Inside Out

INSIDE OUT

Director : Pete Docter

Year : 2015

Genre : Animation

Rating : *****

 

After a somewhat dry spell with the releases of 'Cars 2', 'Monsters University' and 'Brave', Pixar gloriously returns to the big screen with 'Inside Out' - their 15th movie and their finest motion picture release since 2010's Academy Award winning 'Toy Story 3'. Set inside the mind of an eleven year old girl, 'Inside Out' explores the complex relationship between the varying emotions that govern our daily lives and while on the surface it may appear to be a typical Pixar film with the same beautifully realised CGI that we have come to expect from the illustrious animation studio, I was surprised to discover just how emotionally resonant and  relatable 'Inside Out' really was. With 'Toy Story', Pixar explored the notion of inanimate objects having emotions. With 'A Bug's Life', they explored the notion of insects having emotions. Now with 'Inside Out', they explore the ultimate philosophical ideology - do emotions have emotions?

Our central character Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) is a typical 11 year old Minnesotan girl. She loves hockey, has great friends and her parents (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) love her deeply . However, things take an unexpected turn when she is forced to move from her beloved home to San Francisco when her father gets a new job. Guiding her through this incredibly tumultuous time are her personified emotions which control the console of her life - Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) who all try to work together to keep Riley happy and content in her life. And that is all I am going to say about the plot because I simply don't want to spoil any of 'Inside Out's brilliant story for you.

The concepts behind 'Inside Out' are so terrifically universal that I'm amazed that no filmmaker has ever done a story like this before. After all, we all feel emotions and while not every single human is in touch with them, most of us face the extreme battles between joy and sadness, anger and disgust and, most notably, fear and sadness on an often daily basis. 'Inside Out' teaches us that these battles are not only healthy but absolutely vital to our emotional well-being and I think that this a fantastic message for children and adults alike - it's OK to be sad or scared or fearful sometimes, they are part of life and what makes us the truly unique people we are. So often animations show us that happiness is just around the corner and that with enough wishing and hope, our happy ever afters are obtainable. 'Inside Out' on the other hand shows us that life isn't that simple. We need sadness just as much as we need joy. It's a very true to life film and while there are indeed fantastical elements and wondrous CGI landscapes to marvel at, 'Inside Out' is, for the most part, rooted in deep and sometimes harsh philosophical and psychological realities.

 

But while all of this may sound incredibly heavy-handed, 'Inside Out' balances its more serious side with a great deal of comedy and good - natured whimsy. The voice work by the entirety of the cast is marvellous with Poehler, Black and Smith giving standout performances as their respective characters. Many laughs are to be had with the antics and the interactions between the various emotions and while some are given more  screen time than others, every one feels like a completely separate entity; bound by their own needs, likes and dislikes. Fear is a trembling neurotic, Anger is a hot-headed goon prone to volcanic fits of rage and Sadness (my personal favourite) is a pessimist content to fall flat on her face and allow life to pass her by. There is something in every emotion that is instantly recognisable and I for one appreciated the attention to detail in both the representation and the performance of the characters.

As is the case with the best family movies, 'Inside Out' is a film for both kids and adults. Children will love the bright colours, the entertaining characters and the fantastical nature of the story. Adults, however, will appreciate 'Inside Out' for it's perfect representation of the emotional states we have all felt at various times in our lives, especially during puberty and adolescence. Yes, it's breathtaking to look at and it is most certainly hilarious at times. But beneath it's brightly coloured exterior, 'Inside Out' is a deeply resonant work of philosophical genius that takes some of the most complex and most difficult psychological conundrums we have to inevitably face and turns them into something genuinely cathartic. Continually original, surprisingly mature and at times heart-wrenchingly poignant, 'Inside Out' is about as perfect as a movie can get. Consider 2015's Oscars race over before it's even started...