'Inside Out' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Screenplay.
Won: Best Animated Feature.

Yesterday I was able to see Inside Out after returning from a trip to Los Angeles and I must start off the review saying that this is one of Pixar's greatest original ideas yet! This is the best original (non-sequel) Pixar film since Up, which is personally one of my favorites from the studio. The plot of the film is quite intriguing. The film is about emotions inside of a 12 year old girl who is experiencing many unsettling changes in her life because of moving to a new house. 

The main voice cast for the emotions consists of Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Lewis Black as Anger, and Bill Hader as Fear. Each character is able to provide many laughs by being a gimmick of their own emotion (Anger is a hothead, etc.). 

The cast is quite enjoyable but the two characters with the most depth are definitely Joy and Sadness who are able to convey a wide variety of emotions despite being one emotion. Amy Poehler is hilarious as Joy and energizes the lead role  with jokes and charisma but despite her name she has has her own range of emotions in her character. Phyllis Smith brings a great depth to Sadness who is the butt of several puns and jokes but actually is very important to the film's most impactful scenes. 

Oh and if I haven't said it already, you will cry while watching this film which is something expected from Pixar and means that Pixar can make a film with such deep intellectual themes that really connect to the average Joe and can really convey heartfelt scenes quite well. My entire family that saw this film at least shed one tear at the film's impactful moment, including one of my sisters who never cries during movies. 

Overall, Inside Out is a great comeback for Pixar and hopefully they can continue producing more original films along with sequels to their other beloved films (ie. Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4).  It's great for both kids and adults as there are many deep messages about life, psychology, etc. and many jokes for adults as well as some humor all ages can appreciate. I highly recommend watching Inside Out if you have grown up with Disney or Pixar or even if you haven't.