REVIEW: Inside Out

It's been a long time since I've actually been really excited to see a Pixar movie. Monsters University was fun and Brave was gorgeous, but we haven't really had that classic kind of Pixar film since Toy Story 3; the studio really needed a return to form. Something packed chock full of that patented Pixar emotional punch that resonates with kids and adults alike. Something that would make you laugh, make you cry, and wrap everything up with an honest but comforting message that manages to be totally universal without sounding clichéd or contrived. If you've felt the same way, then it gives me great joy to say that Inside Out is most definitely that return to form.

The story follows a young girl by the name of Riley (Kaitlyn Dias); as the film opens, we see her as a newborn infant in her parents' arms. She begins cooing and gurgling as babies do, and we witness the birth of her first real emotion, Joy (Amy Poehler). Without warning, Baby Riley suddenly bursts into tears; it's here that we see another emotion has joined Joy inside Riley's head, Sadness (Phyllis Smith). Over time, more and more emotions join the two in Headquarters; Fear (Bill Hader) keeps everyone safe, Anger (Lewis Black) ensures everything is kept fair, and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) prevents Riley from being poisoned (both physically and socially). Riley grows up a normal and happy human girl; Joy usually runs the show and Sadness rarely gets to touch the control panel that dictates Riley's moods and actions. However, everything is thrown out of whack after the family moves from snowy Minneapolis to San Francisco; Riley finds herself in a new town, living in a new house, and going to a new school. Everything is strange and different, her friends are all back home, and her parents appear visibly stressed for the first time ever. While everyone at Headquarters attempts to keep Riley happy, an accident causes Joy, Sadness, and a bundle of Core Memories (which determine the primary facets of Riley's personality) to be flung deep into the recesses of Riley's mind; without Joy or Sadness, the young girl's personality is dictated exclusively by Anger, Fear, and Disgust. While Riley adjusts poorly to her new surroundings, it's up to Joy and Sadness to find their way back to Headquarters before Riley's life completely crumbles around her.

The first thing you'll notice is the absolutely flawless casting on display here; who better to portray personified anger than Lewis Black? It feels as though each one of these characters was written specifically with each of these actors in mind, considering how everyone completely disappears into the role. Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith get the most attention out of the primary ensemble, so it only makes sense that they'd be the clear standouts here. It's by no means a new concept, the two mismatched opposites on a great journey, but the context of who these two are and what's at stake manages to make their relationship a really interesting one. At first glance, Joy is objectively positive while Sadness is objectively negative; while this is somewhat true at face value, nothing here is totally black and white. While Joy is literally responsible for allowing Riley to feel happiness, she can be a little shallow, treating Sadness with utter condescension most of the time. While Sadness usually causes doom and gloom, she's also the most down-to-earth and empathetic of all Riley's emotions. If you're noticing the subtext here (in that the descriptions of these characters can also be easily applied to the emotions they represent), you'd best get used to it, since that kind of underlying definition is this movie's bread and butter.

The group of emotions are by no means the only inhabitants of Riley's head; there are various blue-collar workers who keep the lights on and make sure everything's up and running, as well as an entire movie studio that produces dreams (or nightmares). There's also Bing-Bong (Richard Kind), Riley's forgotten imaginary friend. Special praise needs to be given both to the filmmakers and to Kind, seeing as how this character is definitely one of the major highlights of the film. He's utterly ridiculous when it comes to his appearance and his mannerisms, but his thoughts and motivations feel very real and nuanced; you can't really get a bead on him until you finally come to understand him and what he wants. I can't speak for anyone else, but I was really surprised by this character; both by his role in the story and by just how much he adds to the whole picture. If I say anything else I'm definitely getting into spoiler territory, so I'll just reiterate that Bing-Bong is fantastic.

I had high hopes for this movie the second I heard the premise; this is a movie about how Joy and Sadness are present in every life. The two emotions are linked; in order for us to feel happy, we sometimes need to feel sad. Sometimes sadness can lead to happiness, or vise-versa. The human experience isn't composed of absolutes; we are complex, fluid beings who change and evolve over time. Things that once made us laugh may eventually make us cry; times of hardship and sorrow may be remembered fondly when we think of the comfort and growth that those hard times brought down the line. This is the kind of message that we are given by Inside Out. This is a movie that tells us that it's not only okay to feel sad sometimes, it's actually healthy. It's the cinematic equivalent of a warm blanket, and good lord does it feel nice.

Inside Out manages to be everything I wanted it to be and more. From the compelling story to the gorgeous animation to the amazing subtext behind it all, this is Pixar firing on all cylinders for the first time in years. So much thought and imagination clearly went into this film and the way its portrayal of the human mind works, it's impossible to not find something to love here. If you're looking for a Pixar film that's less Cars 2 and more Up, definitely give Inside Out a watch; this is one that'll be remembered for a long, long time.