'Inside Out' Pixar Movie: Riley's Dad, Kyle MacLachlan, Talks About Film, Says Movie Has "Emotional Resonance"

The success of the latest film by Pixar, titled "Inside Out," has been attributed to various factors including the movie's message, its character, and the manner it relates not only to kids but also to the adults in the audience. While the flick is still enjoying its box office success, Kyle MacLachlan, the actor who brought to life the father of Riley in the film, shares how much "Inside Out" helped him understand his own son and improve his parenting skills, according to Screen Rant.

 McLachlan shares that his knowledge on the works by Pete Docter, which included films such as "Up" and "Monster, Inc.," excited him when he was offered to lend his voice in "Inside Out." He says, "I love Pete Docter, so I knew it was going to be something special." McLachlan discloses that he felt Docter's films to have "a little more emotion to them." He describes, "Maybe they pushed things a little bit further. I mean I love The Incredibles. But Up, there were things that were coming out of that. So I thought, "OK. It's going to be a little different, I think." The journey is going to have a little more resonance maybe, I think, emotional resonance."

As per the instructions on how to flesh out his character, McLachlan admits that he was initially confused since the producers only told him to simply be himself. He shares, "There was part of me that didn't trust the idea that they were interested in me. Just me? I was like going, 'Don't you want a character or something?'" To this, Docter responded that they simply wanted McLachlan to "just bring to it what you, as a dad now, bring." The actor describes the experience as "refreshing" and reveals that he then "leaned heavily on the fact that I was a dad, as I have a son, and the dynamic between us." He adds, "I wanted to bring some of that into the performance and the relationship with Riley."

McLachlan also shares how much he was able to relate to the dad in the story especially in terms of the issues regarding his work and family life. He says, "You see him initially before he moves and he's definitely connected and there and fun." McLachlan goes on to say, "And then you see him in his moments of stress. And that's what they've done. They've taken this family and put it in a moment of stress. And they've seen how the emotions have reacted. Ultimately, it comes back to about family and family is what holds it together, which I think is beautiful."