Inside Out
Directors: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black
94 mins; Class U;
KRS Releasing Ltd

When 11-year-old Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) moves from her beloved Minnesota to San Francisco with her parents after her father starts a new job, she finds it hard to settle in and starts to behave uncharacteristically moodily.

In the control centre inside her mind, her Emotions, led by perennial optimist Joy (Amy Poehler), do their best to guide her, but things get worse when Joy and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) get inadvertently trapped in the farthest recesses of Riley’s mind and struggle to get back to control centre as Riley sinks further and further into her unhappiness.

Inside Out boasts the typical excellence both in terms of production values, storytelling and characters that its creator Pixar has consistently delivered.

Directed and co-written by Pixar stalwart Pete Docter, it is incredibly funny and heart-warmingly moving in equal measure.

It is almost superfluous to comment on the film’s visually inventive design, starting with the colourful characters who drive Riley – the glowing and perky yellow Joy, too-blue Sadness, red-hot Anger (Lewis Black), gooey-green Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and lilacy Fear (Bill Hader).

The different character traits within Riley as she grows up and her personality develops are depicted as creative island structures which threaten to implode as her emotions get stronger; while deeper in her mind are little-explored places such as Long Term Memory and Abstract Thought. The way Riley’s memories are created, stored away and eventually discarded is yet another clever idea in a sea of genius.

But, while the younger ones may revel in the elaborate designs and colourful images, the exciting adventure and action and the inevitable slapstick humour that peppers proceedings, the adults in the audience will also find much to ponder as this incredible story unfolds.

Pixar has always had the knack of truly capturing the trials and tribulation of growing up, going to the nub of those raw emotions that make us human.

Inside Out is really about those inner emotions that control us and the film does a great job of bringing those voices inside your head to life.

Docter’s script, which he co-wrote with Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley, simplifies the complexities and depth of all these emotions without lessening their impact.

That this message is delivered on a plateful of laugh-out-loud scenarios, quite a few tearful ones, and, it must be, said some very dark moments as Joy and Sadness make their way back to control centre only serves to enrich the experience.

Adults will also find much to ponder upon

The illustration of a brain freeze is classic, and a scene pitting the emotions inside Riley’s mother against those of her father is a genuinely hilarious look at gender differences.

I defy you to hold back the tears when Riley’s memories of a beloved imaginary childhood friend begin to fade or grit your teeth as time begins to run out for our intrepid protagonists.

Bringing these amazing characters to life is a cast of seasoned comedians and ‘serious’ actors (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan provide the voices for Riley’s Mom and Dad), led by Saturday Night Live stalwart and celebrated funny woman Amy Poehler.

Poehler gives a vivid vocal performance, injecting humour, poignancy and remarkable wisdom and depth in the character. Joy in name and joyful in nature, she has a strong story arc, and the perky Poehler effortlessly hits all the right emotive notes as Joy goes through her incredible journey and comes to realise what her beloved Riley needs.

Poehler shares some hilarious chemistry with Smith, who imbues Sadness with such melancholic feeling you just want to reach out and hug her very tightly.

Smith’s delivery of her lines often ensures merriment – when Joy heads off to a hitherto unexplored part of Riley’s mind, she cautions her that she may get lost. “Think positive!” replies Joy. “Okay... I’m positive that you’ll get lost in there!” is Sadness’s retort.

Sadness is the yang to Joy’s yin, ensuring the duo will go down in the annals of Pixar history as an odd coupling to rival Finding Nemo’s Marlin and Dory and Toy Story’s Woody and Buzz.

Inside Out is a movie that is built on unparalleled creativity and inspired ideas; the film-makers going out on a limb by telling a story that deals with depression.

This is a story that tells us that we need to experience contrasting emotions to make us what we are, and that to have a balanced and well-ordered life, moments of sadness and anger are as vital as the more joyful ones.

Speaking of inspired ideas, before Inside Out begins we are treated to a quirky little Pixar animated short about a volcano seeking companionship – it is a little ditty about finding someone to ‘lava’. Aww…