Sweet Emotion

Rating: 9/10 (21 June 2015)

It's incredibly difficult to find a film that legitimately succeeds in making you feel all the emotions that it sets out to. I don't think there was a moment in the film where I thought that the film missed on a joke or any of the emotional moments throughout. Quite often you will see a film miss on something, but Inside Out hit on all levels. Quite simply Inside Out is not only a return to form for Pixar, but one of their most imaginative and groundbreaking films. It's up there with Finding Nemo and the Toy Story films as one of my favorites.
It tells the story of young Riley, who is forced into a new move from Minnesota to San Francisco and her emotions, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger struggle with the best possible way to treat all the various obstacles that go with a new move. For starters, Riley isn't the prototypical lead girl, she plays hockey, (not to mention that her teeth are not perfectly straight) which you don't often see with a Hollywood picture, and she's just generally an awkward kid. I think this created a much more naturally complicated story of not being able to fit in. I really enjoyed the family aspect of the film. Both the bonding that the emotions do to ultimately become closer, and the presence of Riley's parents. It's one of the first Pixar films that I can remember where we have both parents actually there for the main characters conflicts, and it worked really well. Sometimes it worked to the point where I got teary eyed, which is not abnormal for a Pixar film. But what I thought was more impressive is that the film never relied on something that was overly emotional to bring us to tears. Where Up, Toy Story 3, and Finding Nemo have more dramatic moments, Inside Out is simply about a normal conflict in a little girls path to growing up and moving on. But yet, there were at least 3 moments tear jerker worthy.
Much like other Pixar films, I think everyone can get something out of the film at different points in their life. As fun as it is for little kids to watch Joy and Sadness going on an adventure to save Riley's emotional state, it can be equally as interesting for adults to understand what the brain of a pre-teen girl looks like. After all, the director Pete Doctor stated that the film was conceptualized based on his inability to understand his daughter's thoughts. Not only is the story appealing to multiple generations, but they enter into the minds out other people of various ages and demographics throughout the film to create some of the funniest moments in the film. Whether it was the dinner table conversation between parents or when a boy meets Riley and his emotions go bonkers, the film nails emotions on so many levels. This film is so inventive in creating a beautiful world where we can not only potentially learn something about ourselves, but have fun doing it.
In addition to having a wonderful story about moving on and accepting change, Inside Out contains some of the coolest Easter eggs and references any Pixar film has to offer. Who thought we would get a Chinatown reference in a kids movie? Or hidden Hitchcock posters in 'Dream Studios', which is also equally as funny as it is a nod to how impeccably true it is of Hollywood. Or what about those barely noticeable newspapers that Anger was reading? Or how can I forget the brilliant voice cast led by Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith. And of course the now veteran Pixar composer Michael Giacchino who gave us yet another beautifully emotional score. Inside Out is one of the most fun summer films and quite possibly best of the year so far. It's near a lock to win best animated feature and a likely candidate for best picture come February. I was beyond impressed by Inside Out.
+Hilarious and touching
+Giacchino's score
+Hidden Easter eggs
+Perfect voice cast
+Every generation can get something out of it
+The kid isn't clichéd at all
+Family dynamic
9.4/10