Inside Out

For some reason, I couldn't quite catch this movie in theaters and I managed to watch it on an international flight. And boy, am I glad I did!

As far as concepts go, I was astonished at the amount of detail and coherence in execution. The visuals are absolutely stunning, the colors rich and vibrant, the characters utterly memorable and some of the most poignantly heart-breaking lines of dialogue ever spoken/sung in any movie, let alone feature animation. It is every bit a Disney-Pixar classic and as emphatic a return to form as it can get.

The story revolves around a young girl child who is happy in her world and has to suddenly acclimatize to another environment when her family has to move. Growing pains and social issues affect her while she grapples with increasingly complex situations, both at home and school. Meanwhile, the interplay between the five primary emotions inside her mind is both dynamic and fraught with compromises, much like how we deal with others everyday. As things come to a head and young Riley is about to make a life-changing decision, the events that follow leave a lasting impression, with an increased appreciation of the phrase "emotions are what makes us human"!

I recognized some dichotomies - for instance, Minnesota, usually perceived cold, is regarded as warm and comforting by Riley while San Francisco, renowned for its sunny weather, is seen as foreign and unwelcome. The other contrast I noticed was all five emotional figures (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust) do not always stay true to form, with Joy especially exhibiting nuances far beyond what her name implies - case in point, her touching admission preceding the last act (that entire sequence was too much for my eyes to take, by the way). All this might be considered a tad too much for young children to appreciate, but with time, they may probably realize how beautifully honest this movie was in trying to portray their growth and the underlying issues.

Certainly, it is not without flaws: the plot meandered a bit 2/3rds into the length; Joy's "A-ha" moment seems strangely contrived, despite the impact it had; the music was adequate but not truly captivating as in the case of other Pixar offerings. But the beauty of this medium is that it offers filmmakers opportunities to steer audiences to more engaging experiences; Pete Docter and Co accomplish this with aplomb.

In terms of cast and crew, the voice actors are superb selections - Lewis Black aces the Angry persona with generous dollops of sarcasm; Mindy Kaling is just perfect voicing Disgust; Richard Kind's performance as the imaginary Bing Bong is an absolute tear-jerker, while Kaitlyn Dias shows remarkable poise playing Riley. But it is Amy Poehler who steals the show in a coruscating blend of vivacity, vibrancy, and vicariousness. Her Joy is not an infallible leader, but one who accepts others in the face of challenging situations and plows ahead with inspiring positive energy. The animation left me spell-bound, especially the sequence where thoughts are shown to be abstracted, and are endowed with a lot of heart. The movie is fairly short, but a running time of 94 minutes is appropriate justice to a slightly heavy subject matter. The humor compensates with trademark Pixar staple of jokes, albeit intended for slightly more mature viewers. Pete Docter gave us the outstanding Up six years ago and ably accompanied by Ronnie del Carmen, has categorically demonstrated that he is a fabulous storyteller and a master entertainer.

Inside Out is every bit a Pixar fan's well-deserved reward for patience. Do yourself a favor and watch this magnificent gem.

I am not normally one to write reviews, but I couldn't help reading several for this film on this site that just did't seem to understand where I think the film was supposed to be coming from.

The majority of the complaints I saw were that the film was 'too depressing for a children's film', but whilst I see where they are coming from in some regards, every child who I have seen watch this film (I work in a cinema) has absolutely loved it, and laughed out loud almost constantly. They are not old enough to realise the message the film is trying to convey: that life isn't all about happiness. I applaud the attempt from Pixar to make a film that is not only hilarious in places, but is also a major comment on what life is like to be a younger teenager, transitioning through one of the most important moments of life.

From a more personal perspective, why should everything we show our children gloss over the reality of life, and try to make them believe everything is rosy 24/7? Again, what this film does brilliantly through the message I took away at the end was that life will never be 100% full of happiness, but that is fine. Why does it have to be? A little bit of sadness is necessary. If a person was never sad, they would be inhumane.

Overall then, I suppose my review is more of a comment on the type of film we exhibit to children, and how the Nanny-state we live in looks to protect them from most of lives inevitabilities. Either way, what can't be ignored is that this film is equal parts sad, and equal parts what I am sure will become a timeless classic in years to come.

Inside Out (2015)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Eleven-year-old Riley has a wonderfully fun childhood thanks to the emotions working inside of her. Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) all help keep the young girl moving forward but when her family moves from Minnesota to San Fransisco it throws everyone for a loop and soon Joy and Sadness find themselves lost in her system and trying to find their way back.

INSIDE OUT is certainly another winner from Pixar who are clearly the experts of the family movie. What really amazes me about the studio is that they're actually just making adult movies that kids happen to enjoy because of the pretty characters on the screen. I say this because films like this one, UP and WALL-E really do have adult stories dealing with adult issues yet somehow the studios are able to keep kids entertained while their parents get a lot more of the jokes and the emotions that the story provides. This one here is an incredibly touching story from a parent's point of view simply because of the changes that their kids go through.

There's no doubt that the animation is the star of this picture and we're really treated to some wonderful images. I especially loved the use of colors in the picture and how various colors had a certain emotion attached to it. This is certainly excellent once our adventure begins as there's a "long term memory" section where these wonderful color marble like things are collection. Just the site of this are a true treat for the eyes. All of the "emotion" characters are perfectly brought to life with both Joy and Anger really standing out. The human characters are also quite entertaining and there's no doubt that the Bing Bong character will go down as a favorite decades from now.

As I said, this film is going to work a lot better for older kids and adults as I'm sure the majority of young children aren't fully going to grasp the idea of emotions and how they effect our lives. The story itself is quite charming throughout and I was surprised at how many adult issues they were able to work on throughout the running time. Fans of Pixar are certainly going to love this as it's another winner that manages to work no matter what your age is. Still, I think the older you are the more you'll enjoy it.

Please excuse any mistakes as my English is not very good. There are no spoilers in this review.

I had the pleasure of seeing 'Inside Out' at the Cannes Film Festival and I must say it was wonderful and a huge step-up from Pixar's recent efforts. The trailers don't really do it justice. The story may seem complicated for younger viewers, but the way Pixar tells the story fits for both adults and children. The pacing is in the vein of Wall-E, and in that sense it is very much a film for adults as it is for kids (like most Pixar movies). The story here is surprisingly raw and emotional, one that has very deep underlying themes that adults will connect with. Many of the audience members were crying at the end. It has one of the most original stories for an animation in the last few years, and I believe many people (especially adults) will form a connection to it.

Speaking of animation, the film is breathtakingly beautiful. There is a nice contrast of colors that make it look vibrant, like Pixar's 'UP'. The voice cast did a wonderful job and you couldn't ask for better direction from Pete Doctor and co. I cannot wait to see this a second time with family and friends. Highly recommended.

PS: The short that played before the film, 'Lava', was also beautiful. It was sort of a musical, and it was quite funny and clever. The audience even applauded at the end of it, myself included. In that sense, it provides the entire package a nice balance of joy and laughter (Lava) followed by deep storytelling and emotion (Inside Out).

I hate to see so many 1 star reviews claiming this movie was "too depressing". Everyone who said that missed the point completely. Growing up ain't all sunshine and rainbows, it comes with a lot of hardships and that's what this movie is about. Riley's emotions try to help her through the difficulty of moving to a new place that isn't all its cracked up to be, and in the process Joy accidentally sends Riley into a deep depression. Sounds depressing, but what makes this movie great is how realistic her depression feels as Joy and Sadness try to help Riley out of it. I feel like this movie's message is "Growing up will be tough, but you will get through it and there are people who will always help you through it." and that is a VERY important message for children.

Throughout the movie there are plenty of good jokes, gorgeous animation, and a beautiful score by Michael Giacchino (idk how to spell that....) Again, just my two cents, but I think this a great movie, if very different and a bit more depressing by Pixar standards.

REALLY starting to think people are just coming to trash all of Pixar's most recent movies out of jealousy or something. There's no way so many people think this movie is garbage. If the good movies are really getting this many bad reviews, it's no wonder the quality of animated movies is going down. There's just no reason to try anymore......