As someone who enjoys animation movies immensely, I found myself disappointed and then enraged by "Inside Out". Although marketed as a children's movie, there is little for children to understand, much less enjoy -- scary clowns, imaginary friends sacrificing themselves and allowing the memories of themselves to vanish, long stretches about things moving into long term memory -- really? But then I started reflecting on what the movie was communicating and I found it very disturbing. The story, for those of you fortunate enough to have missed it so far, is that only child Riley and her parents, so happy living in Minnesota, are at first miserable when the father's job forces a move to San Francisco.

Children are being told that their lives are controlled by their emotions, and the emotions are portrayed as a disorganized group, constantly jostling for the opportunity to color the event of the moment.

Emotions just happen and there is no order to which one of them is dominant at any time.

Reason has no place in this world, and the concept of self-esteem is completely missing. Similarly, there is no mention of work or achievement except as a barrier to happiness. The father's job, which causes the move from Minnesota to San Francisco, is a burden, and when he is called out early to a meeting with investors, it is taken as proof that he doesn't love his daughter.

"Emotions" cause the girl to fumble a pass in ice hockey and as a result she gives up on her try-out. Persistence, resilience, effort -- all missing, as well as the self-respect of doing one's best even in new or difficult situations.

The father's dominant emotion is anger, and the mother's dominant emotion is sadness [enlivened by random memories of a Brazilian pilot].

Abstract thought is dangerous and must be avoided. To escape from abstract thought, the emotions fall on their face and crawl out of the abstract realm.

Pixar has done so many clever things [Barbie torturing Ken by threatening to destroy a Nehru jacket? priceless; the determined little clown fish with the deformed fin in Finding Nemo; "no capes!" from The Incredibles; Ratatouille, end to end] that it is disappointing to see their brand on such an anti-child, anti-mind screed, even with 3-D and glorious color.