by Jon Partridge
The early years of Pixar gave us instant classics such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, WALL-E, and Up. But in recent times their work has lacked a little of the sheen that came before. The sequels Cars 2 and Monsters University and the entertaining but flawed Brave, while fair in their own right, were found lacking in comparison to the lofty heights reached by their predecessors. Inside Out sees a return to form where the people at Pixar refocused and got back in touch with their intimate feelings…literally. The question was, can they recapture the magic? The answer is, we should never have doubted them.
The premise of Inside Out sounds simple enough: a young girl Riley (Kaitlin Dias) is born and raised in a idyllic American town by loving parents (Kyle MacLachan and Diane Lane). Her happy childhood suffers when her father takes a job in San Francisco, forcing her to leave her friends behind and start afresh in a new city. Her efforts to adjust and appear content to her parents push her into depression and seclusion as she withdraws from her surroundings and family.
The clever approach of the film takes us inside Riley’s head and shows us the conflict and rapport between her internal emotions embodied by five distinct characters. Joy (Amy Poehler) comes first, being introduced to us at her birth during the opening of the film, immediately followed by Sadness (Phyllis Smith) then Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader), and finally Disgust (Mindy Kaling). An incident in the control room of her mind leaves Joy and Sadness stranded in the outer recesses of her sub-conscious. As they strive to get back, her remaining emotions struggle to help Riley through this painful time.
For decades filmmakers have struggled with the depiction of emotion and teen angst on screen. With Inside Out, Pixar adopted the most literal way of exploring it, manifesting emotions into actual characters that interact, vie for dominance, and work off each other. It’s a rather brave effort, embracing metaphor, and a clever concept coupled to a emotionally resonant narrative that lets Pixar soar once again.
Co-directors Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen together with a whole host of talent at Pixar really have put something special together here: hilarious, emotional, and a surprisingly mature look at the inner workings of a child’s mind. Gorgeous animation linked to a equally complimentary score by Michael Giacchino immerses you in a wonderful experience. The casting is perfection. I cannot heap enough praise on the choices nor on the performances. Poehler in particular bringing a genuine joyful quality to Joy, layering in moments of doubt and worry, while Smith offers an excellent counterpoint in her Sadness. Another notable mention is Richard Kind playing Bing Bong, a imaginary friend from Riley’s past now shunted to the outer recesses of her mind. His adoration for her drives him to help Joy and Sadness get back to where they belong and he really brings a whimsical magic to the film.
The aspects of the film that deal with these internalized emotions are relatable and familiar, but they are executed with such freshness and ease it’s surprising it hasn’t been done like this before. The structure of Inside Out is perfect to build up our knowledge of Riley’s mind and the characters that populate her psyche. It’s a big concept that feels incredibly intimate. The feelings reside in a control room, each responding or asserting themselves over the others. Each memory formed by Kiley takes the shape of a glowing ball showing a replay of the memory, tinged by the color of the predominate emotion it was forged in. Memories are shipped off to long term storage at the end of the day, while occasionally special life moments generate core memories. These fuel personality islands composed of landscapes, buildings, and characters, manifestations of an aspect of her personality. It is the generation of a sad core memory and Joy’s attempted intervention that sets the internal crisis in motion.
It’s an insightful tale about how children internalize and deal with their feelings or even work against them, about subconscious vs. conscious, exerting control back and forth, feelings pushing Riley in one direction while memories push back. It’s actually a fascinating aspect of human nature that is not entirely understood and (understandably) somewhat skirted on here. At an early age, Joy is the prevailing emotion in most things, Kiley’s core memories up to the age of 11 reflect this, but the upheaval of the move and resulting isolation having a profound effect on her emotional makeup. Joy seeks to suppress the other emotions but we know things aren’t as simple as that; you can’t stave off sadness and need to accept that sometimes embracing that emotion leads to acceptance, healing, and growth. The film is as adept as a form of entertainment for a group of kids in day care as it is enlightening for students in a psychology class, such is its charm and eloquence.
The execution of this world within Riley’s psyche on screen is tantamount to spending time within the imagination of a child, such is the creativity on show. The dueling emotions reflect our internal conflicts, personality islands define distinct facets of our own personalities, and other aspects such as her terrifying subconscious or a Dreamland (littered with Saul Bass posters for recent productions) run throughout all these, a literal “Train of Thought” running across the landscape. It’s both clever and profound in execution.
What is the most impressive aspect of the film is how much empathy is generated for Riley. In a very short space of time you become attuned to her plight, emphasized by the care and affection from the characters making up her feelings. They may argue and disagree but they are all united in their love for the human they live within. You cannot deny the pang of concern you feel as you see Riley’s memories removed by a cleanup crew or accidentally tinged by Sadness. It’s stunning how much empathy it generates from the audience. I don’t hesitate to admit that I felt connected with this child in a way I haven’t with any other character in film for a long time and was moved, at times to tears, by the film and her internal struggles.
Good animation need not pander to the young, it can deliver something more substantial and resonant to everyone; Pixar have shown their mastery at this in the past and do so again. Perhaps it is even more successful here as it surpasses mere appeal and serves to bridge generations, notably parents with their children. The film outlines with surprising insight the burden that children can endure. More importantly it reframes negative emotion as something positive, telling children it’s OK to be sad sometimes and (more importantly) OK to share such feelings. It is shown amusingly how Anger and Disgust take the helm trying to feign “Joy” to Riley’s mother and the result is petulant sarcasm. It’s funny but incredibly incisive. There is an effort to outline how our personalities are made up, how feelings interact and mix, why we make decisions — be they good or bad — and how it all informs and is informed by our emotions and memories.
While I elaborate on the depth of the film, at it’s core Inside Out is beautifully entertaining in its visuals, has heart warming characters, and is replete with humor. From quick fire puns to long running jokes involving a Brazilian helicopter pilot or a unforgettable chewing gum jingle, you will have a smile on your face for the majority of the film. Hell, they even manage to work in one of the best Chinatown references I’ve ever seen. But to do this while offering such profound commentary and insight on the turmoil within us, well, that just deserves a round of applause.
Inside Out marries an emotional story with an innovative approach perfectly. While it entertains it affords significant attention to how complex and tumultuous the feelings of a young child can be, in this respect it’s one of the most ambitious films of the year, but seemingly executed with such ease it’s staggering.
Incredibly entertaining and moving in equal measure, it’s a film that rises above entertainment and offers one of the best cinematic efforts to explore and portray the human condition and is deserving of every superlative that can be lavished upon it.
Inside Out was preceded by the latest Pixar short called Lava. Set off the coast of Hawaii, it showed a lonely volcano contemplating his existence, surrounded by pairs of creatures as he yearns for a companion of his own. Launching into a Iz Kamakawiwoʻole-esque ditty he sings about “searching for someone to la-va.” The triteness meant it didn’t hit the heights of other Pixar shorts and played to a more emotional level than the inventive approach usually taken with these things; see Lifted or Presto for good examples. Still, I found it to be rather sweet and certainly not worthy of some of the vitriol I have seen spoken about it online.