Internal Portrait of Growing Up

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2015)

Pixar returns to their high-concept roots with Inside Out, showing us how emotions work through the human mind in a whimsically metaphorical way. It's the kind of idea that Pixar would definitely take at some point as they have always been bringing us a variety of emotions in their films. This movie explores childhood and growing up into the perspective of a little girl's mind, how the emotions get confused by the changes in life and how they have to gain back the light. Inside Out represents this angst with a delightful, yet profound adventure; which indeed results to a totally heartwarming experience.
This concept explores emotions, personalities and imaginations of an individual, but the film's focus is an 11-year-old girl named Riley who moves to a new city with her family, but troubles to adapt and letting go. This made the emotions trying to avoid her from sadness, but instead lead her primal emotions to get lost somewhere that stores her long-term memory. And this does indicate the idea of being overly attached to the past, but also tells that growing up requires moving on and accepting whatever life would take you to. And this also went to a stronger and sophisticated turn, which is mainly about the purpose of every emotion and the benefit of expressing them, whether it seems good or bad. The movie smartly puts these ideas together as a whimsical journey of learning to understand whatever circumstance you are facing, but also examines the shortcomings of being dishonest to your own feelings.
And again, these ideas are represented as an adventure with a lot of laughs and creativity to follow through. Aside of its thematic core, it also explores how dreams are made, how fears become exaggerated form of nightmares, how prominent memories also hook stuff that you don't necessarily need like commercial songs, and how imaginary places and friends come to life and interact with the emotions. It's a fun atmosphere to look around. The characters are delightful. Even if they're supposed to represent a single emotion, they brought more personalities than they should. The voice acting is wondrous: Amy Poehler brings a sense of lovable optimism in Joy and Phyllis Smith gives earnestness to Sadness. While Bill Hader adds low-key charm as Fear, Mindy Kaling gives the attitude as Disgust, and Lewis Black mostly stealing every scene as Anger.
Inside Out is great, firstly because it's Pixar returning to their creativity and profoundness towards their stories, secondly is it's just really smart. It takes a simple idea and sprinkle it with colorful imagination, clever details of its world, totally likable characters, and a really beautiful portrayal of valuing what you honestly feel in life and learning the importance of it. It's a warmer message than it may sound, because that is the true essence of growing up. Everything else is just an engaging candy that would make you laugh, cry and hope. Welcome back, Pixar! The real spirit of Pixar, to be more specific!