Inside Out: The Genius Answer to What Goes On Inside Our Heads

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2015)

I've been a fan of Pixar for a long time now, and they've made some of my favorite films ever: The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, just to name a few. However, Pixar has been falling behind the progress that Disney Animation Studios has been making as of late, and I was wondering if they had run out of the fresh, thought- provoking ideas that have consistently made their films so memorable. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Inside Out might the best film Pixar has ever made. And if it's not, it's definitely among their best films for sure.
Inside Out (directed and created by Pete Doctor, director and creator of Up and Monster's Inc.) centers on an eleven year-old girl named Riley and the emotions - Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness - that run around inside her head. When Riley's family decides to move from Minnesota to San Fransisco, with a new home, new school, and new friends, Riley's emotions conflict with each other on how Riley should feel about the situation. That's all you need to know going into this film, because knowing as little as possible about the film made my experience all the more memorable.
As with all other Pixar films, the animation is smooth and the production design is beautiful. This film meets all the technical expectations that all other Pixar films meet, and that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. All the acting in this film is fantastic; Amy Poehler (Joy), Bill Hader (Fear), Lewis Black (Anger), Mindy Kaling (Disgust), and Phyllis Smith (Sadness) all do exceptional work.
But really, this film ended up being much more mature than I was anticipating. And I'm not going to lie, I don't usually cry in movies, but I cried twice in this film twice. It really gets under the psyche of not only what it's really like going through adolescence as a young kid who finally realizes that the world is so much bigger than he/she once thought it was, but questions about all of these things that suddenly become possible in this new world; fear of what could happen, disgust at what they don't understand, anger when things don't go as planned, sadness when they're in the worst possible situation, and joy when they realize that what happens happens for a reason, and life continues to go on despite all of this.
Colorful, thought-provoking and emotionally resonant, Inside Out is a film the kids will love for the imaginative world created inside Riley's mind, but adults will appreciate even more for a mature, fascinating look at growing up and accepting that youth is only a temporary part of one's life. This film represents the best of what Pixar has to offer, what Pixar once was, and what Pixar still is today. Everyone should not only consider seeing this film, but everyone NEEDS to see this film, because Inside Out is the best film I've seen all year.