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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 12
Publication Date: December 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.1012.15946
Sjamsuddin, M., & Said, M. (2023). Exploring Universal Moral Values in Animation Movie: A Case in Inside Out Movie by Pete Docter.
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(12). 303-311.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Exploring Universal Moral Values in Animation Movie: A Case in
Inside Out Movie by Pete Docter
Meilia Sjamsuddin
Postgraduate School, Indraprasta University
Mashadi Said
Faculty of Communication Science, Universitas Pancasila
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to explore the universal moral values as portrayed in
Inside Out movie by Pete Docter. This study was conducted using a qualitative
method as its approach. The data were collected from the dialogues in the Inside
Out movie using content analysis to elicit the universal moral values as portrayed
in the movie, Inside Out. The data were analyed using Kinnier, Kernes, and
Dautheribes to determine the boundaries of the study. The results of the analysis
show that the universal moral values as portrayed in Inside Out movie are devided
into four categories, i.e., commitment to something greater than oneself; self- respect but humility, self-discipline, and acceptance of personal responsibility;
respect and caring for others; and caring for other living things and the
environment.
Keywords: Inside Out movie, universal moral values, moral education, animation movie,
character
INTRODUCTION
The Inside movie directed by Peter Docter in 2015 is an animation movie intended for children.
Therefore, it is necessary to explore the extent to which the movie contains values that can be
learned by children and can be used as learning materials by teachers. This paper, however,
focuses on exploring and analysing the universal values contained in the Inside Out movie. The
movies containing values can be used as learning material for childern to learn life values, as
well as for entertainment. Educational experts said that movies can be used as material for
ethical and moral lessons [21], [2], [13], [24], [21]. A number of studies have been conducted
on moral values, for example [4] which states that the art of cinema technology has the potential
and prospects to increase understanding of narratives that are morally and spiritually
significant. [7] discussed the values of character education in Pullman's The Golden Compass.
[6] did research on the movie DANGAL. The movie teaches about the struggles and sacrifices of
parents for their children in facing various challenges to achieve their dreams. [11] analyzing
moral and social values in "Raya and the Last Dragon" Movie. They found that the movie
contained the values of courage, honesty, humility, patience, helpfulness, respect, and the need
for hard work to achieve success. They suggested that these values need to be taught to students
so that they can lead a better life in the future. [14] analyzed moral values in the Enola Holmes
movie. The research results show that the movie contains several moral values defined by Haidt
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 12, December-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
and Barrow, which include care, justice or proportionality, freedom, respect, loyalty, justice,
respect for people, freedom and prosperity. The most dominant moral value in this movie is
freedom or freedom.
Furthermore, [1] conducted research on learning moral values through cartoons for Preschool- aged Children. The result is that the majority of children imitate the good moral values depicted
in the cartoons they watch. This study also illustrates that children's viewing of cartoons not
only entertains but also educates and teaches important key moral values. In addition, [3]
analyzed the moral values in the Zootopia Movie and found that the movie contains moral
values defined by Josephson and Hanson, which include trust, respect, responsibility, justice,
care, and citizenship. Moreover, [9] analyzed moral values in Luca Movie by Pixar Animation
Studios. They found that the Luca movie contained many types of moral values based on Linda
and Eyre's concepts, i.e., honesty, courage, peaceability, self-confidence, discipline, loyalty,
respect, love, unselfishness, kindness, and justice. They said that the most dominant moral
value in the movie was the moral value of love. Furthermore, they found that 8 of the 18-
character values in the movie were recorded in the 2013 secondary school curriculum in
Indonesia, which included honesty, discipline, hard work, creativity, independence, curiosity,
friendship, and love of peace.
Referring the various research results described above, all of them found that movies contain
various values that can be used as teaching materials to shape better individuals. However, no
researchers have analyzed the Inside Out movie by Peter Docter which is also full of universal
values. Therefore, the present study focuses its analysis on universal values as portrayed in the
Inside Out movie using the concept of universal values by [12].
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Universal values are values that are generally accepted and held by people in different cultures,
societal groups, and different historical periods [19], [17], [18]. These values often and always
become the basis for assessing the morals and ethics of a person or group of people. With these
values people can differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad. Thus, these universal
values transcend cultural, religious, and geographic boundaries, reflecting a common
understanding of human rights, dignity, and value inherent in all individuals [5], [8], [20], [10].
According to [12], there are four major types of universal moral values as Universal Moral
Values: The first is commitment to something greater than oneself. This moral value is to
recognize the existence of and be committed to a Supreme Being, higher principle, transcendent
purpose or meaning to one’s existence. It also seeks the truth and justice. In this moral value,
what is meant by something greater than oneself is not only for God, but is aimed at everything
that is considered by people to have more power than themselves.
The second is self-respect but with humility, self-discipline, and acceptance of personal
responsibility. It means to respect and care for oneself, to show humility and avoid gluttony,
greed, or other forms of selfishness or self-centeredness. It also means to act in accordance with
one’s conscience and to accept responsibility for one’s behavior. This moral value is personal
moral value [15]. This moral value relates to a person's self and how a person can respect
himself humbly, have discipline, and have responsibility. This moral value also includes how a
person can restrain himself from being greedy and selfish.
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Sjamsuddin, M., & Said, M. (2023). Exploring Universal Moral Values in Animation Movie: A Case in Inside Out Movie by Pete Docter. Advances in
Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(12). 303-311.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1012.15946
The third is respect and caring for others. It means to recognize the connectedness between all
people, to serve humankind and to be helpful to individuals, to be caring, respectful,
compassionate, tolerant, and forgiving of others, and to not hurt others. This moral value is
related to a person's behavior with other people around him/her such as respecting and
helping each other, having tolerance, forgiving each other. This moral value also emphasizes
not hurting fellow human beings such as killing, abusing, stealing, cheating, or lying.
The last is caring for other living things and the environment. In addition to relationships with
God, oneself, and fellow human beings, one must also foster good relations with other creatures
around him and his environment. This moral value is related to how a person can maintain the
sustainability and balance of his surroundings.
In terms of its relation to youth education, we need suitable means to convey knowledge to
adolescents. Because of that, we can use movie media such as 3D animation as a means of
solving the problem. With this technology, events that occur when humans cannot observe in
real time can be easily presented to the audience (Luzon, 2015, pp.119-128). Thus, the message
and values to be conveyed in the movie can be clearly understood and felt by the audience.
METHOD
This research used a qualitative approach. Both data and results obtained from research were
data in the form of verbal data or soft data [23] in the form of descriptions of universal values
in the Inside Out movie. The research process was a logical interpretation to obtain meaning
regarding universal values from the sources studied. To obtain meaning in the form of universal
values contained in the film, content analysis activities were carried out on the dialogue and
text of the Inside Out film as a data source for this research.
The source of the data was the movie Inside Out by Pete Docter. The film was released for the
first time in the Cannes Movie Festival, May 18, 2015, following its premiere in Los Angeles,
USA on June 16, 2015. The film won several prestigious awards, and one of them was the best
animated film at the Academy Awards, February 28, 2016.
To collect data, the authors watched the film thoroughly and read transcripts of dialogue and
expressions in scenes related to universal values. The authors also used data sheets to classify,
analyze, and interpret data based on the theory of Kinnier, Kernes, & Dautheribes [12].
For the validity of the data, data triangulation was carried out in terms of reality and validity.
Data reliability is obtained by watching it repeatedly to get a consistent description of the data.
The validity of the data was discussed with colleagues and especially with the two researchers.
The data obtained was in the form of verbal data (soft data). In accordance with the nature of
the data, data analysis was carried out interactively by Miles and Huberman [16] which
consisted of three activities that occurred simultaneously, namely data reduction, data
presentation, and drawing conclusions/verification. Data reduction is defined as the process of
selecting, focusing on simplifying, abstracting and transforming rough data that emerges from
written notes from watching films. Data presentation is a collection of structured information
that provides the possibility of drawing conclusions.