Review: Inside Out

I think one of the reasons Pixar has done so well is because it’s never shied away from the big stuff, handing out valuable life lessons at every opportunity. Toy Story taught us the art of growing up and letting go, Finding Nemo demonstrated the power and capability of love and the Cars franchise showed us that money really does corrupt all, even seemingly do-no-wrong animation studios. Considering the grandeur of their teachings, on first inspection Inside Out would seem to be a move into something more low-key. A step into the mind of an eleven year old struggling to come to terms with her family’s cross-country move, that meditates on why and how we feel the way we do. But then again, what could be more vital a question that is relevant to so many? For a studio so fixated on questioning the feelings of everything from monsters to fish to robots it was only a matter of time till they turned there unique view of the world on feelings themselves.

The eleven year old in question is Riley (Dias), who has just moved to San Francisco. The events of her life run parallel to the story being told from inside her head, which is populated by a variety of colourful manifestations of her emotions including the relentlessly positive Joy (Poehler) who runs the show. Joy enthusiastically explains the purpose of her other colleagues; Scatty neurotic Fear (Hader) keeps Riley alive, disdainful Disgust (Kaling) guides her taste in everything from food to fashion, and fiery Anger (Black) conducts her idea of what is fair. But Joy, like many viewers no doubt, simply cannot find a reason for the mopey, bespectacled materialization of sadness (Smith) to exist. With Riley’s life thrown into flux by the move, tensions are high and Joy is even more desperate than usual to prevent Sadness from intervening. In the ensuing chaos the pair are accidentally flung into the back of Riley’s mind with a handful of the core memories that make up her personality. They must traverse the depths of her long term memory and other factions of her psyche and return to the control panel of headquarters, or risk Riley losing those memories and the ability to feel joy (or sadness!) ever again.

Without the constraints of a recognised backdrop, (space, sea, medieval Scotland etc…) the workings of a preteen’s mind gives Pixar room to run wild and the visual inventiveness and creativity shows just how far the studio can push itself. Every nook of Riley’s head is populated with a new conceptual take on part of the brain. There’s the train of thought that carries facts and daydream, the chamber of abstract thinking and the Dream Productions studios which warps the day’s memories with the use of a full camera crew. It’s all delightfully imaginative. Some of the funniest and most entertaining scenes of the film are those that offer a peek at the same operations within other characters’ personalised heads – make sure you stay for the credits! But, as with any big extended visual metaphors such as this, there are undoubtedly plot holes. For example, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell where the true sentience lies and who is in control of what. However, it’s incredibly easy to brush them off because the film is so whimsically endearing, (whereas I delight in picking apart the hideously uncanny and inconsistent world building of Cars…).

Yet for all the high concept dealings with some fairly competent childhood psychology theory and excellent multi-level appeal, there is something wonderfully understated about Inside Out. All the events take place within the frame of a comparatively uneventful day or two. No one will die, the earth won’t cease to exist. If Joy and Sadness fail to return that’s really as far as it goes. But the stakes couldn’t feel higher, and on more than one occasion the drama and deftly handled character development really ups the emotional ante. Watching Riley spiral further and further out of kilter as the remaining Disgust, Anger and Fear attempt to keep control is both funny and heartbreaking. There’s also the arc of Bing Bong (Kind), Riley’s imaginary friend discovered in the bowels of her long-term memory, which comes very close to Toy Story 3 territory with similarly devastating effects – the directing duo’s experience with the emotional heft of Up certainly shines through. The comparatively small scale of the narrative leaves room for imagination and character to impress.

Inside Out is a fabulously perceptive and inventive meditation on mental health, a hugely multifaceted and important topic generally side-stepped by the majority of contemporary films with a similar demographic. It allows the studio to work to it’s sentimental and creative strengths and is certainly one of their best efforts in recent years. Leave it to Pixar to create one of the most skilful, poignant and satisfying answers to one of life’s great existential questions; why do we have to feel sad?

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