Joyful Noise!!!! Pixar Returns Strong In Brilliantly Done “Emotion”
Picture!!!!
Review By: Brandon Porter
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| Meet The Little Voices Inside Your Head. |
Story
Do you ever wonder what goes on inside your own head? Well,
you are about to get a small glimpse at what it’s like. As ten year old Riley endures
the tough period of adolescence, her various emotions Joy (Amy Poehler),
Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Anger
(Lewis Black) are hard at work guiding her through this rough stage of
childhood. When unexpected events start to effect Riley severely, it’s up to
Joy and the gang to save the day and make the life of this ten year old girl
more meaningful than ever.
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| Joy and Sadness on The Train of Thought Heading Back To Headquarters. |
Analysis
After taking a year off, Pixar Animation Studios looked to
make a huge statement after their previous releases garnered less than critical
praise. With an original story, top notch voice cast, and beautiful animation,
the pieces were in place to see the studio get back the magic they once had.
The results: Quite possibly the studios best work in recent years. Inside Out received
universal acclaim with an overwhelmingly positive 98% certified fresh rating
via rotten tomatoes to go with an equally impressive 92% fresh rating from
audiences. However, despite the outstanding critical reception the film, didn’t
grab the number one spot at the weekend box office. But that didn’t mean the
film didn’t do well financially. In fact, the film did just as well financially
as it did critically. Even though the film couldn’t top previous box office
champ Jurassic World, the film pulled in an enormously satisfying $91 Million at
the box office. It is now the biggest opening weekend gross of an original
Pixar film and the studio’s second biggest opening of all time behind 2010’s
Toy Story 3. Overall, Inside Out may not have taken the weekend crown, but the
film still managed to be one of the biggest critically acclaimed blockbusters
of the summer.
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| Joy and Sadness Accompanied By Riley's Imaginary Friend Bing Bong |
Review
Over
the course of my childhood, Pixar has given me some of the most memorable movie
moments ever. However, over the past few years, I had the disappointing feeling
that after so much success that Pixar might have been losing it’s touch. With
films ranging from disappointingly bad to decently passable, I hoped their new
film, Inside Out, would signal that the studio had found the magic that has
made them one of the most consistent and imaginative studios in Hollywood.
After seeing the film, I can only describe it as: one of the best films the
studio has ever created. Inside Out is a rich, vibrant, and nothing short of
brilliant film that shows Pixar still has that golden touch that has made them a
staple in the business for 2 decades. First off, it comes to no surprise that
the film visually gorgeous. Brimming with vibrant color and outstanding detail,
Inside Out is just an absolute joy to look at. Cast wise, the voice acting is
also terrific. The cast does a terrific job bringing the film to life. Amy
Poelher is absolutely a “Joy” to hear as Joy. She gives her character depth, dimension,
and a bright and colorful personality. Phyllis Smith is equally great as sadness.
Despite her character’s moody, negative, and droopy demeanor, she has
great intentions and a good heart despite making things difficult. Richard Kind
is in my mind, one of the great standouts of the film, Bing Bong is a terrific character
that fans won’t help but fall in love with. Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black, and Bill
Hader do equally well as Disgust, Anger, and Fear offering some of the films
best laughs. At the films core in terms of matching the action outside and
inside Riley head, the film is nothing short of brilliant. Early on in the film
inside Riley’s head as a child, Joy’s influence dominates the headquarters with
only small moments of fear, sadness, disgust, and anger. However, as Riley turns
11 and starts experiencing adolescence and trying to adjust to a new environment,
Joy’s presence is increasingly absent which makes sense given adolescence is an
emotional time for a child. From the outside, Riley’s actions perfectly mirror
the stages of adolescence and the action inside her head match perfectly and
hilariously. This “What” concept is classic Pixar strategy that has not been
used in a while but it has resulted in monumental success. “What if your toys
came to life when you were not around?” (Toy Story), “What if the monsters in
your closet actually used your screams to power their city?” (Monsters
Inc), “What if the world were ruled by cars?” (Cars). Inside Out is no
different offering “What happens inside your head when your experiencing
emotions” concept that works amazingly well and makes the film stand out. It
should also be noted that the film can be very emotional and heartbreaking as
it can be funny. There were plenty of moments where I was laughing out loud
then slowly holding back tears. The film is an emotional journey where the
emotions have emotions if that makes any sense. All in all, Inside Out is a
brilliantly done film that show that Pixar has their mojo back. Here to hoping
they continue this consistency with the future films on their list
Rating and Final Thoughts
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Gorgeous animation, hilarious, and brimming with heart and
emotion, Inside Out offers that classic Pixar magic and signals a return to
form for the studio.
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Nothing but joyful vibes in arguably one of the best Pixar
films in the collection.
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