Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Inside Out

 

Inside Out is a great Pixar movie. Probably not as good as Toy Story, but definitely as good as some of the others that came after Toy Story. It is about a girl named Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) who is forced to move halfway across the country because of her father's new job. Her emotions, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Anger (Lewis Black) control her actions, and her experiences become memories, stored as colored orbs, which are sent into long-term memory each night. The aspects of the five most important "core memories" within her personality incorporate the form of five floating islands. Joy acts as the leader, and she and the rest of the emotions try to limit Sadness's influence. On her first day of school, a sad core memory is created, which Joy tries to dispose of and inadvertently sucks Joy, Sadness, and the core memories out of Headquarters, leaving Anger, Fear, and Disgust to take control of Riley. Hence, on the outside, she becomes a moody teenager. Most of the movie takes place inside Riley's head as Joy and Sadness try to get the core memories back to Headquarters.

The story is one of those that can appeal to kids and adults alike. It will probably have the biggest emotional impact for adults who have children and experience their changing emotions as they grow up, but even if you are an adult without kids, it will definitely have something that reminds you of your childhood and teenage/young adult years. The acting is phenomenal with Poehler great as the lead, and all of the supporting characters doing a wonderful job in their roles. Lewis Black can melt down with the best of them, and having Anger fly off the handle provided some of the funniest moments, along with disgust hating everything. And, Richard Kind as Bing Bong steals pretty much every scene he is in.

For those who get the blu-ray, the A/V quality is great, and there are a lot of extras. Those include a commentary track on the movie, and several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes that range in length from just under five minutes to just under twenty minutes. Then there are three different trailers. So, a lot of good material if you like watching the extras.

Overall, the movie is very good. It goes from being a fun, funny kid's movie to a tear-jerker, sometimes within a single scene. It has a good message and is something people of all ages can enjoy for a long time. It is one of those timeless movies that will be just as good twenty or thirty years from now as it was when it was released. Definitely worth the pick-up.