Things I've Learned from Pixar Movies

Written by Shae Rufe

With so many awesome movies out there from Pixar, how could I not do one of these blogs? After all, Pixar has been cranking out some pretty amazing movies, and they definitely dig deep on the feels and deliver some smart stories, the kind that teach you things, and stuff. So, buckle up, because it's time to talk about all the wonderful things that Pixar has taught me! 

Up is one of my favorite movies of all time. They manage to tell a full love story with as little dialogue as possible, and that love story ends up being one of the most beautiful ones I've ever seen. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry like a baby during that end scene where Carl is sitting at the church after his wife's funeral. In just the beginning this movie teaches you to love someone with everything you have. That not everything will always be sunshine and rainbows, but so long as you're there for one another, that's what matters most. Up taught me to live your own adventure, even if that's going on some weird journey with a Boy Scout, where you both nearly get killed by your childhood idol. A dog can make you feel years young, and also who doesn't want a dog? People come from all walks of life and we shouldn't be mean to them just because we're cranky and older. Up taught me that you can love someone who isn't family or blood related. A good friend can come into your life at any given moment, so cherish them. Most importantly, Up taught me that life goes on after someone you love passes away, and that's okay. You have to live in the good memories and never forget that person. While life doesn't always work out the way we want it to, that's okay.

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Wall-E taught me that cockroaches can be cool pets/friends, that is if you're a robot living in a junkyard. Just kidding, cockroaches are gross, and oddly terrifying when you see one in your room....ever. Wall-E is often seen as a critique on modern society by many. However, I see it a little differently. The convenience of modern technology is glaring and we all fall into it, case and point I'm actually writing this blog while curled up in bed on my phone. Wall-E has a lot of lessons that get looked over because of, well, the people on the ship. Wall-E himself taught me to always be kind to people. This little robot is friendly to everyone he meets, no matter if they're human, robot, or cockroach. If that isn't an important life lesson, I don't know what is! Wall-E is kind to all, well except Mo. Wall-E could have been a little nicer to Mo and his OCD, but it was funny, so I'll let it slide. The debate of Love At First Sight will forever rage on yet we can't ignore how Wall-E does everything in his power to woo Eve over. Eventually he helps her complete her mission, and love wins out with that little headstrong future bot. Eve does everything in her power to save Wall-E, and she does in more ways than one. I love this film because it truly focuses on using as little dialogue as possible. Not that there's anything wrong with talking, per se, just that you don't always need a film full of dialogue from start to finish. Sometimes the most powerful moments are nonverbal.

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​And lastly, Inside Out. This film takes a look at the five core emotions inside everyone's head. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear are a diverse cast fighting it out for balance inside the head of a little eleven-year-old girl. This rapidly became one of my favorite movies of all time, especially with how the emotions act in relation to their person. Not everyone has the same leading emotion, and not all leading emotions are as they seem. Our emotions are far more balanced than even we realize. Riley's mom's lead emotions seems to be sadness, but she's quite the happy level headed person. With Riley's dad, his lead emotion is anger, yet we only see him get angry once in the entire movie, and even when he is, it's not bad at all. Riley's lead emotion is Joy, but the whole movie focuses on balancing each of these emotions out. Balance is a fantastic word to use for describing this movie because it shows that you have to work together. In the case of Riley, team work is needed to help her have a happy life. When Joy and Sadness go missing, the other three step up to do they best that they can to ensure Riley is happy. No, it doesn't work out, but the important this is that they try, and that they worked together. This lesson is very important, and the whole movie is about Joy learning to work with Sadness. It also teaches us that you can't be happy all the time, nor can you always be sad. Joy learns to be sad while Sadness learns to be happy, and it's a touching moment. The biggest message I took away from this movie was that it's okay to be sad sometimes. Crying is healthy and it's perfectly normal to be sad. Experiencing a wide range of emotions is natural, and while we can't always be angry, or sad, or scared all the time, it's okay to feel these emotions when they happen. It's about working together and working through it.

And also, Bing Bong made me cry. I'm just going to leave it at that.

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