"Take her to the moon for me, Joy."
From Pixar (the guys that bring you everything good in the world) comes 'Inside Out', the film that makes your feelings have feelings and then makes you have the feels.
After her Midwest life is uprooted and moved to San Francisco, Riley's emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to deal with a new city, house, and school.
Pixar are well known for their ingenious films that are suitable for both kids and adults. I am a huge fan of their films and I was very excited to see 'Inside Out'.
Pixar are well known for their ingenious films that are suitable for both kids and adults. I am a huge fan of their films and I was very excited to see 'Inside Out'.
Pixar have gone and made a film that just about every human being on earth can relate to, except maybe if you're a serial killer with no emotions... The other 99% of the population of the world have emotions so I guess that's their key audience.
'Inside Out' is mainly based inside the head of young Riley whose whole life is about to change. The emotions all have control over Riley and, depending on the situation and who has control, they create memories that define who she is. Some memories stored are more important than others but they are basically all essential to her personality. The entire world that Pixar creates inside the head is both literal and metaphorical and it's extremely clever how they link the literal world with the metaphorical world. From the "train of thought" to your subconscious mind, 'Inside Out' is almost too smart for it's own good as it brings a childlike perspective to a concept that would be nigh impossible if anyone but Pixar had the balls to do it.
Even though 'Inside Out' is branded as a kids film, I actually thought it was more of a film for adults. Granted, there's enough adventure and bright colours to keep the kids entertained but I, personally, think that it would be a hard concept for children to grasp. It goes deep into our emotions and has a lot of metaphors that would probably go straight over their heads but they'll probably still have a good time nonetheless. For the adults, there are some complex themes and ideas that run through the film and I'm in awe at how Pixar manage to simplify and visualise them, while keeping us entertained of course.
We delve into the subconscious brain of Riley as we revisit and deconstruct the human brain. We learn about the formation of nostalgia in our happy memories and the deep rooted phobias that we all have buried away. From our memories to our dreams, 'Inside Out' examines it all and gives us a hilarious explanation for them. It does all this while dealing with some difficult themes that could have been problematic to manoeuvre around if it wasn't Pixar.
It tends to just go without saying but, as always, the animation is simply breathtaking. Every single detail is carefully constructed and everything in the world that the film creates is natural and authentic. It's so good that, much like all of Pixar's other films, you forget you're even watching an animated film. You are totally and utterly absorbed by the story and the characters that you don't even notice the animation. Which is the true test of an animated film.
There is the perfect balance between humour and emotion. It really picks up towards the end and I was literally doubled over at a few of the scenes and jokes in the last act. I was also welling up at a few points in the film which is a hard thing to achieve in an animated film. While on Riley's journey, you look into your own emotions and experiences and can relate to the film on so many levels.
I guess I should quickly mention the short film that was at the beginning of 'Inside Out', a well known tradition in all of Pixar's movies, which was called 'Lava'. It was a cute little story about a volcano trying to find love. The animation was beautiful, yet deceptively simple, and has a catchy little song that was inspired by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's classic rendition of 'Somewhere over the rainbow'. Much like a great support act at a gig, it was the perfect opening to get you in the right zone before the curtains opened for the main act.
Overall, 'Inside Out' is an instant classic and I can't recommend it enough. Although the main themes of the film may be hard for kids to grasp, it is still a great family movie that everyone can enjoy. It's extremely clever, brilliantly written and will make you laugh a lot.
You may even shed a tear.
If you don't relate to this film on at least one level or another then I think you may have to get tested... Just incase you're a serial killer.
I wonder what the emotions in my head look like?
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