Inside Out (2015) Film Review

Oh Pixar, how I've missed you! After taking a gap year to sort themselves and The Good Dinosaur out (it's now been rescheduled for later this year), Pixar have now returned with one of their most prestigious directors Pete Docter in an attempt to revitalise their appraisals for being the kingpin of animation studios. The cause of this? A long string of huge worldwide hits culminating with 2010's Toy Story 3, which not only became the first animated film to break $1bn mark but the third to be nominated for Best Picture (Up was nominated the year before). By then, the studio could be deemed unstoppable, but ended up shooting themselves in the foot with Cars 2 a year later - the first Pixar film not to be nominated for any Oscars since the Best Animated Feature category was created in 2001. It made a big profit, but helped begin a tirade of comments stating that the studio was no longer king. Brave won an Oscar the next year but was considered to be undeserving, while Monsters University failed to be nominated again. Add stronger competition thanks to the likes of Despicable Me 2, Frozen and The LEGO Movie, and the studio has a lot riding up on them. But with Docter behind the brains of Inside Out, and a strong set of vocal talent accompanying him, can this be a return to form for the once applauded studio? 

In the mind of 12-year-old Riley Anderson (Kaitlyn Dias) - and indeed everyone - lives the five anthropomorphic emotions Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Anger (Lewis Black). Joy tends to take the most control on the young girl, but when the Anderson family move to San Francisco for her father's (Kyle MacLachlan) career, emotions run haywire and Sadness' overabundance of altering various memories leads to herself, Joy and the 'core memories' - memories which make up Riley - being ejected from the control room. While the three remaining emotions try their hardest at retaining Riley's character and keeping her on track without vital components, Joy and Sadness, alongside former imaginary friend Bing Bong (Richard Kind), must set aside their differences and return to headquarters before it's too late.

With the basic premise of the feature hastily explained within the opening 15 minutes of creative ingenious psychology alongside quick and simple character introductions of the main five, what follows is a story which may not be the most imaginative in terms of basic story making but a terrific in execution and in the way it actually goes. Not only in the overall layout of the emotions' headquarters and how it's run, but also in the journey Joy and Sadness take within the outreaches of the mind. In a sense, it's like Finding Nemo in checking off certain areas for the main characters to experience - rarely overlapping unless vital to Joy and Sadness' plight. Instead of encountering the various different species present in the ocean in Nemo, it's areas of the mind, with Imagination Land, Dream Productions with brief glimpses into Abstract Thought and the Subconscious - and each one of the areas is perfectly imagined and realised. Abstract Thought is certainly the most complex in its short appearance early on in the adventure, but is done brilliantly and is the smartest realisation of the bunch.  

But bunched with the great story is some superb characters. Leading the pack is Amy Poehler's Joy, who channels Poehler's Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope in personality but never reaches levels of annoyance. It's good of Pete Docter and co. to fluctuate the emotions with being more than just what they say on the tin (i.e Joy being nothing but happy, Fear having pantophobia, and so on), and it’s more than necessary for a character like Joy, so thankfully she's as likable as expected. Her rapport with Smith's Sadness comes across as genuine too, and it's evident in her voicework that she's having a lot of fun with her character. Also noteworthy in the cast of outcasts is King's Bing Bong, who was noticeably absent in promotional material for the clear reasoning of preserving such a great and charming character for those who see the film. King's voice is perfectly suited for the former imaginary friend (a hybrid of a cat, an elephant, cotton candy and a dolphin), and his comedic timing is on point. However, he isn't the funniest character present, as that recognition is better deserved by Lewis Black and his epitome of Anger. From his ever-changing newspaper headline to his fiery temper, Anger is arguably the best new character Pixar has created in a number of years. Bill Hader's Fear is well-executed also as being both a nervous wreck and a safety-first punchbag, while Mindy Kaling's Disgust is possibly the most underused emotion of the bunch, although she gets plenty of moments to shine and, without Joy's presence, does try her best at taking the leadership role.  

Further into the mind is a whole array of characters who aren't present for long periods of time, but each is as likable as they can be. These include those in charge of forgetting, the dream director and actors (I do love that the acting in the dreams can be terrible representations of other characters because the actors are terrible), the various mind workers - including one John Ratzenberger - and childhood nightmare Jangles the Clown. Also pleasant are the representations of the other character's emotions, with both parent emotion faculties being plenty of fun and the multiple explorations at the very end and during the credits are hilarious (it should be noted that Poehler's Parks and Recreation co-star Rashida Jones makes a cameo in these sequences). Riley herself is a believable enough pre-pubescent character who's turmoil is legitimate enough considering the events going on inside her head. Parents Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlen are great too, but despite being key components of Riley's personality perhaps don’t have quite the prominence that is hinted at. 

Pixar has always been known as the kings of the animation industry, and more recent films like Brave, Monsters University, and especially short films The Blue Umbrella and Lava (which preceded Inside Out and is a great little film) have proven that they only grow in quality. But while the incredibly detailed surroundings of San Francisco are perhaps a little dirtier than usual Pixar fodder, the whole film is done very well. Animation inside the mind is as wacky as can be, and the brightness of everything blended together with the vast colourfulness of everything is a superb comparison with the dark real world that Riley is suffering through. Not quite as well-detailed as previous films or, judging by the recent trailer, the upcoming The Good Dinosaur, but nonetheless a grand piece of work.

Inside Out is an emotional whirlwind of a ride. You'll laugh; you'll cry; you'll be just as out of control of your emotions as Riley is here. With an excellent cast of characters and an incredibly imaginative story, this could become Pixar's latest magnum opus against the equally grand Finding Nemo, Up, and even the Toy Story series. It may drag slightly in the middle, but that doesn't stop Inside Out being one of the best films of the year - and maybe even one of the best films I have ever seen. 10/10.