Dives into a deep bittersweet nostalgia that's impossible to resist.

Rating: 7/10 (23 June 2015)

Everyone agrees Pixar have been in a slump since Toy Story 3, their best work in their 20 years of releasing feature films. The Cars sequel was the most prominent evidence that they're a business that wants money. While the first is enjoyable for what it is, I couldn't get through the first 15 minutes of number 2. Brave was a complete misfire, structurally incompetent, painfully unfunny and I haven't been able to watch anything Scottish since. Their Oscar leaves a sour taste on the category. However, I am a staunch defender of Monsters University, a film that may follow pleasant kid formula for the first breezy two thirds but develops into a heartfelt lesson of perseverance in its final act. I can't argue that it wasn't a necessary film. Now they're on the rebound, a take 2 on an original property with a female focus and at least we can say that the Pixar the public and critics love whole- heartedly is back.
I'll admit, I did criticise Inside Out at first. The designs and concept felt more like branding fit for Happy Meal toys than developable characters. I sold the studio short though, as further successful marketing promised more insightful and funnier observations. They have a noble quest for this generation in giving them a visual perspective on not only how they feel, but how others feel. It fits firmly in the Pixar family. Inside Out marries the vast adventure of Finding Nemo, the character frictions of Toy Story, the lovable bureaucracy of Monsters Inc. and the wistful emotion of Up. You can start to feel Pete Docter's directorial stamp and his personal touch feeds into a film that could have felt far too committee lead. Here they go back to their roots as it's their most cartoony movie yet with characters more Elastic than Elasti-Girl. You can feel all the animators having fun with some scenes such as the maybe-too-clever Abstract Thought sequence.
Of course, the story does suffer from it's manufactured trappings. When you set all the rules, the story never feels completely organic as the writers invent all the resources to solve the character's problems. They use the Pixar beat sheet favourite of coincidences getting the characters into trouble too liberally here that you can predict when things will fall apart and like Finding Nemo, it can feel too episodic. Instead, you can call it a testament to how they can reign in their unbridled creativity. Those bumps in the road are easy to overlook when you have splendid visuals, brilliant sense of humour and a wonderful lead like Joy, a Tinkerbell-esque pixie sans the mean streak that makes you want to conjure her in your own mind right now. Amy Poehler is perfect casting, reprising the endearing optimism of Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope for the big screen. Pixar once chose movie stars, now they're keen on how many eyes are back on TV, recruiting The Office favourites Phyllis Smith and Mindy Kaling for other emotions along with Bill Hader and Lewis Black.
They're wise to not make them as one dimensional as their names suggest. Joy's main concern is Riley's happiness and collecting as many yellow memories as possible, but in order to do that it takes a selfish sense of control to the disregard of other emotions, such as frequent party pooper Sadness. Her arc is the most compelling and dimensional, while the other negative emotions supply her journey or provide very humorous gag material. However, Inside Out will always be notable for giving Richard Kind his due. He's played very small bit parts in many of their prior features but here he finally has a role to win over our hearts as the imaginary friend Bing Bong. The film hits its emotional crescendo in its crisis point thanks to Bing Bong and Joy's crucial revelation. At its best, the film is very powerful, tapping into a tender deep-rooted nostalgia for innocence lost. As a result, the inevitable resolution feels greedy, wringing tears out of us because it can, leaving out the music so you can hear other sniffling audience members. At least it's not a forced moment, but the film already hit its peak by then.
That doesn't take away what it does in the meantime, embracing the complexities of emotions and where they can lead if they're allowed to be balanced. It does have a similar issue to Toy Story 2 where it peters out near the end, falling short of a few promises, not going the extra mile like Monsters University did to our pleasant surprise. It's almost too light. But despite its flaws and necessary contrivances to make it work, this is clearly a film that kids today will carry with them until adulthood, peeling back its identifiable layers as they get older, and that generational importance is easy to appreciate. Hopefully more important to them than Frozen. While it may not be as good as their 1995-2004 output (save A Bug's Life, though that's not bottom tier), I prefer it to their acclaimed 2007-2009 trio. Let this be the beginning of a new hot streak.
7/10