Whenever a new Pixar movie comes out, I’m recently skeptical
as to whether it’s worth the purchase or not. Cars having wasted my time twice didn’t really help that lot. And Brave, for everything it was trying to
do, wasn’t as great as it could have been. But every-so-often, Pixar throws a
new interesting idea to the plate and when it sticks the landing I get blown
away. Today will be one of those times as we discuss Inside Out, which I will put up next to films like Toy Story and Incredibles as one of the best films in the Pixar library.


As per usual Pixar affair, Joy and Sadness learn to adapt to
each other and work together to make Riley whole again. The end result is a
more emotionally balanced person who as learned from the error of her ways. But
there are plenty of gut wrenching moments and sad times that really remind you
that Pixar knows how to emotionally manipulate you. You can go from laughing at
jokes about losing a train of thought or having a song stuck in your head to
mourning the loss of a beloved imaginary friend or seeing it click in a young
girl’s head that running away won’t solve her problems.
The thing is, these are problems that kids can relate to
because while other Pixar films would show them how to be brave facing off
against Emperor Zurg or monsters in your closet, this film chooses a more
subdued approach. The lesson here is that you have to be brave, even if you
don’t know what’s wrong with yourself and to be open about how you feel. There’s
no goofy side-character to help Riley through her problems like Timon and Pumba
or Abu. That job falls on the five emotional-characters in her head keeping her
functioning. This film still manages to be funny, but it’s probably one of the
most intelligent Pixar films I’ve ever seen in terms of showing kids how one’s
mind (sort of) works. Or it at least gives them a basic understanding of it.
It’s by no means perfect. While certain characters get lots
of screen time to be fully explored, Fear, Disgust, and Anger really don’t. I
get that’s partly because it isn’t their story, but it makes them feel rather
two-dimensional. But as other critics were quick to point out, these emotions
in the mind of an 11-year-old girl really can’t explore too much depth and
complexity as someone who is aged and has seen things to truly be afraid of or
to trigger their rage. But a sequel showing Riley entering puberty (which is
hinted at strongly in this film) would be a cool idea to help expand those
emotions a bit more. I’m not saying this needs a sequel, but they certainly
have ways to make it work and still carry some weight to it (unlike a fourth Toy Story).

This will easily make my top ten list for the year unless something
else comes around to unseat it. But given what I’ve seen thus far, I feel like
that list is already coming along nicely. Again, to sum it up, great concept
and premise. Pixar has come back with a real winner of a film that hits all the
right notes despite telling the same basic story outline you see in their other
films. Good characters, writing ,and finding new ways to make us cry are the
skills Pixar shows off here and damn do they deliver.
That’s all for this week. I’ll see you next time for more Reloading Reviews. And if you enjoyed
the review, consider leaving a comment and telling us what you liked about the
movie. We’d also appreciate it if you liked, shared, commented, and subscribed.
Thanks bunch and see you next week!
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