Inside Out is a return to form for Pixar, a brand that hasn’t been quite as synonymous with quality and originality over the last five years as it used to be.
The general story, of five walking talking emotions (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust) controlling a young girl’s emotional life and decision-making from inside her head seemed just plain silly to me when the trailers for Inside Out were first released. What I couldn’t have possibly anticipated was how much insight we’ get through what seems to be such a simplistic 
concept into the way these five emotions interact as we grow up.
Inside Out works for two reasons. First, the voice-casting couldn’t have been better, especially for Riley’s emotions. Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Killing, and Bill Hader- all very funny people- are the perfect companions for this wild ride through Core Memories, The Train of Thought, The Subconscious, and Abstract Thought (look out for that last one). There’s a lot of fun to be had with this idea and the good people at Pixar don’t miss a chance.
Second, with all the insanity and cartoony visuals in Riley’s inner life, the creative team never forget the importance of keeping her real life believable. It doesn’t hurt that the animation of Riley, her parents, and her surroundings are so real they’re scary. It’s more than that though. Her memories and the mini-crisis she faces when she moves to San Francisco are handled just right, making this Pixars’ most moving film since Toy Story 3.
Glad you liked it, Matt. Most bloggers thinks it a good one. Not great, but good.
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Yeah, that’s pretty much what I would say – and really, not too far shy of great.
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I love that Pixar is trying to get back into to doing more original (less sequels) material. This is a beautiful effort full of heart. Its not great, but time tends to age good wine, and I think that will hold true in regards to this film too. :O)
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I’m really happy to see so many positive reviews for this. It won’t come out till next month here in the UK but I can’t wait!
– Allie
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Almost saw this on the weekend, but have a long one coming up so might catch it then.
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Thanks Matt. Wouldn’t had look twice at going to this but your review lead me to the trailer and reminded me of Pixar’s work and might just have to check this one out.
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Inside Out is a great movie. I can’t say it’s Pixar’s best but that’s only because there are so many other Pixar movies I love: Toy Story, Wall-E, Up, Ratatouille and the Incredibles come to mind right away. But you can’t dismiss Inside Out from the discussion of Pixar’s best and that in itself is high praise. It is a great film and it uses its concept the best way I can imagine, especially because the emotions aren’t always in control of Riley or even themselves. The trailer didn’t do the story justice but that’s for the best I think because it left the plot of the film as a surprise, which made the movie feel fresher and more of an adventure. And it was a great adventure both inside and out!
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Ih, I have to tell you my two grandsons favorite two animated films are “Ratatouille” and “Toy Story 1 and 2” I cry during boy heading off to college and toys not needed any more. They hate Nana crying so “ban” #3.
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Good review. I’m liking this place.
So how sentimental is Inside Out? Am I gonna cry? Or am I going to laugh through most of this?
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Thanks, Dan! This may be one of those movies that make you cry. I made it out without a single tear I think but just barely. But there are a lot of laughs, too many for me actually since I had an embarassingly bad cough that night.
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As a parent, I would have liked this for my own 3 kids. As a “Nana” who went with her 35 year old plus her two grandsons, I liked it a lot. I got teary eyed at the moments when childhood memories were marbles slipping out of place. As an aside, did you think of the term “losing my marbles?” I say this after my weeklong visits to Mom’s 🙂 I wrote a post which included my 10 year old grandson’s comment about his teenager sister’s reaching puberty many people were laughing around us. He saw the sign in the film saying it was coming up ahead in the girl’s life. . . I still love “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters, Inc.”
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You know what? I did not make the link with losing your marbles and, now that you mention it, I’m actually a little embarassed that I didn’t.
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