Inside Out (2015)

Pixar's latest feat of animation, Inside Out, hits theaters today and it is easily the greatest release to come out of the animation powerhouse. The film provides an illustrious look into the mind of 11-year-old Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) and how she copes emotionally when she and her family are uprooted from rural Minnesota and move to bustling San Francisco. With Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) at the helm of the control panel of Riley's mind, Joy seeks to make every day of Riley's life as happy as possible by working in conjunction with Anger (voiced by Lewis Black), Disgust (voiced by Mindy Kaling), and Fear (voiced by Bill Hader) all the while keeping Sadness (voiced by Phyllis Smith) at bay. Things in Riley's mind take an unexpected turn on her first day of school and it's up to this emotional gang to ensure the sanctity of Riley's mental health.



At its core, Inside Out is about the importance of feeling our sadness and how it can actually allow us to grow. Joy is extraordinarily concerned with doing everything within her power to ensure that Riley never has to feel sad, and it causes Joy distress when she knows that Riley isn't happy. During her travels with Sadness through Riley's mind though, Joy gradually learns that what she has been doing is wrong and that Sadness is just as important an emotion as all the others on the team. It's an important lesson for children and adults alike as many of us can identify with Joy's need to keep Sadness away. We constantly seek ways to increase our own personal Joy and keep our own Sadness bottled up. Rather we should feel our Sadness so that we can learn, grow, and move forward. The film also does an excellent job of showing how to communicate with those who are feeling sad and is an example that all should follow when reaching out to loved ones who are feeling glum.

Michael Giacchino's score provides the musical backdrop for this film and again the composer hits it out of the ballpark with the music. His score serves as a driving force behind some of the more emotionally powerful scenes and Giacchino perfectly captures each emotion's musical identity. The visuals are astounding as well and the film truly is a technological feat for Pixar, especially when you consider how much work went into Joy's effervescent glow. There is one impressive scene in the film where we see how abstract thought works and the way it is visualized is both funny and incredible.

Inside Out is a must-see for anyone and is an important film from Pixar. With a succinct understanding of the psychology that goes into major life changes and a creatively unique visualization of the inner workings of our mind, this film is certainly one that deserves every accolade that is sure to come its way. This film is easily an instant AFA Classic and has earned every one of its five-star rating from us. So what are you waiting for? Check out Inside Out now! Your emotions will surely have their work cut out for them.

INSIDE OUT is now showing in Cinemas in the US, and will be released on JULY 24th in the UK