what’s inside of Jordan’s head. Jordan was the young man who dropped his water bottle at the hockey games at the very end of the film. Can’t remember him? Let me refresh your memory: “GIRL…GIRL…GIRL…GIRL…”

Riley’s mom tries to get some details from Riley about an outing with Jordan, with the emotions in her head scrambling to come up with supposed-youthful slang to appear cool to her daughter. Riley’s emotions’ reactions to her mother are hilarious! Meanwhile, Bill is downstairs sitting across the table from Jordan, with Bill’s emotions authorizing the use of force trying to figure out the young man’s interests.

Here’s a clip from the short to enjoy:

“Paths to Pixar: The Women of Inside Out”

This 11 1/2 minute documentary features interviews with female voice actors, animators, and production crew about their childhoods, goals, dreams, and journeys to becoming involved with Disney-Pixar. They discuss their parts of Inside Out and how they can lend their personal touches to the characters they’re portraying or animating. These women open up about things that most working women—and working mothers—probably think about all the time, such as that pull from two directions: home and work.

My sons and I really enjoyed the accounts of some of the production crew who talked about their geeky upbringings and how it was able to translate into a career with Pixar. In particular I liked story artist Domee Shi’s very personal story: Her development of  a stutter in middle school turned into an introverted personality which led drawing as an outlet to express herself and communicate, since she was hesitant to talk anymore. Angelique Reisch’s account of people telling her she couldn’t possibly make it to her dream of working at Pixar, because she was working as a waitress to pay her way through college, was particularly touching. I wanted to just reach out and give Angelique a hug!

Two of the production crew members discussed taking maternity leave during the making of Inside Out. They opened up about their fears of missing their children while at work, of whether the project would have taken off and left those new mothers behind while on leave, and even discussed a point in the movie where the producer’s daughter’s artwork is prominently featured!

Towards the end of the documentary, some of those interviewed discuss the importance of Riley being a character who parents would want to see in their own children: someone who is allowed to feel happy, sad, angry, and frustrated. Someone who can do anything he or she would want: It’s no accident that Riley is a star hockey player and huge hockey fan.

The women present numerous lessons to the viewer, including having perseverance, letting yourself fail, and keeping a sense of humor. They present examples from their personal and professional lives where those traits were necessary for them to grow as a person.

“Designing Abstract Thought”

This is a 2 1/2 minute interview with Albert Loanzo, the character art director. He discussed the brief scene in Inside Out where Joy, Sadness, and Bing Bong take a “shortcut” through the “abstract thought” building complex to try to make it to the train on time. Loanzo discusses the unusual creative process he underwent to come up with the images we see during this particular scene.

I’m certain fans of this blog will appreciate the imagination that went into the “abstract thought” scene.

Closing Thoughts

This Blu-ray/digital download of Inside Out will make a wonderful gift this holiday season! It’s perfect for all ages.

Inside Out is available on Disney Blu-ray starting Tuesday, November 3rd, for an MSRP of $19.99 for the Blu-ray alone, or $27.95 for the Blu-ray/digital combo pack. It can be downloaded now via Disney Movies Anywhere or your favorite other digital download outlets, such as iTunes or Amazon.

You will love this Blu-ray and digital download, fo’ sheezie!