Refreshing view of the mind that's delightfully entertaining

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2015)

As a studio whose films established benchmarks in animation technology, Pixar has also set a precedent in refreshed storytelling with some deeply emotional and philosophical undertones. In its most audacious attempt at that and in the extraordinary league of 'Up' and 'Wall-E', Pixar now gets behind the scenes of adolescence in the most imaginative way possible with Inside Out. Directors Peter Docter ('Up', 'Monsters, Inc') and Ronnie Del Carmen create a wonderfully animated world of the complex human mind with stunning details of notions such as islands of personality, dream studios, imagination land and the headquarters. Riley is 11 years old and so far, Joy has successfully managed to be her dominant emotion. Until she moves to San Francisco with her parents.
Born in Minnesota, Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) excels at ice hockey, has a close friend and is loved by her equally goofy parents. These aspects of her life form her personality and special memories leave a lasting impression in her mind. Her father's business prospects move them to San Francisco and that's when their dreams of being in the beautiful city by the bay slowly start to crumble with a typical house that is on the verge of ruin. Riley must also struggle at school as a newbie without friends while coping with anxious parents who are already troubled with financial woes. While all of this happens on the Outside, the emotions in her head are actually animated characters who have the job of maintaining sanctity in Riley's personality. Joy (Amy Poehler) is vibrant, positive and just... happy. Sadness (Phyllis Smith) has her depressing way of seeing things and is somehow inspired to touch all of Riley's memories. Fear (Bill Hader) is obsessively cautious about Riley's each move, thus keeping her safe while Disgust (Mindy Kaling) brings out the sass and disapproval of things and people for Riley. Then there's the newspaper reading, head scorching, easily agitated emotion of Anger (Lewis Black) that basically entertains the viewers. Through their combined efforts, memory, in the form of orbs roll into the headquarters with most of them being the color of Joy. The special memories outside, become core memories inside that are safeguarded meticulously. Her personality traits outside form islands of personality inside which look more like intricate theme parks that connect to headquarters via a narrow bridge. Dreams are created in the dream studios whereas the imagination land houses the odd and mysterious fantasies that are temporarily created by Riley. Then there's the literal train of thought that chugs all around and the pit where discarded memories lay.
What makes Inside Out so enjoyable is its depiction of such complex mechanisms of the human mind, simplified in the most artistic manner that can relate to some kids but all adults. So much so that the manifestations that are created by Riley, such as the adorable Bing Bong are merely a part of her growing up. Adults will relate to such themes and the emotions felt by them will perhaps be the opposite of what their kids would feel. An impulsive mistake by sadness sucks Joy, herself and Riley's core memories through the duct that throws them around the islands. In their absence, the headquarters falls in disarray, thus reflecting upon Riley's behavior. She turns cold, aloof and decides upon things she might regret later on. Joy and Sadness have to take whatever help they can get in order to get back to headquarters before it is too late. But the mind is a complex arena of cryptic lanes, creative studios and fantasy characters that won't make the return of such vital emotions easy.
Peter Docter has visualized a very human story that each of us can relate to. If 'Up' was all about not letting go of a life that's dear to you and believing in it if there's nothing to lose, Inside Out shows the lighter side of how the growing up stage works inside a child's head. The emotions aren't battling it out for supremacy in the mind but are actually playing their own little parts to keep their human from struggling in life. Riley couldn't let go of her past self and adaptation was a challenge she simply couldn't overcome but with Joy at the control center of her mind's headquarters, she was in good hands. This is Pixar's return to form and perhaps the most important film to watch this year while superheroes and monsters from the past grab your summer's attention. The animation is ground-breaking once again and not because it is state-of-the-art but because it exploits the potential of such art for a compelling story that couldn't have been depicted in any other way. You will fall in love with all the characters especially Joy, Sadness, Bing Bong, Anger and Riley herself. Brilliantly conceived and adroitly directed, Inside Out is a must watch.
9.001 on a scale of 1-10.