Inside Out

This review is long overdue (I watched Inside Out back in June) and my comments will be relatively brief (my memory is fading). The bottom line is that Inside Out is one of Disney’s (and Pixar’s) best efforts. This is a film that will be enjoyed by all and should be watched by all (unlike most of this year’s blockbusters, with the possible exception of Cinderella, another Disney contribution). 

Inside Out provides a unique perspective on how we are guided by our emotions, focusing on a young girl’s emotions when her parents decide to move from the northern U.S. (where they play hockey) to San Francisco. We see five emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust) represented by characters in Riley’s head who argue and work together as Riley experiences the roller-coaster of a child’s life in a new city, with a new school and a new home. 

Led by Joy, who is, of course, always trying to look at life positively, the interaction between the emotions is an absolute delight and full of wise and heartfelt insights. When we catch the occasional glimpse of the same five emotions at work in Riley’s parents, the film is absolutely hilarious. I wish they had done even more with that. Inside Out is a brilliantly written, perfectly acted and gorgeously animated film.

However, as is far too common these days, I do have to complain about the fact that Inside Out was made for 3D. It still looked great in 2D (I haven’t watched anything in 3D for years now), but by far the weakest part of the film were the action scenes that were thrown in (especially in the second half of the film) to take advantage of the 3D, resulting in unnecessary boredom.

Nevertheless, Inside Out is too good a film to be ruined by 3D action. Pete Doctor and Ronaldo Del Carmen have given us another Pixar gem that can be enjoyed again and again by children and adults alike. Has to get ****. My mug is up. Don’t miss it on the big screen (ideally in 2D).