REVIEW: Inside Out

Courtesy of Pixar

After spending a few years dealing with internal struggles and making their investors happy with sequels, Pixar is back with its first genuinely great film since 2010’s Toy Story 3. In fact, Inside Out might be the best movie the studio has ever made.

I know that’s a big claim, but co-directors Pete Docter and Ronaldo del Carmen (with a screenplay from Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley) back it up with a stunningly creative story that transports viewers inside the complex mind of a preteen girl. The result is a visual and narrative delight, earning only the fourth A+ I’ve awarded in 13 years as a film critic. Yes, it’s that good.

When her father gets a new job, 11-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is forced to move from Minnesota to San Francisco. It’s a big adjustment for anybody, but even harder for someone on the verge of young adulthood. As such, the emotions that live in her head find themselves working hard to keep her as well-adjusted as possible.

Joy (Amy Poehler) is the leader, since she blinked into existence moments after Riley’s birth. She gets a hand from Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling), depending on what the young girl is experiencing. Sadness (Phyllis Smith) is part of the group as well, though none of the others have never really understood why she’s there.

After a series of issues pop up in the control room, Joy and Sadness are transported to the far reaches of Riley’s brain, leaving Fear, Anger and Disgust in charge. That could be disastrous, so Joy and Sadness must quickly find their way back home.

The Pixar crew could’ve taken the easy route, using a moderately creative premise to tell a simple, cutesy story and just wait for mountains of cash to pour in. (Honestly, that’s what they did with Cars 2, Brave and Monsters University.) But they’re smart enough to know that plan was showing clear signs of diminishing returns. For the last few years, pop culture journalists have been writing “Has Pixar lost its mojo?” stories – which the studio’s latest brilliant effort renders moot.

Inside Out doesn’t shy away from difficult questions that the plot raises. Docter and del Carmen include subtle touches regarding issues like personality disorders. They also show, primarily through Riley’s parents, what people are like when a certain emotion is charge of the brain instead of another. There are real, often heartbreaking stakes.

None of this would be as powerful if not for the immensely talented animators, making a highly complex and metaphorical concept easy for viewers to understand. The actors are also crucial to story’s success, each of them the perfect match for their characters. Obviously, well-known names like Poehler, Hader, Black and Kaling are terrific, but the MVPs are Smith and Richard Kind, who plays a wonderful character named Bing Bong. Chances are he’s the one you’ll remember as you’re wiping your eyes on the way to the parking lot.

Pixar movies are about as critic-proof as they come, since the studio’s name has become synonymous with quality family entertainment. But Inside Out is on a completely different level. If you were planning on taking your kids or grandkids and mentally checking out for a while, I’ve got good news: you’ll probably love it more than they will. It’s a modern classic.

Inside Out is rated PG for mild thematic elements and some action.

Grade: A+