Inside Out (2015)

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I think in some ways it could be argued that 'Inside Out' represents a period of resurrection for Pixar. Before this, you had 'Cars 2', 'Brave' and 'Monsters University'. And while I do have a certain appreciation for 'Brave' and 'MU' ('Cars 2' was just kinda bad, I'm sorry), these movies still lacked the sense of heart, soul and humanity that movies like 'Up', 'Toy Story 3' and 'WALL-E' delivered, and what Pixar became truly known for. 'Inside Out' brings back the idea of Pixar films delivering a sort of maturity while still being kid-friendly.

This is one of those films where, over time, certain flaws about have been pointed out to me. For example, the idea for it is not 100% original, considering a show that existed years ago that everyone has since forgotten called 'Inside Herman's Head'. How things work in the world of Riley's (Kaitlyn Dias) head are also not necessarily perfect, but for me, the ideas this movie has trumps any sort of nitpicking I can give to it. It's definitely a favourite Pixar title of mine, and that's mostly due to how clever I think it is with its ideas and concepts.

We are introduced to Riley, age 11, and the various emotions who, shall we say, "pilot" her brain; Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). They control Riley's emotions and create Riley's "memories"; coloured orbs that stack up to fuel various personality islands like "Hockey Island", "Friendship Island", etc. All is well for a while, but things change pretty quick for Riley when she moves with her Mom (Diane Lane) and Dad (Kyle MacLachlan) to San Francisco.

Inside Riley's head, Sadness keeps touching happy memories and making them sad, which to me is an interesting way of showing us how missing and longing works here. An accident occurs when a joyous "core memory" ends up in the middle of a squabble between Joy and Sadness, and the pair are accidentally sent to the vast memory bank of the brain. Riley is then stuck with Anger, Fear and Disgust driving her personality, while the lack of Sadness and Joy create what seems to be some kind of numbness in her.

Now it's up to Joy and Sadness to return to Headquarters with the "core memory", which came with them during the squabble. The simplicity of it is that if they can get her happy core memory back into headquarters, Riley can be happy again. Or at least, that's how Joy thinks of it. However, she soon learns that Riley's brain is a heck of a lot more complicated than she believed. Meanwhile, in headquarters, Anger, Fear and Disgust do their best, but without Joy or Sadness in the picture, Riley seems doomed to unhappiness and bitterness.

I have to appreciate a lot of the ideas they have throughout the movie, like the idea of Riley's imaginary friend, Bing Bong (Richard Kind), or the mysterious realm of abstract thought, which brings with it some pretty interesting animation. They also get into things like how Riley dreams, what happens to memories we forget, how the imagination works and more. Pixar really took care here, translating the inner workings of one's brain into an animated adventure. It feels like further proof that Pete Docter is possibly the best director Pixar has.

For me, it really felt like Pixar made a triumphant return with this. It's a movie that can make one think, and realize the necessity of one's own emotions - even the negative ones. It's quite honestly a rather beautiful movie, and it does what Pixar does best by pulling on those heartstrings. It doesn't end with anything too tear-jerky, but it does end with a healthy dose of relatability, once again humanizing these characters for us, making us care, and ultimately bringing Pixar back to its roots.


5/5

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