There are great computer animated movies not made by Pixar (Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me, Wreck-it Ralph), but for two decades, Pixar has been the gold standard. This title goes beyond just making movies that entertain kids, because kids will pretty much enjoy anything animated. Pixar animation studios is the king of the industry because of their creativity and attention to detail. Sure, the studio had some off years (Cars 2)… but more times than not, Disney/Pixar has delivered animated classics: The Incredibles, A Bug’s Life, Up, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Monsters Inc., The Toy Story Trilogy. And just when you think they can’t be anymore inventive, along comes Inside Out.
Pixar’s newest film brings viewer’s into the world of the mind. In particular, the mind of an 11-year old girl moving from Minnesota to San Francisco. Guiding her every action inside of the headquarters in her mind, are her emotions: Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kailing), Fear (Bill Hader), and the leader of them all, Joy (Amy Poehler). After a mishap following Riley’s disastrous first day at a new school, Joy and Sadness set out on an adventure to recover Riley’s core memories before she suffers an emotional breakdown.
There is so much more to this movie than meets the eye. Much like Wall-E and Monsters Inc., this film creates an intricate world that is fascinating from start to finish thanks to beautiful animation and a perfectly crafted story that gives each of its main cast a moment to shine. It is also filled with several hilarious, and surprisingly deep side characters like Bing Bong (Richard Kind), Riley’s pink imaginary friend. The film doesn’t quite have the memorable laughs like many Pixar films before it, but there’s still plenty to chuckle at. Much of the humor is marred in subtlety that will undoubtedly fly over a child’s head, but make every adult in the audience laugh out loud.
It’s that intelligence, that dry wit and cleverness, that sets Inside Out apart and makes it a classic. The children’s movie genre is filled with two hours of slapstick goofiness for kids (the Madagascar franchise), but it takes true creativity to make a film that is both humorous and enriching for children and the adults who have to pay for them to get in. And Inside Out is as enriching as they come. The beautiful lessons about the importance of every emotion, not just joy, will resonate with everyone who sees this film. Just when you think Pixar is out of ideas and hell bent on giving us unnecessary sequels (Toy Story 4), they remind us why they are, and will likely always be, the Kings of animated film.
FINAL GRADE: A
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