I almost fit Pixar’s Inside Out onto my flight to NY (only 95 mins) and just missed the denouement and credits. I’ve read some people say that this is the best Pixar movie so far. While I don’t conclusively agree, I think it does take on an interesting topic for kids – they usually don’t watch movies that are introspective.

The movie happens at the critical point of childhood where they grow up to be a teenager. Riley, the main character has a cross-country move to compound her difficulties adjusting to this period and that gives ample opportunity for her emotions to take over.

I liked the idea of being in one’s mind and understanding actions. Unlike Osmosis Jones, Inside Out shows an angle to kids where they may not have developed a lot or understood about themselves yet. That’s much more useful than imagining your immune system. As an adult, I found the 5 characters a bit simplistic. I guess those are the core emotions. But when they were in the parents head, they probably have more refined roles/emotions that perform decisions.

Watching Inside Out leads to an interesting thought experiment to understand what drives ones own behavior. However, I didn’t think the movie was overly entertaining or funny – although it is a tear jerker at times. Three out of five stars from me.

Posted by Kevin in Blogs Tags: cartoons, moviereview