Pixar Returns to Form with yet another Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (6 July 2015)

I was always anticipating Inside Out. I knew that sooner or later Pixar would be back on track making great movies once again. I was not a huge fan of their past few works (Namely, Brave and Cars 2). Also, some of the trailers for Inside Out didn't really do it for me. Some of the jokes seemed forced and the slapstick humor seemed to be aimed a kids. Boy was I wrong!
This movie was phenomenal. Everything worked for me in this film. It's the most I've ever been touched by an animated film since the beginning of Up. Also, this is one of the funniest Pixar movies to date. The slapstick humor (what little there is) blended perfectly with the surprisingly larger amount of more adult humor.
The story follows a young girl, Riley, as she is uprooted from her home in Minnesota and has to move to San Francisco. Simultaneously, the story focuses on the five emotions (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust) in her head, and when Joy and Sadness get accidentally shot out of headquarters an adventure ensues that shows Joy and Sadness's journey back to headquarters. The story is perfect for both younger and older audience members because it is so relatable. Anyone who has ever felt any kind of emotion will be any to relate to Riley and what she is feeling.
As for the cast, this is one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in a while. Specifically, Lewis Black as Anger. That is the definition of perfect casting. Furthermore, none of the emotions outshine the others, they all get their fair share of laughs. Even the emotion I was most worried about, Disgust, voiced by Mindy Kaling, had me laughing. The rest of the casting, consisting of Amy Poehler as Joy, Bill Hader as Fear, and Phyllis Smith as Sadness, all were nearly flawless with their voice acting.
Overall, Inside Out is another masterwork from Pixar and is easily the front-runner already for the Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars and maybe even Best Picture. This film met all my expectations and gloriously surpassed them. It also has me looking forward to The Good Dinosaur, another film by Pixar coming out later this year.
"These are my kind of people."