Disney’s Pixar studio has this uncanny ability that I think we all need to address and it comes two fold.  Each time they put out an original film it 1) Always separates me from the money in my wallet and 2) Always reduces me to a blubbering mess.  Would Inside Out break that streak for at least #2?!  No, not at all, and not just even at the ending climax, this movie had me either tearing up or just out and out emotional several times and could go down as one of the best Pixar movies ever.  The conceit is so simple, as a little girl named Riley grows up we’re able to see how the emotions that drive her life react in her head, yet it is done so beautifully and smartly that at several turns I couldn’t even believe that an animation studio who makes movies for children would ever take on this task.  Not only is the story written so well but the world inside Riley’s head is completely realized and explained very neatly and quickly and as things progress and Riley grows up it all completely makes sense.

From the very beginning we see how talented Pixar is at finding the voice talent to fit their projects.  Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (voiced by Phyllis Smith), Fear (voiced by Bill Hader), Disgust (voiced by Mindy Kaling) and Anger (voiced by Lewis Black) are all so spot on for their roles as well as other supporting characters who pop up throughout the film.  We see how all of these emotions react to Riley’s life and not only react but also lead her and make decisions for her, ultimately with Joy running the show.  Inside Out does something here and along the ride through the movie of showing so spectacularly what growing up is.  The joy of being a child, the fear of the unknown, the anger of not being in control, the disgust at things that to kids seem weird or different and lastly, the emotion that we as adults and those that are parents try to shield from kids, the sadness.  We all want kids to be happy and joyous but as they grow and develop new experiences, sadness inevitably becomes a factor in their lives and how do they and us deal with that?  Yes, I’m reviewing an animated cartoon, I know, but this is the heaviness that Pixar and co-directors Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen have chosen as their subject and made into a movie for kids, but let’s not “kid” ourselves, this is for the adults just as much.  The team behind this project does so many beautiful things relating to the mind of a child by showing how memories are created and stored and how Riley creates these cities to identify herself and what each of those represent.  They mean so much to her and that’s conveyed perfectly to the audience and when we start to see the effect on those things as Riley makes that transition from childhood it becomes all the more heartbreaking to watch.

I’m going to stop here because I feel like if I go any further I’ll start to give things away but in case you couldn’t tell, I absolutely loved this movie.  The animation doesn’t astound you like previous Pixar films but that’s not the point of this movie.  This movie is so many things wrapped into one but at it’s core it’s a love letter and a break up note to childhood and i’ve never seen any movie contextualize better what it means to be a child, to grow up and to have to move on from that.  By the end I was unable to keep the tears at bay because it tells Riley’s story so completely yet also told all of ours whether we know it or not and through doing that a masterpiece was made.

Recommend? With tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, yes.