Usually I don't feel qualified discussing animation, but it's hard to avoid praising Inside Out (2015). Pixar's new feature is their best since Finding Nemo, a movie that's funny, heartwarming and profound in turns. Inside Out depicts 11 year old Riley;(Kaitlyn Dias) through her mental emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Anger (Lewis Black) and Fear (Bill Hader). Everything's swell until Riley moves from Minnesota to San Francisco, throwing her life off-balance. To Joy's dismay, Sadness becomes the predominant emotion, and a mishap lands them deep in Riley's mind. As they struggle to reach Headquarters, Riley sinks into a depression, alarming her parents (Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane), and befuddling the other emotions.
On a visual level alone, Inside Out is faultless. Director Pete Docter and his animators conjure imaginative visuals of a child's mind: an imagination world full of French fries forests and dopey "fantasy boyfriends," a surreal limbo where our protagonists dissolve into cubist art, endless corridors of memories stored in multi-colored marbles. Different pillars of Riley's personality become amusement parks, crumbling into dust when events threaten her emotional balance. Docter balances these imaginative scenes with Riley's external existence and her parents' emotional states, each person having specialized avatars.
Throughout, Inside Out achieves a faultless tonal balance. The humor veers from cultural references to slapstick to outright goofiness: there's a running gag about chewing gum that generates bigger laughs each time. Yet it fits snugly alongside the emotional elements, as Riley grows close to depression. These strands meet in Bing Bong (Richard Kind), Riley's long-forgotten imaginary friend. He's endlessly cheerful yet painfully aware of his own obsolescence; this conflict culminates in a heart-wrenching sendoff.
Indeed, maturity and balance are Inside Out's major themes. At first, Joy seems our natural protagonist, with Sadness a bumbling liability. When Sadness starts warping Riley's memories, it's a Bad Thing: at one point, Joy considers abandoning her. Then Joy encounters a memory of Sadness salvaging a bad day. Memories, however pleasant, are often tinged with sadness and regret; sadness can foster empathy and closeness. Inside Out's vision of growth involves not constant contentment but appropriate emotions.
Inside Out is a flawless, multilayered family movie. Kids can enjoy the cute characters, bright animation and zippy humor; adults will appreciate the earned emotion and unexpected depth. After several years of underperforming, Pixar's reclaimed its title.
