Inside Out
Pixar got inside our heads...
The human brain is one hell of a complex machine. Philosophers, psychologists and scientists have worked restlessly since the dawn of consciousness to try and understand how it works. While a myriad of theories and facts exist on the matter, Pixar decided to represent how our minds function through animation, and it works.
Please note this mini review contains minor spoilers (unless you’ve watched the trailers).
The renowned animation studio has stepped up their game after sub par efforts (looking at you Brave and Cars 2) to bring back what made them famous in the first place; original, imaginative story telling. Inside Out tells the story of Riley from the very beginning of her life through the eyes of her emotions, visualized as colorful characters working in her “control room”. Day by day anything that happens to her will create a memory based on the emotion responsible for it. A joyful memory will glow a very bright yellow while sad ones are tinted blue. As Riley gets older new emotions show up; Fear, Anger and Disgust will complete the core team that handles her life. Humans are known to have way more emotions but for the purpose of the movie it would have been too difficult to showcase them all without diluting the story line.
Critical moments of her life are defined by core memories. These ones serve to spawn and power special islands that are basically Riley’s passions or main character traits. For example she loves playing hockey and is an honest person; two aspects triggered by specific core memories such as skating with her parents for the first time and learning the truth always pays off more than lying. This is where the brilliance of Inside Out shines; it is so relatable.
Everybody (except passed out junkies) would normally remember their first happy memories who lead them to love certain things in life. I for one remember the first time I played a video game with my father and brother. I was 3 or 4, the game was Space Taxi on Commodore 64 and it sure as hell is part of who I am today.
The movie then continues past the (usually happy) early days of childhood and delves into the inevitable challenges of life which help develop the mind even further, but not without breaking a few things in the process. Uncontrollable emotions, confusion, memory loss, dreams, sub consciousness and imagination are all incorporated cleverly as the story unfolds while alternating between cause and effects. The dual story line element feels forced at time but it integral to the experience.
The visual representation of feelings is so sharp it will help kids understand their own thoughts while giving new tools for teens and adults to express theirs. Since I’ve seen it I can’t stop explaining my own emotions the way the movie taught me. It may seem childish to do so but I am young at heart and intend to stay that way for a long time.
The verdict
All in all Inside Out is a great film. The visual design is stylish and of course the animation quality is pure grade-A Pixar. Riley’s story is the movie’s weakest point but serves its purpose as a pretext to explain how emotions work and their effect on our life’s decisions. The moral of the story will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Did I mention the voice acting? The cast simply nailed it. Amy Poehler works her contagious energy into Joy like no else could have done. Phyllis Smith as Sadness was a genius casting choice while Bill Hader, Lewis Black and Mindy Kaling (surprisingly not annoying this time) were incredible in supporting roles.
I would strongly suggest our education system to include this movie as part of psychology classes specialized for kids and teens; it would be one interesting way to open them up about their feelings and share common grounds on the matter.
Fair bit of warning; the Pixar short is cheesy yet catchy. Not their best.
