Pixar's Miss Congenial

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 2015)

Bleary-Eyed in the morning, putting on a jumper inside out, you might remark it as feeling different and a little uncomfortable. Flash forward to your exit out of the local cinema, and you would most likely think, "hmm...Inside Out", different certainly , yet wonderful in every sense of the word.
After a 2014 hiatus, Pixar have returned to the Shark-Tank of Animated Cinema with the beautifully poised "Inside Out". Directed by Pete Docter, the film chronicles the cerebral happenings within an eleven year old sweetheart, Riley, but not as you would have anticipated. As the film tape rolls, we are introduced to Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust, whom all are minion-like personified emotions.
Subtleties from past Pixar films are pulled out of the hat, although each one feels fresh and authentic for the viewer. Abstract ideas are explored vividly, akin to "Up" (Floating House/Personified emotions). Paradoxically, they seem to have expanded starting points for rather normal, to be expected scenarios, i.e An old man wanting to retire in Paradise and a child feeling uncomfortable in new surroundings. Also interesting is the dual narrative scampering along, first incorporated in "Finding Nemo". Funnily enough, the interacting emotions of "Inside Out" reminded me of the frenetic, yet somewhat Paranoid Fish Tank Residents, at 42 Wallaby Way Sydney!
One has to remember too that Riley is cast as a protagonist. She's not an old man trying to ease into retirement, a shy robot abandoning Earth, or a hotshot race-car trying to win the Piston Cup. Instead, similar to Brave, Pixar have clearly pitched a protagonist as the archetype of whom they'd like to see enjoy the film; an eleven year old. From here, we are really treated to beautiful iconography including the Core-Island like relics of Riley's, surrounded by a metaphorical ocean of thought. I admire how the creators gently nudged us in this direction with the slapstick short "Lava" to get us thinking about islands, relationships, perspectives etc, which was a nice touch(Although now I can't forget the song about Volcanoes in love, but that's beside the point!). I
A heart-warming message of compromise and perseverance pervades what is an entertaining, inspiring story. Laugh-Out-Loud hilarity ensues, most prominently thanks to Joy(Amy Poehler) and Sadness(Phyllis Smith). For Children, the characters are cutesy, funny and lovable and for a more mature audience(I'm looking at you, Parents!)the emotion caricatures typify a thread of relatability, a crack of vulnerability that brought a tear to the eyes of some at the screening I attended.
If at all there were to be a caveat, I would say that perhaps there's too many clever ideas fighting for our attention. Bludgeoning us with abstract idea after abstract idea is like listening to a compilation of Power Ballads. Yes, there's potent stuff coming through the earplugs, but ultimately it all becomes a bit overpowering and eventually tiresome. In short, this is something the editing team back in California should have looked into more. This is where "Inside Out" has just missed the Boat. Where Classics such as "Up" and "toy Story" develop a couple of brilliant concepts(Floating House/Lost Expedition/Unlikely Friendship/Escapism etc)"Inside Out" reminds me of the Student at the Top of the Class that is just too perfect, too clever for their own good.
All that said, "Inside Out" has to be up there as one of Pixar's most mature, palpable and adventurous films to date. It echoes a slightly experimental charm about it too. It feels like the product of a crazy brainstorming session in a Pixar Boardroom, deliberated over by a bunch of sleep-deprived, self-confessed geniuses living off Caffeine and Sheer will-power alone; you've got to hand it to them, haven't you?.
Refined around the edges, "Inside Out" is essentially Pixar's Miss Congenial. It's a bit of everything that'll please and be adored by almost everyone, if a little too perfect at times.