Pixar is undoubtedly back on form with this sparkling animated tale, that will appeal to adults and children alike - though with the studio's history of emotional stories about children, you suspect it might resonate more strongly with the former. Inside Out's brilliant conceit takes us into the mind of a young child, Riley. Her mind is governed by five emotions - Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Sadness (Phyllis Smith), who are all in charge of creating miniature, multicoloured balls of memory. For the most part, Joy takes the lead, but each emotion has a role to play - Fear stops Riley from tripping over extension cords, for instance, whereas Disgust ensures that poisonous broccoli doesn't enter their ecosystem. Only Sadness is left out in the cold, unsure of what to do except despair at life's horrors, typically while lying flat on her face.
After a terrific, funny opening sequence - where the foundations for personality are literally constructed before our very eyes - we move into chaos, as Riley is relocated to San Francisco by her parents. Her emotions are thrown all out of whack, and during her first day of school a conflict over some core memories (the memories that define Riley's very personality) lead Joy and Sadness to be accidentally ejected out into the wasteland of long-term memory. They must then navigate the wonders - and horrors - of the Id to return home, lest Riley's life be furthermore dictated by Fear, Anger and Disgust. (I can think of a few candidates who might suffer from this condition.)
The story is superb, a highly imaginative adventure through the most colourful recesses of the human soul, its realisation really pushing the limits of the medium. Abstract thought transforms the characters into angular misshapes; a "dream" factory is realised as a bureaucratic Hollywood studio; and the subconscious is an engulfing cavern, housing all of a child's innermost fears. The colour-coordinated characters are great, too, and I'm sure they'll go down as some of Pixar's most enduring creations. It's as if the studio has distilled its storytelling to a base level - so it shouldn't come as a surprise that both Joy and Sadness take centre stage, a reflection of the fact that, in almost all of Pixar's greatest works there is a careful line-treading between the two, ensuring that a mostly joyous experience is augmented by the acceptance that a little sadness in life is necessary to make the reward all the sweeter.
Amy Poehler's performance as Joy is integral here, as her relentlessly upbeat persona gradually gives way to something more heartfelt and realistic - as they encounter set-back after set-back while traversing Riley's mind, she begins to see past Sadness' stereotypically dumpy outward appearance and realise her core value. (Again, it's all about growing up.) There's also the typically sensible decision to fill out most of the roles with talented character actors, including Richard Kind as the heartfelt imaginary friend, Bing Bong, whose sad story is sure to break a million hearts. And the inclusion of comic pedigree like Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling ensures that the film never stops being rollicking entertainment, even in its smartest or saddest moments.
It's all you'd expect from one of the world's most reputable animation studios, and maybe a little more. You really get the sense that, not only do these guys understand children, but they understand the emotional arc of parentage as well - so their ability to completely capture both and turn them, hey, inside out should be praised. Let's hope they can keep it up.
★★★★
