Inside Out (2015, PG)

It took me a lot longer than I wanted to get out and see this movie – trying to coordinate schedules with a friend – but after a loooong time, I’ve finally seen the most recent Pixar offering.  Although, for me, it doesn’t reach the heights of my absolute favorites (WALL*E and Up, for the record,) it’s a creative, intelligent, stunningly-animated film that I really enjoyed.

The mind of 11-year-old Riley is controlled by her chief emotions:  Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness.  Until now, while all five have had their moments, Joy has generally run the show.  However, the upheaval of moving across the country with her family has Riley feeling out of sorts, and bright, bubbly Joy, fearing that Sadness is starting to interfere too much, is desperate to retain her position.  A freak accident dumps both of these diametrically-opposed emotions onto the outskirts of Riley’s brain, and while the others are left struggling to keep Riley afloat, Joy and Sadness have to work together to make their way back and help restore balance to Riley’s head.

This film is just so clever.  The various landscapes inside Riley’s head are beautifully and inventively realized, and it’s clear that a lot of thought went into making her brain into a physical place with islands, neighborhoods, and inhabitants.  There are her core memories, formative moments in her life that fuel the various facets of her personality.  She has a team of mental custodians deciding which seldom-used memories can be scrapped and forgotten (for example, U.S. presidents – “keep Washington, Lincoln, and the fat one.”)  Her thought train drives past areas devoted to, among others, her subconscious, her abstract thoughts, and her imagination (her floppy-haired imaginary boyfriend whose only line is the angstily-delivered “I would die for Riley!” absolutely slays me.)

But, this being Pixar, we get head and heart.  The story does a marvelous job exploring both the difficult life experience of moving to a new state/home/school and the value of each of our varied emotions.  Riley’s struggles are as heartbreaking as they are true-to-life.  One of my favorite scenes demonstrates this so astutely.  With Joy and Sadness out of headquarters, the remaining emotions take turns trying to pretend to be Joy during a family dinner, and Riley’s behavior shows us how, faking joy, Disgust becomes sarcasm, Fear becomes insecurity, and Anger becomes passive-aggression.  And while Joy’s initial goal is for Riley to be happy 24/7, the film’s message is more complex than that.  The movie understands that all emotions have value, and as Riley’s experiences affect her, her emotions need to learn how to change and adapt.

The voice work here is superb.  All the emotions are perfectly cast, with Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith from The Office as Sadness, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Bill Hader as Fear, and Lewis Black (obviously!) as Anger.  The film also features Kyle MacLachlan (Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks,) Diane Lane, Bobby Moynihan from SNL, and Paula Poundstone (among other things, the original Paula on Home Movies.)

Warnings

Thematic elements and some scariness (including coulrophobic concerns.)