Dearest Rachel –
There are so many reasons why I wish I could have you back here with me. Most of them are perfectly obvious; I miss all the things we used to do together – and would like to continue to do them with you, rather than do them alone, or try to find someone to fill the hole in my life that you left behind. I would love to see what you would think about the changes in our lives; I get positive feedback from others on a number of things that I and Daniel have done, but I would be most curious as to what your opinion would be.
But on a more metaphysical level, I would be interested in having you back to relate to me (and anyone who would be willing to listen) as to where you’ve gone, and what comes next. We are told, through our Christian faith (specifically, Jesus’ resurrection and the disciples’ reaction to it, transforming abruptly from timid to fearless), that we need not fear the transition from this life to the next, but since virtually no one comes back from that other side (and the few that do, don’t generally stay), we have to take it all on faith – which, I suppose is part of the point. But it would be nice to have a more detailed perspective regarding what heaven is like from someone who’s been there.
It almost feels like I shouldn’t need a reason for having these sorts of thoughts, but you might wonder what would bring me to express them, here and now. It’s not as if they’re constantly at the top of my mind, after all. Well, the answer might surprise you…
It seems that, rather than actually dreaming last night, exactly, my subconscious was too busy working on storyboarding to actually put a show together for my benefit. And not only that, it isn’t something that, in the real world I have any creative control over. Not that most dreams have much connection to the real world in general, but this one in particular had to do with something that exists – or rather, will exist, assuming the writers’ and actors’ strikes don’t affect it too much – and the changes that are likely to be made to it going forward.
You see, Disney is working on a sequel to its Pixar hit Inside Out. Now, knowing you, and what you thought of the original, I would almost expect that this is the sort of news that might make you want to come back, and check out something like this that you would otherwise miss out on by not being here. But considering that this is Disney we’re talking about here, and that in the past few years, they have been ham-footedly been trying to influence (actually, more like dictate) the zeitgeist, you might want to reconsider that return, if this is the only thing you’d want to come back for (which I would certainly hope it wouldn’t be). More on that in a moment – it’s in the title – but first, a few questions for you about what things are like where you are.
After all, I would assume that much changes between earth and heaven. Not just our surroundings, but in ourselves. We have been assured that there will be no crying or pain (which makes me wonder if we’ll even be aware of former loved ones who chose not to be there, who might otherwise be conspicuous be their absence); presumably, all other negative emotions will no longer play a part in our eternal existence, either. Which, when you think about it, make up an overwhelming majority of the main cast of Inside Out. Think about it; on the one hand, Riley has Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, while on the other, she has Joy (who tends to be a bit selfish and domineering, so she’s not all positive, herself). And while Joy tries her best to take up the majority of Riley’s memories and personality, she learns that her charge simply can’t feasibly be happy all the time, and slowly concedes ground to Sadness, in particular. She may still be the main pilot, but Joy is not the sole arbiter of Riley’s personality, and will have to content herself with only a plurality of her core and daily memories.
Now, if all of our negative emotions are to be burned away upon our ascension, how much of our selves are truly left by then? Just as we might wonder what age we might appear to ourselves and others up there, so, too, we find ourselves wondering what we will truly be like in terms of personality. Will we even be recognizable to ourselves, when so much of what we think of as making us, us, is gone? This is what I wish you could return to answer for me – among so many other reasons I would wish you back.
To be fair, what I was pondering last night had little to do with that, but more on some of the real-world issues facing the sequel. Among other things, while the voice actors for Joy, Sadness and Anger are to return, it would appear that they have not signed Disgust or Fear. What that means for casting, I don’t know; if they expect to throw in a bunch of new and different emotions to ‘help’ the remaining original cast to pilot Riley, I dare say that would be a grave mistake. Bad enough that I’d wager they’d probably throw in a few members of the Rainbow Mafia to encourage Riley to depart from the gender binary (because that’s what Disney does these days – can’t they just entertain, rather than preach? That’s not what I go to the movies for; if I want a sermon, I’ll go to church), but bear in mind that they’ve already locked themselves in as to what emotions guide every one of us. They could get away with changing casts, especially adding piloting staff, as Riley grows up – after all, Joy started out piloting solo, and the others appeared over time – if they hadn’t given the audience a peek into other people’s heads, including her parents. Everyone has the same five pilots, often led by a different emotion than Joy (which, again, begs the question as to what’s left of this person in eternity?). They literally can’t change it at this point, no matter how much they want to, without some serious retconning.
Which brings us to Disgust and Fear. These two are both absolutely necessary in life – they keep us safe by warning us away from toxins and danger, respectively – and the worst characters to hand over the commanding pilot duties to (well, Anger isn’t particularly ideal, either). Taken to its logical extreme, Disgust could easily lead to bigotry toward anyone or anything perceived as other, while Fear… well, Japan has its own word, hikikomori, that describes a person who has shut themselves away from the world. Neither is an ideal outcome, for Riley or anyone else. So neither of them can or should be a main character, even as they need to be there. I expect a casting change, with limited dialogue, should be able to square the circle. But they need to stay as part of the cast, and that crew really can’t be messed with at this point, unless they insist on reshooting the original.
Of course, I can talk at length on this, and it won’t change whatever Disney or Pixar have purposed in their hearts, minds and wallets as to what they’re going to do. Odds are, they’ll mess with everything, because they have some kind of ‘message’ to get out, and those who think like me will stay home in droves. There’s enough entertainment to be found elsewhere to preclude us from indulging in bad entertainment, after all – and it will all burn away eventually, anyhow.
Still, while you can’t come back and tell me what you think, just keep an eye on me for now, honey, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 