The journey to self-awareness can be a difficult trek, sometimes as insurmountable as climbing K2. Here, courtesy of Disney and Pixar, we have our sherpa in the shape of Inside Out, a tour de force animated film which masterfully takes its young and adult viewers alike on an adventure starring human emotions as its lead characters.

Expect to cry. A lot. And laugh. And then cry again. If you can imagine being in a contradictory state where you are both crying and laughing at once then you have a taste of  Inside Out. For those who can’t, it’s the happy tears you shed after witnessing the birth of a child, or every time Pakistan beats India at the cricket World Cup (Okay, bad example), or when you find the last slice of pizza still lying uneaten in the fridge in the morning.

The five emotions headlining Inside Out are Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Anger (Lewis Black), and Fear (Bill Hader). We observe how these emotions function together in the head of an 11-year-old girl named Riley Anderson (Kaitlyn Dias). We also have an often hilarious glimpse of them working in other human beings, and sometimes some animals as well.

After Ratatouille, WALL-E and Up, Pixar finally gets back in touch with its emotions

When Inside Out begins, we learn of how the Andersons are moving from their comfortable home to a place in San Francisco where Riley’s father (Kyle MacLachlan) is starting a new job. It is a difficult time for Riley who says goodbye to her friends, her house, and her beloved hockey team. Meanwhile, Joy tries to keep Riley’s spirits up by focusing on her positive memories. But as we eventually learn, there is more to these memories than happy emotions.

Unfortunately for Riley, her new house is less welcoming than what she had imagined. To make matters worse, she doesn’t have access to her favourite things because of a problem with the moving van. Yet, for the sake of her parents, Riley remains courageous, with Joy in the control room working frantically to keep Sadness from influencing Riley. Here, we curiously note how the other emotions let Joy take charge as they believe her role to be more important than theirs.

Ultimately Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear learn how human beings must experience all emotions and process them in a healthy manner. This is a provoking message for viewers of all ages told through masterful storytelling.

Riley’s defenses are broken further when her father grows moody due to issues with work. In the film’s most amusing scene, the family engages in a heated conversation where the emotions of each individual are on hilarious display. Eventually Riley’s father says some harsh thing to the annoyance of his wife and the unhappiness of Riley. Meanwhile, Anger’s scalp is up in flames.

Things spiral dangerously out of control for Riley, and the film grows quite tense due to the powerful characterisation. Ultimately Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear learn how human beings must experience all emotions and process them in a healthy manner. Every emotion is important, including sadness. This is a provoking message for viewers of all ages told through masterful storytelling.

During the longest act of the film, Joy and Sadness travel through Riley’s ‘Personality Islands’ where her various memories are stored, leaving Disgust, Anger, and Fear to manage Riley. Meanwhile, her treasured Memory Islands tragically fall to dust to the shock of the emotions. Not all of the scenes involving Joy and Sadness work however, especially some of the goofy ones where the earnest attempts at humor fall flat.   

After Pixar’s last three duds, I had grown worried about the studio. Out of the blue, Inside Out is a powerful return to form, and is right up there with Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up. As it turns out, our favourite animation studio merely had to get back in touch with their emotions.

MPAA Rating: PG (for mild thematic elements and some action).

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 5th, 2015

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