Brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (21 June 2015)

I grew up with Pixar and have seen all their movies up to Toy Story 3 (which I loved), but their last few didn't appeal to me. After growing used to the original and endlessly creative ideas it churned out, its recent (and upcoming) reliance on sequels had me worried it was done making the level of quality it had started with. This movie quelled those fears.
Inside Out isn't the funniest thing Pixar has made, but it doesn't try to be. It's more focused on making you feel, and think as well. That isn't to say there aren't some good laughs in it, but there's some space between them. In that space are ideas so clever about how our brains work that it's hard to keep from smiling. The story is compelling, the voice cast is great, and the vast majority of jokes land.
It does drag a little around the 2/3 mark, which is the main reason why this movie lost a point or two, but if you're a parent this could probably be a 9 or a 10 for you pretty easily (If your kids are super young, though, you might not want to bring them to this. Many in my theater seemed bored).
This is worth paying to see, especially if you've been waiting for Pixar to get back on top of its game. 8/10
P.S: The accompanying short is about singing volcanoes. It really (really) isn't good, but don't tell me you don't want to see how bizarre that could be.