Shriya Week 13: The Ever-Changing Nature of Memory
Just a few days ago, I rewatched one of my all-time favorite movies, Disney’s Inside Out, with my mom. For years, the movie’s been a family favorite; I’m not even kidding when I say that we went to the theaters three times to watch it right after its release, and we still watch it at least once a year.
Usually, what stands out to me is Riley’s character growth, the funny emotions in her head, and, of course, Bing Bong, my favorite character. But this time, as I watched, I had our quarterly theme of memory in the back of my mind, and some of the commentary on memory in the movie specifically drew my attention.
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In Inside Out, memory is portrayed as a collection of orbs, each one stored in a library of long-term memories and tainted with the color of the emotion it is associated with. And what’s particularly striking about the portrayal of Riley's memories is that they are not static; these memories change color (emotion) over time and some can even fall into an abyss, fading forever.
This emphasizes that memory is really just about our perception of an event through the lens of the feelings we felt during its occurrence and our current experiences as well. That is to say, we don’t always remember things as facts, but rather with the emotions associated with them, like the happiness when getting that perfect score on a math test or the sadness when parting from family at the airport. Not just that, what may once seem like a cherished, happy memory, might become tinged with regret and longing over time, like all the wonderful time spent with my late grandmother at the park.
In Inside Out, as Riley moves to a new state and begins school, her old, cherished memories of ice-skating with her parents change color from yellow to blue (happiness to sadness), demonstrating this changing nature of our memories with the passing of time and new experiences. In the movie, some of these memories are also lost into an abyss routinely, symbolizing how we often, intentionally or with time, come to forget certain moments in our lives that are unimportant or unpleasant.
All this to say, watching Inside Out again (it’s been at least 5 times now), I’ve come to better understand the nature of memories that is portrayed in the movie. It’s really easy to think of memories as a storage of old, static facts in our lives. But, in reality, they are built upon a foundation of emotion, and a memory from years ago can still change today as we perceive past events differently with time and new experiences. I would love to hear your thoughts, and, for those of you who have not had a chance to watch this movie, I would 100% recommend it!
Hello, Shriya! As someone who loves Pixar movies, I was excited to read your blog about Inside Out. I loved how you explore the implications of the movie’s plot points, reflecting what they mean in the context of real life. For example, I love how you explore the fact that memory is dynamic, ever-changing with our emotions and reflections because our feelings are not static. You mention how as Riley looks back on her fond memories, they become tainted with her sadness of her move, which I thought was an interesting moment you bring up. Additionally, many of Riley’s memory orbs are seen falling into the abyss, fading and waiting to be forgotten forever. I learned in AP Psychology that short-term memory only lasts a few seconds, and that we forget most of what happened during our day. Memory also gets distorted since the process itself involves recollecting fragments of what we remember. It is interesting that the story explores the concept of memory and the process of forgetting as something tangible. I find it nice that watching Inside Out has become a family tradition for you, and I’m sure you have created many bonding moments together with this movie. Thank you for your blog this week, and I cannot wait to see what else you have for “Memory!”
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