Favorite Films of 2015: Inside Out

Inside Out (2015)
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind
Directed by: Pete Docter


I'm sure there's a lot of people wondering if I'm going to review Finding Nemo in preparation to see Finding Dory. The simple answer is...I'm not. At least not in theaters. The bank account can't allow me to see EVERY blockbuster movie this Summer, so I'll tackle that when it comes out on DVD most likely, along with a Pixar month. But, I didn't want this weekend for Pixar to go completely unmentioned, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about the animated film everyone was buzzing about in 2015. At a time when Pixar's lineup feels like nothing but sequels and Disney's animation department is churning out hit after hit, along comes a reminder of just how innovative and magical Pixar can be with Inside Out. It took me about a month of it being in theaters before I actually got around to seeing it, to the point where there was an astronomical amount of hype attached to it. Everyone I knew was talking about how Pixar was back and this was one of the greatest animated movies ever. I couldn't argue with those claims after I saw Inside Out.

The concept of going inside someone's head to see how their emotions work is something we've rarely seen on film, let alone in an animated film. For this cast of emotions, Pixar assembled a hysterical cast of characters to bring the emotions of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust to life. The chemistry between Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith as they voice Joy and Sadness is the real heart of this film. They work well together as polar opposites that find some common ground in the end. Of course it's the balance between joy and sadness that is the main theme of the film and is the forefront of a plot that can speak to adults and children today and let them know that it's healthy to feel many different emotions, rather than staying in one emotion all the time.

The other three emotions are handled well. Lewis Black as Anger, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, and Bill Hader as Fear don't get quite as much screen time or development, but they get the job done with the amount of time they are given. Many of the film's most memorable scenes and lines existing when these 5 emotions are working together, so if there's a minor complaint I have it's that I wish we could have had more of the core emotions together, instead of split them up for the plot. But, there's a silver lining to split them up and it is in the character of Bing Bong, voiced by Richard Kind. Bing Bong is that awesome imaginary friend you used to have as a child and he steals the whole show. He's got so many great abilities and brings tons of laughs, but also brings the biggest amount of feels towards the end of the film. The tears flow out of me every time I watch it and I'm not really able to control it. It's almost a subconscious feel trip and that might be the point.

With Inside Out, Disney and Pixar took us deep in the mind of an 11-year-old girl and mapped out this complex universe. We look at the world of emotions, thoughts, dreams, memories, handling change, handling emotions, having a song stuck in your head, and ultimately looking at the things that makes a person who they are. It's a psychological plot that is played out like an adventure thanks to the animation, the set pieces, the humor, and the heart of the picture. The concept came from the filmmakers due to the experiences they had in their own lives with the families they were all raising and that definitely shows in Pixar's best movies. Emotion isn't a foreign concept to Pixar, so getting an entire movie dedicated to the concept of emotions and feeling was something they could really have a lot of fun with. And no surprise, it's a modern masterpiece. Keep delivering original ideas like this and focus less on the cash-grab sequels, and I'll gladly embrace the idea that Pixar is back to making the quality of animated films that I grew up with.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Final Verdict: Inside Out is easily one of the best animated movies in recent memory. Based on the concept, the themes, and the voice cast, this film is a cinematic event that every moviegoer should check out because it's sure to trigger a bunch of different emotions.

Inside Out and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios