Deserves its place with other Pixar classics...

Rating: 9/10 (22 June 2015)

It's tempting to name the Oscar winner in Animated Feature Film for this year (2015) already, because Inside Out is going to be tough to beat! From the same writer/director, Pete Docter of Pixar classics such as Toy Story (all of them), Monster's Inc, and Up, Inside Out figured to be another great one and surely delivered. The story is of a girl named Riley who's emotions help guide her from birth to the point at which her life is uprooted by a move away from her home town. Those emotions - joy, sadness, fear, disgust, and anger - are terrifically voiced by the likes of Amy Poehler (SNL), Phyllis Smith (The Office), Bill Hader (SNL), Mindy Kaling (The Office), and Lewis Black (Stand-up comic). The animation is glorious, and I feel like I need to see this movie a half dozen more times to be able to take it all in. Add to that an interesting and convincingly complex story line that conceptualizes memories, dreams, the sub conscience, and such in very clever ways. I think the story itself is too complicated for a younger audience, but like many Pixar films, part of the magic is being able to entertain audiences of all levels, even when the story is geared for a more mature audience (think WALL-E, which Pete Docter also wrote). This film doesn't quite have the emotional impact or laughs of a Monster's, Inc., or Toy Story 3 (my personal favorite), but it surely has its tender moments with plenty of funny stuff. That, along with a lively, clever plot and eye candy galore, makes Inside Out a definite must see.