Inside Out Review

Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader

Inside Out is the newest film from Pixar Animation Studios (presented by Disney). A girl going through a childhood crisis relies on her emotions to navigate her in her struggle. Her mind is run by five core emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. Pixar in the past is known for having outstanding original ideas that garner critical applause, major awards, and universal success. Movies like Toy Story and its sequels, Up, WALL-E, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and Monsters Inc, all have above 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and opened at #1 at the box-office. Inside Out is no exception. With 99% critical approval, and a rare A+ CinemaScore from audiences, it has unanimously been called one of, if not the best movie of the year so far. Multiple critics are even calling it a lock for Best Picture. It's such a great concept that is executed so well, I'd have to agree. However, parents be cautioned. While it's whimsical and funny, it also deals with some pretty hefty ideas and is incredibly psychological and complex. Not your typical family fare.

The five core emotions are so incredibly well realized characters. Joy (Poehler) is an incredible character, and is the star of the show. She's the girl Riley's governing emotion. So what would happen if she and Sadness (Smith) clash over Riley's important core memories, and get transported to long term memory? Hilarity ensues as Fear (Hader) cowers in the corner as her mind is run by Anger (Black) and Disgust (Kaling), who try their best, but speed up the process of her mind falling apart. In a world where Riley desperately needs her emotions to help her figure it all out, she has neither Joy nor Sadness to express herself. The world building in the film is also excellent. For a movie entirely based on an abstract idea, its seamless. There are no plot holes, and everything is explained pretty clearly. Riley's mind is an amazing world. You have her imagination, a TV studio that makes her dreams, her personality operating from islands, a literal train of thought and so much more. It's so beautifully thought up, I was taken out of the film just because I was admiring how amazing it was.

My favorite emotion was Sadness. Sadness has an incredible character arc. In the beginning, she likes to touch the memories and feel like she's a part of something. Except when she does, it makes Riley sad. She can distort memories. So while Joy makes Riley happy, Anger keeps her in check, Fear keeps her from getting hurt or into trouble, and Disgust creates her self-image, Sadness is restricted to a circle where she can't touch anything. Because who wants their kid to be sad? It's in the third act, when Joy finally realizes that they all have to work together. Joy wants Riley to be happy all the time, and joy is an important emotion. A kid should be happy all of the time, and this movie could have easily made that the moral. But she realizes that she only enters the picture after Riley's been sad, mad, scared, or disgusted. Life doesn't just go up, and up, and up. It's a complex spiral and she can't be prominent all of the time. And they all finally recognize Sadness and her importance to the mind.

I was completely captivated by Inside Out. I'm a Pixar fan, but I was surprised at how deep this movie is. It's an amazing idea for a film, with perfect execution. It really strikes at the heart of its concept, and I guarantee it will leave you thinking. If you've ever felt like your emotions are wrestling with each other, this pretty much shows you what it looks like. Whenever you're scared, angry, disgusted, happy, or sad, there's a reason, as well as a solution. It might not be these little guys in your head working together, but Inside Out really reminds you that your emotions do not control you. However, they do shape your memories and your outlook on life, with both the highs and the lows. It's a great movie I'd recommend everybody see as soon as you can.

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