After
nearly 20 years of formidable animated features, Pixar started petering out. The
veteran production company’s most recent theatrical releases—Monsters University, Brave and (insert sigh of anguish here) Cars 2—were mediocre at best. When I heard of Inside Out, in theaters June 19, I worried it would be the
company’s coup de grâce.
As
the iconic desk lamp toddled across the screen and unintentionally squashed
Pixar’s “I” for the umpteenth time, I imagined a deeper embarrassment in the
light bulb’s guilty, childlike stare. He wasn’t sorry for playfully popping the
letter but rather apologizing in advance to all 2,500 of us awaiting the film’s
premiere at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. We all knew—even the lamp knew—this
could be a bust.
Then,
Inside Out unveiled the world of
11-year-old Riley’s mind—a beautifully insightful rendering of human
consciousness—and I realized Pixar had finally recovered from its slump,
transcending the genius I’d begun to think had devolved into merely a memory.
The
story begins with Joy (Amy Poehler), who introduces us to the other emotions
within Riley’s head: Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy
Kaling) and the unfortunately inevitable Sadness (Phyllis Smith).
At
Headquarters, each emotion performs its unique duties by responding
appropriately to the situations at hand and controlling Riley’s reactions
through a central console. Joy is their ringleader—and Riley’s, too—as she
manages the child’s day-to-day life, tenaciously committed to keeping her happy.
But
when Riley’s family moves to a terrifying, frustrating, stinky, lonely new
city, and Joy is accidentally thrust from HQ into sectors of Riley’s mind that
are unfamiliar terrain, the rest of the emotions take the wheel. Inescapably,
chaos ensues.
The
director and co-writer, Pete Docter, was the driving force behind Monsters, Inc., Up and Toy Story, among
other Pixar masterpieces. But with Inside
Out, he drops the most precious of gems in our laps.
Docter—who,
himself, is a father of two—doesn’t for one second underestimate the complexity
of a child’s psyche. The inner workings of Riley’s dreams, memories and
personality—along with her emotions, of course—are ingeniously illustrated.
Although I’d never before been able to envision
my mind as a three-dimensional space, Pixar’s animated depiction is exactly how
I would have if I’d been creative enough to. In splendidly vivid hues, a world unfurls
before your eyes that is both whimsical and believable in every aspect.
Each dream is produced like a movie; each
memory is stored in a winding, mazelike library; each critical aspect of
Riley’s personality is its own island.
Yet, the emotions—the key players in this
cognitive kingdom—are the most artfully crafted part of the entire exposition.
Somehow, Docter manages to create characters that are exclusively tailored to each
emotion and emotionally dynamic, simultaneously.
Sure, Fear is afraid, Anger is angry,
Disgust is disgusted, Sadness is sad and Joy is joyful. But instead of relying
solely on the established standard of these stock characters to carry the
story, each one is made a multifaceted individual with an array of feelings.
This harmonious balance doesn’t detract from their dominant traits and provides
depth to the narrative in a way only Pixar can accomplish.
This movie has everything we’ve come to
expect—no, demand—from Pixar, but what they haven’t quite delivered since Toy Story 3.
It’s intuitive; it’s clever; it’s delightful.
The humor accommodates children and adults, alike. Through it all, there’s a
solid, captivating plot. By the end, there are enlightening revelations. It’s
unpredictable; it’s profound. It’s real.
Inside
Out is one of Pixar’s
best works—certainly within the last five years but overall, too. Never has a
movie taken me on such a fulfilling adventure. How Pixar will top itself now is beyond
me, but I can’t wait to see.
Director Pete
Docter
WriteRS Pete Docter,
Josh Cooley, Meg LeFauve
Producer Pixar
Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures
MAIN
CAST Amy Poehler
Mindy
Kaling
Bill Hader
Phyllis
Smith
Lewis
Black
Running Time 102
minutes
