Day 900: Meet the Emotions

Well, amazingly, for the second time this year, I was able to catch a showing of a new Disney film on opening day, and this time I had the chance to see it in the theater at the Mall of America! It's funny because I'm fairly certain that in all of 2014 I saw about one movie in theaters, if that, and in the past few months I've seen four, one of which I saw twice. But we're here to talk about the emotions inside our head, specifically those featured in Disney & Pixar's new animated feature film, Inside Out.

A number of years ago, when they first introduced the concept for this film, my reaction was pretty much the same way it is for any new animated film coming out of Disney or Pixar: Skeptical. I remember the feeling with Tangled and Frzoen and Wreck-It Ralph and even as far back as Cars. After all, a movie about emotions? How in the world?

But like always, I put my trust in Pixar and they brought everything they had to this film, and honestly, without giving any spoilers, I think that this is one of the finest Pixar films to date. It has the creativity of Toy Story and Cars mixed with the pure emotion we get in films such as Up, all while mixing in the humor we've seen in films such as Monsters Inc. I absolutely adore this movie and everything about it, and here's why, for me at least, I think it meant more than ever.

Over the past two years, or at least since making my way to college, I've really been forced to examine how I look at life. I've had a lot of hate thrown my way, and for a long time the best way to respond to it, or so I thought, was with anger and sadness and fear. But then a little show called Once Upon A Time became more important than ever and brought me the positivity of Jennifer Morrison, who's on my list of role models for that exact reason: positivity. There's so much hate in our world, but I've decided to make attempts to embrace the joy instead, and you know what? It works. Once I decided to stop being angry and sad and terrified, my life got better, and it got brighter. I think a year or two ago I would have watched this film from a completely different perspective, but now, I see so much of myself in Joy, and it's extremely comforting to know that maybe I have a little Joy of my own up in my head. That was an extremely weird sentence out of context...

Of course, as the movie shows, it's totally ok to associate with another of the emotions too. We all need anger and sadness and fear and disgust to live a happy and fulfilling life. It's all a part of the game. And that was comforting too, and I think that is what's going to hit home with so many viewers out there. It's totally normal to be sad or angry, and sometimes we need to embrace those emotions the same way I strive everyday to embrace joy.

Regardless, you can bet that I'll be seeing Inside Out again, probably at least once while it's still playing in theaters, and then many many times after I have my own copy on BluRay. If you have yet to see Inside Out, I highly reccomend seeing it, as it's a film absolutely everyone can relate to.

After all, we all have emotions inside our heads...we just have to meet them.

If you've seen Inside Out, let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on June 25 due to travel).

Day 864: No Worries

There's really only one motto that can explain the feeling you get when you complete another semester of college and only have a summer to look forward to: "Hakuna Matata."

Of course, as worry and carefree as the end of the semester is, there are a few other emotions that might just be running through your mind. The end of every semester is pretty bittersweet, regardless of who you are. So to celebrate the end of the semester for us college kids and the upcoming end of the school year for pretty much everyone else, here's a few emotions you might experience when you finally don't have to worry about papers and exams and actually going to class anymore:

We've all had that one professor or teacher that decides to give you a final that had absolutely nothing you studied for on it. I'm talking like the one you studied day and night for...and then they put completely irrelevant information that wasn't even in the textbook on the exam.

For our graduates, this is a big one. The world is big and scary and, as I grow closer and closer to my own senior year of undergrad, I know the feeling well. Will I find a job? Will I become a hobo? Where will I live? How will I pay off my student loans? 

I'm probably not helping, am I?

"When was the last time I showered? I don't remember! I haven't had time!" 

One of the absolute saddest parts about the end of the semester is just that...it's the end of the semester. We have to leave our friends and roommates and school and dorm room and go back home. Yes time at home is nice, but not seeing your best buds for three months is also one of the most depressing things in the world. 

And don't even get me started on cleaning out your dorm room. 

Ultimately, however, the end of the semester brings a lot of JOY! We're done! No more class! No more homework! Yeah we still have responsibilities and jobs, but we don't have to schedule our lives around the hours the caf is open! We no longer have to sit in front of our computer with a blank stare, willing a paper to write itself! Textbooks are turned in, final exams taken, and worries put aside! Hakuna Matata! 

Inside Out begins playing in theaters June 19! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 24 due to finals...haha!)