4.25/5

Rating: 8/10 (9 December 2015)

Pixar's bread and butter has been making animated films for kids AND adults. Sure, other studios have followed sit, and nowadays most adults can get enjoyment out of most kids films. However, Pixar is something different. I can't really cover what exactly that is, but just look at the opening credits of Up. Just look at basically all of Finding Nemo. But they've been in a bit of a dry spell. The Cars films are basically commercials for a theme park, Brave tried something different but failed, and Monsters University...well to be honest I can't even remember Monsters University. But now Inside Out is here, which takes us inside the mind of a young girl named Riley, who has just left her friends behind to move to San Francisco with her parents. When she's there, she has difficulty making new friends, and her parents are dealing with some money troubles. We see things however, from the perspective of the four emotions that dominate the "control center" inside her head. Joy(Amy Poehler) Sadness(Phyllis Smith) Anger(Lewis Black) Disgust(Mindy Kaling) and Fear(Bill Hader.) Joy is a little compulsive about Riley's memories, and soon she and sadness are sucked out of headquarters and into the big bad wilderness of a little girl's mind. The first thing that hit me about this film was how damn creative it was. Imagination, dreams and nightmares, imaginary friends, and the train of thought are all handled with an amazing amount of brilliance that most films lack. The voice-acting is all great, definitely on the funny and light side at the beginning, but when the hard-hitting emotional beats of the film hit, they hit extremely hard. The film's message is perhaps the most refreshing thing about it. I'm not going to spoil it, but it's unlike anything any kids film has taught us before, and the film's finale is one of the most heartwarming moments I've seen this year. Inside Out isn't perfect however. It's just under two hours, and the middle does get quite repetitive. Kids will no doubt enjoy the color on display, but it does get a bit tiresome. That's about the only criticism I have, besides the fact that the film doesn't feel as Magical as Finding Nemo or Up. I'm not quite sure why that is, but with Pixar, when the whole movie jells it creates a truly special experience. However when it doesn't, it is at least noticeable. This last thing is not a criticism or praise but a question. How do kids react to this film? It's funny and colorful, but will many of the jokes be lost on them? This is the first pixar film that is equally for adults as it is kids. Honestly, as many adults can learn from this film as kids. It's directed by Pete Doctor, and while it's not quite the first 15 minutes of Up, it is pretty damn close.