Pixar’s latest film sees them right back up on top where they belong. An entire film focusing on the emotions inside an 11 year old girl’s head sounds risky but, as usual, Pixar pull it off with their usual panache.
What’s most amazing about this film is the way that they portray how disconnected a young girl who has just moved away from her home can feel. Joy had been at the foreground in Riley’s emotions until she began to struggle to adapt to her new home in San Francisco and Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust came to the fore. Inside Out is as much a tale about growing up for Riley as it is for Joy. The main plot centres around Riley’s core memories (those are memories that define her as a person) getting lost as Joy and Sadness must join together to bring them back.
Like all Pixar films, Inside Out looks amazing. Inside Riley’s head is beautifully detailed and our emotions of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust are perfectly cast. As Joy and Sadness journey through Riley’s brain and memories, we get to visit amazing places such as the Dream Factory and Imagination Land. We even get glimpses of Riley’s imaginary boyfriend and her old imaginary friend Bing Bong, which are all genuinely funny moments.
There are plenty of jokes for both children and adults alike and it is this balance that Pixar always seems to get exactly right. The emotional scenes are also pitched perfectly. We really feel sorry for Riley and sense Joy’s complete devotion to her. The moments between Riley and her mum and dad that we glimpse through memories are very well done and are very touching without being overly sweet. One particular scene with Bing Bong had me in tears and it’s scenes like those that deal with memory and loss and growing up that Pixar do best. The rare glimpses we get into Riley’s mum and dad’s control centres are also hilarious and perfectly done. These are the highlights of the film and were, in my opinion, underused.
Through their journey Joy and Sadness finally learn that Riley needs them both as you can’t live a full life on one emotion and so the movie is brought to a satisfying end with a little glimpse into what lies ahead for Riley, namely puberty, the control centre are about to face their biggest challenge yet when that hits.
Ok, so what was wrong with it? Not a lot, just that as mentioned before the glimpses into Riley’s mum and dad’s head were underused and the whole story of Joy and Sadness journey, though fun, distracts from the parts of the film that really sparkled, namely when we simultaneously see life in the control centre with the results on the outside. As a result, the middle section of the film feels a little fragmented.
All in all though these are minor faults and it’s another major success from Pixar. The fact that they can move people to tears in the space of one of their shorts shows just a glimpse of what they are capable of in an entire feature.
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