Pixar has long been known for delivering animated fare that simultaneously raises the bar for the medium of film and pushes the envelope of the genre itself. With the release of Inside Out, they have not only hit it out of the park, but somehow managed to top themselves and release — what we believe is — the best film in their esteemed history.
So many films (and television shows for that matter) always look outward and tackle the issues that surround characters rather than how these situations make our characters feel. Inside Out goes inward as it tells the story of 11-year-old Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) and explores how she deals with the challenge of weathering a cross country move from her beloved Minnesota to the perceived to be not so friendly streets of San Francisco.
Filmmaker Pete Docter (the man behind the beloved and astounding Up) takes us inside Riley’s mind through a quintet of emotions voiced by the impeccable cast of Inside Out.
Amy Poehler is our leader as she voices Joy. As is the case with most children of that age, Joy does drive us and rightfully so. Teenage-hood is right around the corner, but before other emotions begin to crowd the wheel, it is Joy that does most of the steering. What is so fascinating is that the other emotions prove to be just as important as Joy and that is one of the greatest lessons of all of Inside Out.
Phyllis Smith is Sadness, Bill Hader nails it as Fear, Mindy Kaling embraces Disgust and Lewis Black is heaven-sent (or is it hell-sent?) as Anger.
Each cast member not only brings to life the emotion they portray but shows how it fits into the kaleidoscope that is the human mind, particularly at 11 years old. What else is fascinating is how our perception of what is positive or negative about each emotion is challenged by the story, so by the end, one realizes that we are a composite of all our emotions and that is the best thing about how we are wired.
Like Toy Story before and other Pixar films, the theme of the loss of childhood innocence is a huge part of the Inside Out framework. And like so many other Pixar films that grapple with this issue, Inside Out will surprise you with how emotionally powerful and resonant this particular story is while handling the progression from child to teen to adult. The film will not only make audiences look inside our own lives, but also at the human condition as an enormous entity.
Inside Out also works for audiences young and old, male and female, jaded and joyous. It is a fascinating look at how our minds operate. Docter and his team’s vision for the inner workings of the brain and all that makes it such a complicated entity is powerful, passionate and profoundly perfect.
Grade: A+