Disney/Pixar just released the second US trailer for Inside Out, and thankfully, the tone of the new trailer is much improved over the tone of the first. From that initial trailer, there was a lot of disappointment within much of the GeekDad community about the stereotypical depiction of the dad as an uninvolved buffoon. The new trailer more clearly shows that the family at the center of the film is in the midst a drastic life change or upheaval, perhaps a move to another city. With that added context, and my faith in director Pete Docter (Up), I’m reserving all judgement until Inside Out hits theaters on June 19th.
What do you think?
Like many, the first trailer left me feeling ill toward the movie, but this has restored some hope.
From my interview with the Director:
“I told the filmmakers that we had received some complaints about the first trailer, that it seemed to rehash the cliche of the uninvolved and clueless father who doesn’t listen to his family and leaves most of the parenting to his wife, who treats him like one of the children. Docter responded that “a single scene is not a whole movie,” and explained that the father character is actually very involved in his family, but in this scene, we catch him daydreaming, not paying attention, and we all have those moments; even the best parent has lapses, and in this case, the character is based on himself.”
One of the key points here is that Riley is also a jock; she was captain of her coed hockey team before the family moved from Minnesota to San Francisco, and sports is one of the ways Dad connects with his daughter.
I think this scene was chosen for the trailer primarily because it most clearly illustrates the concept of the film; in this one clip we see inside the heads of all three characters and get the idea that the emotions are controlling the people. The fact that it unfortunately reinforces a very worn-out cliche is regrettable.