Walt Disney Pixar`s Animated Films Inside Out and Up!

There is a child in all of us, and Walt Disney Pixar films embrace this idea. Inside Out(2015) and Up!(2009) are animated films created for young children, but engage both adolescents and adults too. The comedy-dramas follow the themes of adventure, emotions, and growing up. The trailers for these films appeal to their target audience through the use of voice-over narration, written text, and film footage. Although these films fall into the same category and use similar techniques, they are used in different ways to create excitement for the release of the film.

Imagination has no age. The film trailers for both Up! and Inside Out have been created to attract a wide variety of people and appeal to their sense of wonder. Disney Pixar films have always been created to appeal to young children and teenagers, yet the film trailers for Up! and Inside Out have a target audience of all ages. These trailers fall into the same category of comedy-drama, are both rated PG, and are created by the same production company, however, they attract their target audience in many different ways. At the beginning of both trailers, the disclaimer states, “The following preview has been approved for appropriate audiences,” announcing that the films are directed toward an audience of all ages. The trailer for Up! follows the themes of adventure and grief, following two male protagonists, Carl and Russell. This attracts the attention of mostly young boys, as they can relate to the characters throughout their journey. The trailer finishes with the text “The adventure begins May 29th” again creating excitement in the audience by mentioning the key theme of adventure. Mental health is a topic that is becoming more widely spoken about. Inside Out was released in 2015 when the topic of mental health was on the rise. By Disney Pixar creating a film about mental health means that the audience can relate to growing up and dealing with the emotions they are faced with.

The trailer stars both male and female protagonists, attracting the attention of both genders. Inside Out has a reoccurring theme of emotions and growing up. This makes the film appealing to teenagers and adults as they can relate to the protagonists’ feelings throughout the film.

Film trailers are intended to get the audience excited for the release of the film. Disney Pixar uses film footage from past films to create anticipation for the release of the film. They insert short clips of popular films, such as The Incredibles, A Bug’s Life, and Toy Story, into the trailers for Up! and Inside Out. This adds excitement within their trailers, as the viewer’s interest will be piqued when they recognize the films. As expectations will be set for the release of Up! and Inside Out, as it will remind the viewer how popular Disney Pixar films have been in the past. The song choice for Inside Out’s teaser trailer is a popular song by Aerosmith called ‘Sweet Emotion’. This creates context between the ideas and the key theme of emotions. Furthermore, Aerosmith is a popular rock and roll band from the 1970s; therefore the upbeat song does not just attract the attention of children, but adults too. The music behind Up! however, is not a well-known song, but ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ by Nick Phoenix and Tomas Begernsen. Again, the producers have created a connection between the key theme of adventure with the non-lyrical song choice ‘Adventure of a lifetime.’ This music is dramatic and builds suspense for both the audience and the release of the film.

The use of voice-over accompanies the ongoing theme of adventure throughout the Up! trailer. This is shown at the beginning of the trailer, with the narrator stating “This summer, Disney Pixar will take you on their next great adventure.” By using inclusive language, the audience feels as though they are a part of the journey, sparking the imagination for the viewer. As Carl’s house flies away, the audience feels as though they are joining the characters on their adventure. By accompanying the film footage with the use of a voice-over, the audience feels anticipation and suspense for the release of the film.

The trailer for Inside Out contains rhetorical questions, again making the audience feel as though they are joining the protagonists on their adventure. An example of this is when the question ‘ever wonder where those emotions live?’ is presented to the audience. This affects the audience by sparking their imagination. As they will want to find out where their emotions live, they will want to watch the film. This engages both young children and adults, making them excited for the films. An example of this is in the trailer of Inside Out, where both inclusive language and written text are used stating “We have all shared joy, fear, anger, disgust, sadness, even wonder... this summer, meet those little voices inside your head.” At the end of the trailer, written text is used to state the film is “a major motion picture.” This use of pun is a clever play on words used by Disney Pixar as the parents recognize the humor and become engaged and excited for the release of their films.

Both Up! and Inside Out are comedy-drama films which follow the key themes of adventure, emotions, and growing up. Disney Pixar utilizes many languages and cinematic techniques to appeal to their specific target audience. Both film trailers have captivating background music, which connects with the key themes and ideas throughout the films. Popular characters from past Disney Pixar films are used in both trailers to remind the audience of how great their films can be, creating a reputation for these films. In addition, voice-over, inclusive language, and rhetorical questions are used throughout both trailers to make the audience feel as though they are a part of their journey, engaging the viewer with the trailer. Adventure films are exciting and these trailers are effective in that they elicit excitement in the audience to view their film.