Imagine If The Main Character In "Inside Out 2" Were...A Boy

 I haven't seen Pixar Film's latest offering, Inside Out 2. I don't know when I will, or if I will. We see very few film in the theater. The closest movie theater is over twenty miles away from us, but we didn't go see films in theaters even when we lived just up the road from a multiplex.

I saw the first Inside Out when it came out years ago. It was okay, not one of my favorites. For me, Pixar Films seemed to begin a downward spiral around the time this particular film came out. It coincided with our children no longer being the targeted age (even thought they're written for adults, too...). I will give Pixar some props--the first installment was not your usual movie. The plot was original and imaginative and they took some chances. 

So, they made a sequel.

Since it recently hit theaters, I've seen the ads on TV and on the internet. Now, instead of Riley being eleven-years old, she's now thirteen, a teenager (even though there's nine years in real time between the releases of both films...). A thought came to me as I watched yet another ad. 

It's a good thing they didn't make Riley a boy in the first one.

I think Inside Out 2 would be a completely different film if Riley were a him and not a her. 

I have no experience being a thirteen-year old girl so I'm taking the film's writers's word for it that these are the thoughts of a thirteen-year old girl. Even though it was decades ago, I remember what it was like being a thirteen-year old boy and the film would need a few more "characters" inside a boy's mind fighting it out with all the others. I won't go into detail about what characters they would be, but I'm sure you can use your imagination. No, it would be a different film. We'll leave it at that.

But, would it be an important film? Is something like understanding the trials and hardships of a young boy as he learns about himself and the world around him important? Yes, it's an important thing to pursue. Bringing greater understanding to humanity in all its ages and seasons is always important.

Even though I might not see Inside Out 2, if it was about a thirteen-year old boy, I'd be at least intrigued.