Animation is creative imagination brought to life.  When it comes to creating brilliant animations, Disney’s Pixar is tops with inspiring stories that bring humour and light to the world of human experiences.  Their movie “Inside Out” is no exception.

The main characters are pre-teen Riley and her delightfully animated cast of emotions.  These endearing characters, aptly named and designed after their prevailing moods are Anger, Disgust, Joy, Fear, and Sadness. All of these emotions share the control panel of Riley’s mind.  They intermingle and work together like board members driven by intense emotional states.  You may think this chaotic but they actually work very together in helping Riley through her turbulent pre-teen years.  Even though the dark emotions out number the bright by four to one, Anger, Sadness, Fear and Disgust reveal positive traits that support the livelihood of Joy.

One of the most delightful scenes is when Joy enters Riley’s imagination and she morphs into different shapes. The brilliance of these segment is that we too can shift our experiences of emotions by using our imagination.  Psychologists have long used the metaphor of a wandering black dog for depression.  They advise us to see depression as a black dog visiting and to acknowledge the dog and then send it on it’s way.

The imagination creates wonders and holds unlimited possibilities, both within ourselves and outside.  Imagine more ways to experience joy in your life and there is a good chance Joy will arise to be your faithful companion!