Pixar has taken us to wonderful and imaginative places through their films. The behemoth animation studio continues that tradition with "Inside Out", yet another meticulously crafted and thought-provoking film.
Early buzz out of the Cannes film festival stated "Inside Out" was the best film from Pixar in a long while, maybe even the best. I can't exactly heap such praise onto the film (because of "Finding Nemo" and the "Toy Story" films) but I can definitely say "Inside Out" is a wonderfully inventive film. Before my screening of the movie, there was an on-screen tour of the Pixar studios with director Pete Docter, who gave the audience an inside look at the process of making a film at Pixar. He even gave some insight to the five-year process and labor of love that was "Inside Out". Such dedication and meticulous attention to detail is present in every frame of the movie.
The visual style and precision with which the film was made is to be expected from Pixar. Conceptually, "Inside Out" is stunningly layered. The movie begins with a set of parents welcoming their new baby girl, Riley, into the world. As Riley is born, so are her emotions, which are ultimately led by Joy (voiced by an energetic Amy Poehler, full of left-over Leslie Knope charm). The majority of the film is told from Riley's emotions, including Sadness (Phyllis Smith, "The Office"), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Anger (Lewis Black). They work in tandem, although Joy is clearly in charge in Riley's mind to create her memories.
When Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) turns 11, her parents (voiced by Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane) have to relocate to San Francisco for Dad's job. Joy's role as the leading emotion in Riley's life is compromised. Navigating an unfamiliar home and school gives the four other emotions more room to work within their head-quarters. As uncharted land is explored in Riley's world, the emotions working in her mind must find some kind of balance.
Children are bound to be entranced by the colorful imagery and occasional silliness of "Inside Out", but this is a much more cerebral animated film, which could be lost on the young ones. There were a few times in my showing, I overheard a young kid ask their parent "what does that mean?" Even so, there is something - as always with Pixar films - for everyone in this movie. While kids are being dazzled by the animation, parents will moved by the emotional wallop of the film, while taking us through a cathartic journey of growing up. This is actually a rare animated film that will appeal more to the some older kids and parents than the younger ones.
And we haven't even talked about this voice cast, which is just about perfect. Poehler's caffeine-infused energy suits Joy perfectly. Smith gets to steal a few scenes as Sadness, bringing some humor to her mopey demeanor. Kaling, Hader and Lewis have a bit less to do as their respective emotions but are all able to utilize aspects of their public personas and various characters they have played.
As the summer season trudges on and empty calorie fun is put on screens, "Inside Out" is one of the more rich and rewarding films in theatres. Take your kids but be ready for a discussion and barrage of questions afterwards, which is always a sign of a great movie.
| Movie title | Inside Out |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2015 |
| MPAA Rating | PG |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | "Inside Out" continues Pixar's tradition of inventive, unique storytelling. |
