Special Review
This review is a special request from Patreon supporter Patrick Glauber. If you'd like to support me on Patreon, click the button below. Visit PatreonIn 2009, Pixar animator Pete Docter noticed personality changes in his daughter and wondered what was happening in her head. After receiving the green light, Docter invited Ronnie del Carmen to join him as co-director due to their past experiences. While they drew on past life experiences, the two sought out psychologists from UC Berkeley for accuracy and inspiration. After some trial and error, production finally started in 2012 after going through several story versions. The initial casting took place in 2013, and it included some SNL veterans and a few actors from The Office. Production lasted over five years due to changes in story and characters, with the budget totaling around $175 million. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2015, receiving an 8-minute standing ovation from an enthusiastic audience. A month later, Inside Out premiered at the El Capitan Theater before its worldwide release.
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Synopsis
Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is your typical 11-year-old girl living with her mom (Diane Lane) and dad (Kyle MacLachlan). She personifies her five primary emotions as real people running a control center inside her head. These include Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Anger (Lewis Black). All her experiences become stored memories, with five core primary memories making up her personality. Unfortunately, due to a struggle between Joy and Sadness, they’re sucked out of HQ along with Riley’s core memories. With them gone, Fear, Disgust, and Anger try to help Riley, only to inadvertently make the situation worse. Elsewhere, Joy and Sadness try to return to HQ and meet Riley’s imaginary friend, Bing Bong (Richard King). Will Joy and Sadness restore Riley’s personality, or will she be stuck as a shell of her former self?
Review
In a time when Pixar released middle-of-the-road movies like Cars 2 and Monsters University, Inside Out is top-tier gold. It’s one of the most original movies Pixar produced up to then, and it’s a poignant and relatable story. No matter who you are, you’ve dealt with emotional conflicts and weren’t sure how to feel about something. This movie does a great job showcasing how different people emotionally react to things happening in their lives. In addition, the film perfectly relates the struggles of growing up and how we process life changes internally. While the story is somewhat predictable and reuses numerous tropes, the movie makes them feel original. There’s much world-building as we learn how emotions and their associated memories work, but it never interferes with the story. It’s impressive how the filmmakers condense the inner mind’s complexities into a typical office space.
Each emotion is memorable, complimented by a perfectly cast group of actors that brings their characters to life. Amy Poehler plays Joy as a seemingly endless source of optimism, though she has her moments of humanity. Phyllis Smith also does a great job as Sadness, acting appropriately mopey, and playing well off of Poehler’s Joy. Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling are fantastic as Fear and Disgust, respectively, and Lewis Black as Anger is perfect casting. Relative unknown Kaitlyn Dias is splendid as the emotionally torn young Riley, acting like a typical young girl would. While the parents don’t have much character, Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan are welcome additions to the cast. Richard King is probably the biggest stand-out as Riley’s imaginary friend, Bing Bong, being both zany and tragic. All in all, the cast is terrific, and everyone does a great job with their given roles.
Like any great Pixar film, the animation is spectacular, full of color, and brimming with vibrant energy. Riley’s mind’s bright and lively control center perfectly contrasts with the dull and dreary real world. The way directors Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen finely crafted this world is genius and audacious. Everything in Riley’s mind is so finely crafted and rich with detail that the film benefits from repeat viewings. Also, like any great Pixar movie, kids and adults can enjoy this, making it a perfect family film. There are enough bright colors and fun characters for kids while also touching on strong themes adults can relate to. Plus, at 95 minutes, the movie moves smoothly without going by too fast or dragging along towards the end. Overall, Inside Out is a beautifully animated film with great characters, memorable moments, and strong themes.
Buy Inside Out from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Xnkirt.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
