Inside Out (2015) Movie Review and Film Summary

Inside Out Stars Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith and is Directed by Pete Docter

Review: Inside Out is still the best iteration of personifying emotions or concepts through animated films, choosing to live inside of the mind of youngster Riley moving from her Minnesota townhome to the big city of San Francisco. Pete Docter directs arguably his best film under the Pixar brand.

inside out 2015 movie — Inside Out (2015)

Inside Out Movie Review

Returning to Inside Out nearly a decade after it was released (originally in 2015), I was reminded of what this movie achieves so much in storytelling, as well as the various failed attempts since by Hollywood animated studios (Pixar included) to replicate those achievements.

And that’s communicating indelible, inanimate ideas to both children and adults alike. Inside Out is still the best iteration of personifying emotions or concepts through animated films, choosing to live inside of the mind of youngster Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) moving from her Minnesota townhome to the big city of San Francisco with her mom (Diane Lane) and dad (Kyle MacLachlan).

The emotions living inside her head are the big hitters that you’d expect: the brightly lit Joy (Amy Poehler), who serves as the captain of the ship, her antithesis Sadness (Phyllis Smith), and the secondary feelings Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling).

The five of them mix to exemplify how Riley switches between her volatile moods while adjusting to new life in California. Joy steadies the ordeal, ready to correct any issue that may spawn at the blink of an eye. Sadness, on the other hand, works to balance out the happiness that Joy instills.

Needless to say, that dichotomy sends them on an adventure through Riley’s mind, revisiting old memories and exploring new ones as Riley goes through a crisis at school and at home. The two stories converge marvelously, turning Inside Out into one of the more thematically dense pieces Pixar has produced since their inception.

And within the story of Inside Out are a few devastating moments. Imaginary friend Bing Bong (Richard Kind) singlehandedly bodies his subplot and sits in the canon of the most emotionally terrorizing events in any Pixar film.

Director Pete Docter would try to recreate this magic half a decade later with Soul to diminishing returns, which just muddies its own intent too much and diverges into world-building nonsense. Inside Out relatively keeps it clean and concise, paving the way for memorable characters and set pieces.

Although it’s not quite my favorite Pixar movie, it was nice to return to Inside Out and reconfirm my own feelings for it. It’s surprisingly potent and honest, inflicting genuine emotions and ideas into a children’s story that can also be felt by parents and young adults alike. A fascinating mid-period piece by Pixar, who has tried to recapture the magic for years and years since – to the point of a direct sequel. Fingers crossed on the quality of that one.

Score: 3.5/5

Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Family

Where to watch Inside Out (2015)? Disney+

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