3 Lessons on Creativity from Pixar’s “Inside Out”
This post is part of the Reel Leadership series. I’m joining with a number of bloggers and podcasters to explore leadership lessons in this summer’s biggest movies. Here are the movies we’ve covered so far (I’ll add movies to this list as the summer goes on):
Here’s a question for you: What is the last animated movie you saw that touched your emotions, made you think, and was enjoyable for both kids and adults?
I couldn’t think of one either.
I’ve got great news for you: such a movie exists. It’s Pixar’s newest film, Inside Out. This is a film that is entertaining and thoughtful on a number of levels. Leaders, artists, and anyone producing creative content will find a lot to love here.
Here’s my quick review, and three lessons on creativity we can learn from the film.
A Quick Review
The plot of Inside Out is fairly simple: 11-year-old Riley is struggling to deal with her family’s move from Minnesota to San Francisco. We discover that five emotions live inside her mind and influence her actions: Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Anger. Each time a memory is created, it’s stored in an object that looks like a glowing bowling ball and placed in long-term memory. There are also core memories that form key aspects of Riley’s personality.
When Joy and Sadness engage in a struggle and accidentally wind up in a distant part of the brain, they have to make their way back to headquarters. Along the way they encounter strange lands and creatures, including Riley’s imaginary friend, Bing Bong.
The scenes cut between Riley’s experience in the real world, and the emotions and characters inside her mind. It’s an insanely clever way to picture how a person’s emotions work, and why we do what we do. The funniest parts of Inside Out show the emotions at work in the heads of Riley’s parents and other characters. (Be sure to stay for the end credits.)
But Inside Out isn’t some kind of dry lecture focused on the intellect. It’s a deeply emotional and heartfelt story that is really about the process of growing up, and to some extent, losing your childlike innocence. In the day since I’ve seen the film, I can tell you that the theme of the movie, and some of its scenes, have stuck with me in a way that I haven’t felt in a while. The most profound scenes of Inside Out deal with Bing Bong and his journey.
The bottom line: If you love great storytelling with both heart and brains, you should get yourself to the theater to see Inside Out as soon as possible.
Let’s take a look at three key lessons leaders of all kinds can take away from the creation of Inside Out.
Lesson #1: Be Weird
Inside Out is a high-concept movie that deals with unexplored territory in the animated movie world: most of the movie is set inside a little girl’s brain. It would have been much safer approach to make a movie with talking animals. (Although, talking animals can be really funny.)
To be sure, Pixar still sometimes takes the “safe” approach by making sequels, some of which have been hits (Toy Story 2 & 3), some misses (Cars 2, Monsters University). But with Inside Out, I give major props to Pixar for having the boldness to create a highly original movie that doesn’t fit a prescribed mold.
In your creative work, don’t be afraid to try something new and original. It’s easy to look at what everyone else is doing and be tempted to follow along and play it safe. But the best work comes from people who are willing to take risks and buck the trends.
Lesson #2: Aim High
Most animated movies shoot for the lowest common denominator. How many times have you seen the same predictable plotlines packed with jokes about bodily functions?
Inside Out is a rare movie that has lots to offer kids as well as adults. Kids will enjoy the colorful characters, humor, and action. Adults will enjoy the family dynamics and sophisticated jokes. Fans of art history will appreciate the scene where Joy, Sadness, and Bing Bong venture into the Abstract Thought area of Riley’s brain. I couldn’t believe I was seeing such high-level references in an animated movie. (For director Pete Docter, research was an essential part of making Inside Out.)
Don’t dumb down your work or play to the cheap seats. Aim high with intelligence, do your research, and learn your craft to the best of your ability.
Lesson #3: Stretch Yourself
Pixar has made a lot of great films in the last twenty years. At this point, you’d think they could rest on their laurels a bit, just cranking out sequels and half-hearted efforts year after year.
But that’s not in Pixar’s nature. Although they do create sequels, it’s pretty amazing that at this point in the studio’s history, they are still pushing themselves to make highly original films. The studio is willing to take a risk in the name of making something they could be proud of.
You should take pride in your past success. No one can take that away from you. But you can’t rest on that success and expect it to carry you into the future. We have to stretch ourselves and aim higher, constantly striving to improve ourselves and serve others in more creative ways.
Most people think of sitting in a movie theater as a passive activity. But films can inspire us to reach higher and do better. I can’t think of any movie I’ve seen recently that helps me accomplish that more than Inside Out.
