Inside Out

For some reason, I couldn't quite catch this movie in theaters and I managed to watch it on an international flight. And boy, am I glad I did!

As far as concepts go, I was astonished at the amount of detail and coherence in execution. The visuals are absolutely stunning, the colors rich and vibrant, the characters utterly memorable and some of the most poignantly heart-breaking lines of dialogue ever spoken/sung in any movie, let alone feature animation. It is every bit a Disney-Pixar classic and as emphatic a return to form as it can get.

The story revolves around a young girl child who is happy in her world and has to suddenly acclimatize to another environment when her family has to move. Growing pains and social issues affect her while she grapples with increasingly complex situations, both at home and school. Meanwhile, the interplay between the five primary emotions inside her mind is both dynamic and fraught with compromises, much like how we deal with others everyday. As things come to a head and young Riley is about to make a life-changing decision, the events that follow leave a lasting impression, with an increased appreciation of the phrase "emotions are what makes us human"!

I recognized some dichotomies - for instance, Minnesota, usually perceived cold, is regarded as warm and comforting by Riley while San Francisco, renowned for its sunny weather, is seen as foreign and unwelcome. The other contrast I noticed was all five emotional figures (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust) do not always stay true to form, with Joy especially exhibiting nuances far beyond what her name implies - case in point, her touching admission preceding the last act (that entire sequence was too much for my eyes to take, by the way). All this might be considered a tad too much for young children to appreciate, but with time, they may probably realize how beautifully honest this movie was in trying to portray their growth and the underlying issues.

Certainly, it is not without flaws: the plot meandered a bit 2/3rds into the length; Joy's "A-ha" moment seems strangely contrived, despite the impact it had; the music was adequate but not truly captivating as in the case of other Pixar offerings. But the beauty of this medium is that it offers filmmakers opportunities to steer audiences to more engaging experiences; Pete Docter and Co accomplish this with aplomb.

In terms of cast and crew, the voice actors are superb selections - Lewis Black aces the Angry persona with generous dollops of sarcasm; Mindy Kaling is just perfect voicing Disgust; Richard Kind's performance as the imaginary Bing Bong is an absolute tear-jerker, while Kaitlyn Dias shows remarkable poise playing Riley. But it is Amy Poehler who steals the show in a coruscating blend of vivacity, vibrancy, and vicariousness. Her Joy is not an infallible leader, but one who accepts others in the face of challenging situations and plows ahead with inspiring positive energy. The animation left me spell-bound, especially the sequence where thoughts are shown to be abstracted, and are endowed with a lot of heart. The movie is fairly short, but a running time of 94 minutes is appropriate justice to a slightly heavy subject matter. The humor compensates with trademark Pixar staple of jokes, albeit intended for slightly more mature viewers. Pete Docter gave us the outstanding Up six years ago and ably accompanied by Ronnie del Carmen, has categorically demonstrated that he is a fabulous storyteller and a master entertainer.

Inside Out is every bit a Pixar fan's well-deserved reward for patience. Do yourself a favor and watch this magnificent gem.

I hate to see so many 1 star reviews claiming this movie was "too depressing". Everyone who said that missed the point completely. Growing up ain't all sunshine and rainbows, it comes with a lot of hardships and that's what this movie is about. Riley's emotions try to help her through the difficulty of moving to a new place that isn't all its cracked up to be, and in the process Joy accidentally sends Riley into a deep depression. Sounds depressing, but what makes this movie great is how realistic her depression feels as Joy and Sadness try to help Riley out of it. I feel like this movie's message is "Growing up will be tough, but you will get through it and there are people who will always help you through it." and that is a VERY important message for children.

Throughout the movie there are plenty of good jokes, gorgeous animation, and a beautiful score by Michael Giacchino (idk how to spell that....) Again, just my two cents, but I think this a great movie, if very different and a bit more depressing by Pixar standards.

REALLY starting to think people are just coming to trash all of Pixar's most recent movies out of jealousy or something. There's no way so many people think this movie is garbage. If the good movies are really getting this many bad reviews, it's no wonder the quality of animated movies is going down. There's just no reason to try anymore......

For every child, growing up can be exciting, confusing, and difficult. For Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco, Riley is directed by her emotions, Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) in Headquarters Control Center inside Riley's mind to help her overcome everyday life. However, Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to Riley's new life in San Francisco and emotional disorder arises. Although Joy, Riley's main and most fundamental emotion, tries to keep things optimistic, the emotions fight on how best to navigate Riley's new world.

After watching "Inside Out" with my wife, we both agreed that "Inside Out" is the perfect Pixar Animation movie for any family on a night out. It was both imaginative and relatable for both children and adults. I never thought "Inside Out" would be this enjoyable, but I was able to experience every emotion of "Joy", "Disgust", "Anger", "Fear", and "Sadness" for each and every moment of this film. At the end of the night, I was pleasantly unsatisfied because I wanted to watch the movie again and again. Parents, if you're looking for a fun filled movie night with your children, this movie will not only please them, but you as well.

A Definite 9!! Well done Pixar!

Inside Out (2015)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Eleven-year-old Riley has a wonderfully fun childhood thanks to the emotions working inside of her. Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) all help keep the young girl moving forward but when her family moves from Minnesota to San Fransisco it throws everyone for a loop and soon Joy and Sadness find themselves lost in her system and trying to find their way back.

INSIDE OUT is certainly another winner from Pixar who are clearly the experts of the family movie. What really amazes me about the studio is that they're actually just making adult movies that kids happen to enjoy because of the pretty characters on the screen. I say this because films like this one, UP and WALL-E really do have adult stories dealing with adult issues yet somehow the studios are able to keep kids entertained while their parents get a lot more of the jokes and the emotions that the story provides. This one here is an incredibly touching story from a parent's point of view simply because of the changes that their kids go through.

There's no doubt that the animation is the star of this picture and we're really treated to some wonderful images. I especially loved the use of colors in the picture and how various colors had a certain emotion attached to it. This is certainly excellent once our adventure begins as there's a "long term memory" section where these wonderful color marble like things are collection. Just the site of this are a true treat for the eyes. All of the "emotion" characters are perfectly brought to life with both Joy and Anger really standing out. The human characters are also quite entertaining and there's no doubt that the Bing Bong character will go down as a favorite decades from now.

As I said, this film is going to work a lot better for older kids and adults as I'm sure the majority of young children aren't fully going to grasp the idea of emotions and how they effect our lives. The story itself is quite charming throughout and I was surprised at how many adult issues they were able to work on throughout the running time. Fans of Pixar are certainly going to love this as it's another winner that manages to work no matter what your age is. Still, I think the older you are the more you'll enjoy it.

94 minutes of pure joy and emotion. A return to masterclass from pixar and not only that, probably their best work outside of Toy Story 1 and 2. This film does deserves every bit of praise it has got and more. I will say without hesitation that if you haven't seen this film, believe me you should.

Lets just start easy by saying that the animation is something other-wordily. We are beyond the point where anyone needs to express the fact that pixar's animation is gorgeous, but the fact is this animation is some of the most intelligent and dense animation I have ever seen. There are easter eggs in every single frame and more than that every visual element in the movie is well rounded and clearly thought out which makes the storytelling so much more gripping. Talking about storytelling, rarely does a film do visual storytelling so brilliantly. Five minutes into the movie I was in and I knew how things were rolling. This s really a lesson on how to think things out visually and how to use visuals to your advantage as much as it is possible, combining them to smart, engaging ideas.

And now to the layers the film has. The deepness of its themes, the intelligence of its story, the subtext behind every action and word, the comedic touches, the insanely funny pop culture references, the poetic approach to joy and sadness, the emotional depth, everything, I'm telling you everything here is gut wrenching. There isn't one scene where you feel time is being wasted, there isn't one word a character speaks that doesn't feel genuine, there isn't one idea that is boring or unoriginal. This film is beyond emotionally engaging, this film gives you a mirror on which to reflect your life and think about it, but no wait it doesn't stop there, it also gives you the opportunity to laugh about it, that no matter what is going on there is also space for a laugh and for lightness. Wow.

After a second viewing I have settled on the problem I originally had and can now honestly say this film really just has nitpick issues, it's truly a great one and definitely the best we've been given in 2015 so far. After my first viewing I was all enthusiastic about everything above, but I also was left a little confused by the mythology the film uses and wasn't quite sure it always fit. Upon a second viewing I guarantee that there is no such problem. The mythology is perfect and works with a solid and thought out logic that takes into account the chaos of life. What doesn't quite work is the fact that the film does have a few really minor shortcuts or conveniences that may stick out and I honestly wanted a little bit more of the control center room scenes and see some more of how it worked there, but then again I am really nitpicking.

Incredible for me to say it, but I really want a sequel to this film, it's incredible. I want to see another two hours of the five emotions battling in out in the life of Riley and her further struggles, especially want to see the teenage years. This idea is truly amazing and special and it is so inspiring to me, I just really want a sequel to this film and that's the first time I've ever said that in my life.

Trust me this film deserves every single bit of your attention and heart, it will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions and entertainment that is absolutely delightful and will also leave you thinking for days.