Using characters, clips, and narratives from the Oscar-winning film ‘Inside Out,’ the app facilitates social and emotional learning skills for real-world dilemmas faced by elementary school-aged children; project involves famed Disney animator John Hubley’s grandson, Dr. Sam Hubley.
University of Colorado Boulder’s Renée Crown Wellness Institute has launching the InsideU Social Emotional Learning App, designed in partnership with Pixar Animation Studios, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, and digital designers Liquid Interactive. The app uses characters from Pixar’s Oscar-winning animated film Inside Out to help kids learn about emotional awareness and relationships.
The app taps characters and narratives from Inside Out, combining clips from the movie with interactive learning to both entertain and lead to personal insights by the user. Kids meet the “Mind Worker,” who guides them through the program and helps them to understand their emotions. Users experience four different episodes titled: “Meet the Team,” “Anger in Action,” “Emotions and the Body,” and “A Powerful Pause.”
The Crown Institute’s original inspiration for creating emotional education for children was the 2015 animated film, which depicts emotions as characters that live inside the mind of a young girl. Nearly a decade ago, the film had an impact on Dr. Sam Hubley, a psychologist and researcher at the Institute. Previously, Dr. Hubley witnessed the power of entertainment in the work of his grandfather, John Hubley, an Oscar-winning animation pioneer who worked for Walt Disney Studios on films including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, and Pinocchio.
“By combining science, health education, and brilliant animation, we have a golden opportunity to engage millions of young people to learn about their emotions and foster better relationships with others during childhood and throughout their lives,” said Dr. Hubley, an Assistant Research Professor at the Crown Institute, University of Colorado Boulder.
To help design a pilot version of the app and ensure it resonated with children, the Institute partnered with Liquid Interactive and Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, whose members collaborated on the design of the program. Pilot evaluations took place in the Summer and Fall of 2022, involving students ages 6-13, measuring the first phase of the learning app’s feasibility, usability, and engagement.
“InsideU has been a huge hit for the Club members I work with,” commented Julie Arbuckle, Mental Health Team Member from Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. “They are beyond excited for the next emotion lessons to come out.”
A key area of study for the Crown Institute is social and emotional learning (SEL), which aims to improve self-awareness, social skills, and responsible decision-making. According to the Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning, the preeminent champion of SEL in the U.S., effective programs can measurably improve academic, behavioral, and other health outcomes among youth.
Check out the InsideU: Social Emotional Learning App:
Additional information is available here. Check out the InsideU experience here.
Source: CU Boulder - Renée Crown Wellness Institute
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
