Emotions run wild in the mind of a little girl who is uprooted from her peaceful life in the Midwest and forced to move to San Francisco in this Pixar adventure from director Pete Docter (Up, Monsters Inc.). Young Riley was perfectly content with her life when her father landed a new job in San Francisco, and the family moved across the country. Now, as Riley prepares to navigate a new city and attend a new school, her emotional headquarters becomes a hot bed of activity. As Joy (voice of Amy Poehler) attempts to keep Riley feeling happy and positive about the move, other emotions like Fear (voice of Bill Hader), Anger (voice of Lewis Black), Disgust (voice of Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) make the transition a bit more complicated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: Pete Docter
Cast: Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill
Hader, Lewis Black
Release Date: Jun
19, 2015 RealD 3D
Rated PG Mild Thematic Elements and Some Action
Runtime: 1 hr. 35 min. Genres: Animated, Family
Review:
Inside Out is a great Pixar film that’s thematically dense
and impressive on multiple counts. It
works wonderfully as a kid’s film but I can’t help but think that small kids
who see this now will view it differently as they grow older. That’s what makes this film so special. There’s something universally relatable about
the story being told. Peter Docter
directs his film with a breezy sort of feel while keeping his audiences
thoroughly engaged in all the characters.
The animation designs are wonderfully realized with a sort of retro feel
to them. The voice cast is excellent all
around with Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith carrying the majority of the
weight. Poehler, whose performance is
akin to a Leslie Knope squared, and Smith make for a great pairing with each
being a perfect counter balance to each other.
Richard Kind’s Bing Bong, Riley’s imaginary friend, shows up about half
way through the film seemingly for comic relief but the character leaves a massive
emotional impression. Inside Out is that
good of a film and destined to become a classic.
A
Certainly one of the year's best films, and definitely a shoe-in for best animated film (or at least a nomination). It will be interesting to see how The Good Dinosaur compares later this year...
ReplyDeleteTotally, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in the best picture nominations honestly.
Deletetotally want to see this.
ReplyDeleteFantastic film, really impressive all around!!
DeleteInside Out really surprised me by how good it was. Almost everything worked, and it was a lot of fun to watch. The way it showed the inner workings of the mind was my favorite part. All those little gags maintained a solid pace, and, like you said, it has a message that is great for kids, but will also hit the mark for adults. Great review Daniel.
ReplyDelete-James
Yep, we are in total agreement James, I was impressed with a lot of facets of this film!
DeleteI think I am the only person who didn't like Bing Bong as it felt that he was just shoehorned in for some childish comic relief. Me and my heart of stone were not sad to see him go!!
ReplyDeleteLoved the overall concept though - ridiculously clever!
K :-)
I felt the same way when he popped up but I guess his metaphorical meaning got to me more than the actual character.
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