Inside Out (2015)
Certified: U
Duration: 94 minutes
Directed by: Pete Docter
Voices of: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Richard Kind, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paula Poundstone, Bobby Moynihan, Paula Pell, Dave Goelz, Frank Oz, Josh Cooley, Flea
KRS Releasing Ltd
Inside Out is Pixar’s 15th animated journey. Lately the company has delivered many sequels to varying degrees of success. However, with director Pete Docter (Up, 2009) at the helm, Inside Out may be another classic in the making.
Pixar film-making is all about wild and beautiful animation and simple, yet original storylines, that come packaged with a heart bigger than the one the Tin Man ever wished for. Inside Out is no different.
Kaitlyn Dias provides the voice of Riley, an 11-year-old girl who, along with her mother and father (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan), has just shifted from Minnesota to San Francisco. The movie takes us into her head where we find that all her emotions have been personified. There are Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Anger (Lewis Black), who give Riley direction on how to act on a day-to-day basis.
Under Joy’s direction the team tries to keep Riley positive.
The producers built a vivid and stylish new world, very much akin to a Hollywood stage, inside Riley
These cognitive memories or messages are stored as balls and passed through Riley’s emotional centre, and end up part of her long-term memory.
Trouble arises when Sadness touches Riley’s inner memories. Riley becomes negative and changes her attitude. To make matters worse, Joy and Sadness are sucked up the tube that goes into the memory dump. Here they end up on a mission as their success or failure will affect Riley’s future.
As Riley is suddenly left to be controlled by Fear, Anger and Disgust – which might lead her to take actions that will leave an impact on her and her parents – her childhood imaginary friend Bing Bong (Richard Kind), makes a return.
I remember a comic strip in the Beano titled The Numskulls which featured tiny people who lived in a man’s body and took care of his actions and body maintenance to hilarious and, at times, metaphysical mind-boggling results. Inside Out has a similar concept with the difference being that emotions are given life and personifications and help people get through life.
The producers built a vivid and stylish new world, very much akin to a Hollywood stage, inside Riley.
The audience will enjoy how the emotions interact and affect what Riley does. It will make the kids ask questions and that in itself is already a huge draw.
The script by Josh Cooley, Pete Docter and Meg Le Fauve is intelligent, articulate and well paced. Most of all, it all feels real and plausible which makes the film even more fun.