Inside Out
- Jun 29, 2015
- 2 min read
Yet again Pixar picks out a topic from what I presume is a magical hat once used by Mickey Mouse in Fantasia and creates something that appeals to all generations with a fun story, fun characters, and a strong comment on the human condition. Why do we feel what we feel? What happened to the joy we felt as a child? Why can’t we remember the creations of our childhood imaginations? And lastly why is that all okay?
When first watching the trailer for Inside Out it looked like a long shot. Meta movies can be fun but often, in my opinion, sacrifice story telling for too much commentary. The balance of a child’s movie with the introspection of what it means to feel sounded way to deep to be fun. Psychology and cognitive science can only put you to sleep with such lectures, how could Pixar do better?
The answer is simple. Have two easy to enjoy stories happening simultaneously. The center of attention is Joy, who is also very much the emotion in charge of Riley. The audience is guided from birth to Riley’s pre-teen years through the creation of Riley’s identity both internal and external. The explanation is both fun and to understand and only gets better from there.
While the youngest of the audience may not be able to relate to Riley, they can relate to Joy and the adventure she goes on with Sadness. Adults and those who have lived the years or are living the years of 10-13 are given an even better treat of a creative explanation for all of the questions listed in the first paragraph.
Everything we experience is its own character. The novel idea is not alone though as the story does not give a great deal of foreshadowing and will keep you guessing what will happen next. There is no story like it and much like the many artificial intelligence movies of this year it goes down as both a good movie and very thought provoking.
9.8/10
Comments