Episode 239: A Look at ‘Inside Out 2.’ Plus Screens and Our Brains

LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 239

In 2015, Disney/Pixar released a little movie called Inside Out—and people loved it. It landed a 98% “freshness” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, earned nearly $860 million globally and won the Oscar for Best Animated Film.

Ho-hum, right? I mean, it was a Pixar movie. Inside Out was just the latest success in a 20-year string of them.

Well, we live in a much different world now, nearly a decade later. Pixar’s not quite the critical and commercial darling it used to be. Plenty of families, particularly conservative Christian ones, approach anything Disney releases with a bit of caution (if they don’t simply reject it, sight unseen). And the movie industry itself has been struggling.

Into this environment comes Inside Out 2. And instead of people primed to give the film a standing O right out of the gate, it’s instead facing a battery of questions.

And now, it’s time to answer them.

Adam Holz and I talk about Inside Out 2 on our latest podcast—going past our formal written review and diving into some more personal reflections. We’ve got a lot to say about this movie: You won’t want to miss it.

And then, keeping in line with our heady theme for the episode, Adam and I are joined by Dr. Daniel Huerta, a psychologist and vice president of Focus on the Family’s Parenting and Youth department (of which Plugged In is a part). While we tell you all the time that entertainment and technology can impact our hearts and minds, Danny can tell you how and why. It’s always a fascinating time when we can pick his brain about what’s inside ours.

And then, as always, join our conversation. Chime in on Facebook and Instagram. Write us a letter at [email protected]. Or leave us a voicemail on our Plugged In Show homepage. We promise it won’t make you sad. It may even fill you with joy.

And, of course, listen to us again around this time next week.