Sadness and Joy, the trademark of Pixar personified!

Rating: 10/10 (12 November 2015)

This movie was incredible! I understand why people are giving bad reviews, this movie is definitely not for everyone - Opinions will always differ.
Pixar is known for their heart-warming, bittersweet movies, and this was no disappointment! I've been waiting to see this movie since they announced it, and I must say, I was very pleased!
Of course, many people aren't happy because not everyone will enjoy absolutely everything, and there is no such thing as a perfect movie, totally fine. Inside Out was definitely a movie I loved! The CGI was beautiful (as expected) and the story had it's clichés (problem leads to adventure with many obstacles) but it was still really unique. Not 100% Original of course, but that's to be expected. The basic concept of the problem and adventure is used over and over, but its not the concept I enjoy, it's what they did with it, and what they did in Inside Out was nothing short of brilliant!
From here on out, there will be Spoilers, and you have been warned:
Riley is young, innocent, happy, and living it up in a little town in Minnesota when she gets whisked away thousands of miles to the big city: San Francisco. She left her friends, her team, her home. This causes emotional turmoil inside of her, and being young, she lashes out. She has to learn to let her true feelings out rather than bottling them up, out of fear for the consequences. Pixar found a clever, fun way to make this an adventure inside her mind. This isn't dark, it's real. Life isn't always happy (Big shock) and kids need to know that.
What they also need to know is that they're going to feel sadness. In the beginning of the movie, sadness is pushed aside and basically told she's not the right emotion, she doesn't belong there. How many times have we been told that "Attitude changes everything"? "Happiness is a choice"? We're constantly being bombarded with the idea that anything other than happy is wrong. Through Inside Out, Pixar has boldly stated that it's not! We need all of our emotions - sadness, anger, disgust, fear and joy, and the rest which were not exactly shown. All of our emotions are real and it's okay to feel them. Joy learned that Sadness was an important part of Riley too, and that she couldn't always be in complete control - she had to let Riley be something other than happy sometimes.
Of course, there are other emotions we can feel, oh so many, many emotions - If Pixar had included all of them, the movie would have had hours and hours of introductions, and nobody wants to sit through that, unless they're working on some kind of Psychology dissertation, and even then they would be falling asleep. Pixar chose a few of the more prominent emotions and created personifications of them - So yes, the characters look like what they personify - That's kind of the point.
I've heard that Inside Out is terrible because it shows that depression is easily gotten over with a hug and a good cry. Of course that's not true, depression is a lifelong disorder that eats away at you, and it's terrible. Pixar did NOT mean that it is easily gotten over. Depression (according to my college psychology textbook) is a disorder categorized by extreme hopelessness, gloom, etc. that lingers consistently for longer than 6 months. Riley did NOT have depression. Riley was SAD, for a grand total of what, 2-3 days? Not depression. Depression cannot be fixed easily (or at all, it just gets treated). Sadness on the other hand, can be cheered up, reconciled, and yes, fixed. Riley went through a bad experience: She left her home and friends behind - It's a rough transition, especially when you're young that made her incredibly sad. She let that emotion out, and she was able to deal with it once she accepted it, and her family helped. That's how sadness works. There is a monumental difference between being sad, and having depression.
The message of Inside Out seems to have been unclear to some negative reviewers: It's not that growing up is full of negativity and ultimately sucks, it's that life is full of different emotions, and nothing in life is perfect - things don't always go your way. Yeah, sometimes life sucks, but you've got to find a way to push through, and if your emotions are weighing you down, you've got to let them out (in a healthy way). Sometimes you're going to be overwhelmingly sad, and things will look bleak and all you want to do is run away. It happens, and it's okay to feel that way. What matters is what you do about it. Sometimes you're going to need people, and you're going to have to let them in, and guess what? That's totally okay!
That's The message Inside Out gave, and it's beautiful and true, and if you don't want your kids to know that because you want to protect them, save this movie until they're mature enough to handle the truth. Honestly, I think you should let your kids watch this movie, and help them understand - Feelings are natural, and happiness is NOT a choice. It's okay to be sad, and need people. Everyone needs to learn to deal with their emotions - not push them aside and lash out.
I honestly think this movie is enjoyable for all ages. If you're someone who can't handle something that has childhood innocence, life lessons and very little adult content, then you probably shouldn't watch Inside Out. I myself am a fan of all kinds of movies. Inside Out is definitely one of my absolute favorite Pixar movies to date, and all I have left to say is this:
Well done, Pixar, Exceedingly Well Done.