Ever since Pixar came out with Toy Story in the mid 90s, I’ve been a big fan of Pixar films. What I love about most of them is behind the imaginative concepts and inventive visuals, the stories aren’t devoid of heart. Well, that principle is in full display with this latest movie.
This time, the protagonists aren’t people, animal or aliens, but the emotions that reside within an 11-year-old girl, Riley. As if a preteen girl’s life isn’t complicated enough, being uprooted from the Upper Midwest all the way to San Francisco certainly is a big adjustment. Watching Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness bicker with each other on how to best navigate Riley’s new environment is a real blast!
The fact that the young protagonist is from Minnesota makes it extra amusing for me. I didn’t realize that at first but I suppose the scenes with all the snow, the family going skating and the fact that Riley LOVES hockey should’ve been a major giveaway. Pixar really immerses you into their imaginative universe here. The headquarter where the four major emotions operate in is so fun and inventive, such as how each memory is stored within this glowing orb and the whole process of how it gets sent up the memory tube. There’s also Riley’s Island of Personality: Family Island, Honesty Island, Hockey Island, Friendship Island and Goofball Island, each powered by Riley’s core memory.
Figuring out how Riley’s internal *universe* work is part of the movie’s charm, and of course, the four emotions are such a hoot. I absolutely adore Joy who’s now become one of my favorite Pixar characters. Amy Poehler is the perfect choice to bring her character to life. She utterly lives up to the name in every way… an absolute joy to watch and listen to. The voice work is stellar all around, as to be expected in a Pixar movie. Nice to see so many female voice cast, too. Mindy Kalling as Disgust is delightfully snarky and Kaitlyn Dias as Riley is appropriately bubbly and full of angst, as you’d expect every preteen to be. Bill Hader is perfect as Fear and Richard Kind is memorable as Riley’s imaginary friend Bing Bong who’s a bizarre combination of an elephant, a cat, candy, and a dolphin. Oh and it cries candy, it really doesn’t get more adorable than that!
For anyone who’s ever experienced moving to a new town at a young age, forced to abandon the friends and environment we’ve grown to love, we can certainly identify with Riley. But truly, Inside Out‘s is relatable no matter what age you are because we’ve all experienced growing up. The movie mostly takes place within Riley’s head, but occasionally it goes into the mind of Riley’s mom and dad. The one that gets the most laugh is the closing credit sequence when it zooms inside the mind of dogs and cats. Boy I could watch an entire movie of a cat version of Inside Out! Now there’s a spinoff idea. Oh and I have got to mention the hunky Brazilian Helicopter Pilot, that bit was hilarious and I certainly can relate to THAT 😉
This film’s concept is brilliant and inherently challenging one as it deals with the psychology and science of the brain which, if not handled well, could easily be quite boring. Yet directors Pete Docter (who I just realized is a Minnesota native) and Ronaldo Del Carmen somehow made all the science stuff so whimsical and delightful, without forgoing accuracy. Per this article, Pixar worked with UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner, an expert on the science of emotion, which I think help flesh out the animated personifications of the four major emotions depicted in the film.
Final Thoughts: I had a lot of fun with this one. I’d think this movie would appeal to both kids and adults, though I’d imagine parents of preteens/teens would get a real kick out of this. Inside Out is not just an entertaining family fare, but it’s also an affecting one that gives us an insight into our humanity in the most delightful way. Not sure yet how this movie will rank amongst my all time animated favorites like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall•E over time, but this is definitely another winner from Pixar.
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Oh, yes! Easily one of my favorites of the year. 🙂
Glad to hear Michael! Did you see it on Father’s Day? Hope you had a good one and that your family spoiled you that day 😀
40th anniversary of Jaws screening on Father’s Day. We did INSIDE OUT the day it opened at the El Capitan Theatre. 🙂
Oh that sounds awesome!! Must be cool to see JAWS on the big screen.
GAH!!! Now I want to see this more than ever! I might have to wait another week so that the audience turn-out can die down.
Yeah, just wait another week Steven but it looks great on the big screen!
It’s definitely one of my favourite Pixar films. I loved the dream studio in it! Looking forward to seeing it again!
I love how colorful and imaginative this is. I’m not sure yet where it will rank amongst my faves though, that remains to be seen but for sure it’s a delight!
Nice to see you also rate it that high. Bing Bong is an awesome character and I loved the way they experimented when they go all abstract.
Hi Nostra! Bing Bong is an awesome character isn’t he? But really, there are SO many fun characters here, but that’s what I’d expect from Pixar.
I liked seeing Riley from Minnesota too, but I wasn’t as impressed as you were. It was okay, but nowhere near WALL-E, HTTYD, or even Up for me.
Hi Brittani! I’m actually not that fond of UP to be honest, I only love the opening w/ the marriage sequence. But yeah, I still love HTTYD and Wall•E more.
Definitely one of my favourite movies of the year so far!
Glad to hear Natalia, and welcome to FC! 🙂
From the previews this movie looked adorable and I’m so glad it lived up to your expectations! Can’t wait to see this 🙂
Hi Ashley, glad to chat w/ you today girl!
It’s adorable but also insightful, I think you’ll enjoy this!
Ruth, glad you liked it. I think it’s a great topic which will actually help youngsters as they do the dreaded move. It’s so painful.
Yeah I think it’s good that Pixar strives to create something that’s actually meaningful to people, adults and kids alike, on top of simply being entertaining. I think kids that age have it rough even without having to deal with moving to a new environment.
Great review, and nice to see you focus on the whimsy, humorous side of the film. I just posted my review for this one too! Love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Drew! I think people could really see get different things out of this. Being that I don’t have kids, I probably don’t relate to this as well as you. But still it’s a delightful movie!
I just loved this, and actually, my favourite voices were the ones you left out – Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as anger: inspired choices!
Yeah I think I should mentioned Phyllis Smith, her character is actually just as important to the story as Joy was. Lewis’ hilarious too, I kinda think that Mel Brooks would’ve been fun to listen to as Anger.
I might actually give this movie a rent, the premise sounds great since I know what’s like to move to a place at such a young age. I was very young when my family moved out of my homeland back in in the Far East. Maybe I’ll watch it with my niece.
Oops! Meant to say: Move to a NEW place….
Hi Ted! I think you’d enjoy this and be able to relate to the character. Yes it’ll be a fun movie night with your niece and even your whole family!
Yay! I loved it, too! I was unsure about it going in, as I often find Pixar films to be somewhat overrated, but it’s one of my favorite Pixar movies now. 🙂
Loved it. Pixar almost at their very best. I adored large parts of it.
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Given the subject matter, Inside Out is undoubtedly the bravest story that Disney-Pixar have ever tackled together
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