Inside Out is the greatest movie Pixar has ever made. It sounds hyperbolic but it’s the truth. The quality of the writing, acting, animation, and message is so immense that the movie easily bests Pixar’s best.
Inside Out is about a girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), who goes through an emotional upheaval when her parents move her from Minnesota to San Francisco. Her personified emotions—Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Anger (Lewis Black)—clash as they try to figure out how to make Riley the happy little girl she once was.
The concept of venturing into a person’s head isn’t particularly new, but it has never been seen like this before. A significant chunk of Inside Out involves Joy and Sadness journeying through Riley’s mind, and that’s where the movie’s imagination runs wild. Whether it’s portraying dreams as a movie studio or visualizing a person’s “train of thought” as an actual train, Inside Out’s conception of the human mind is both exceedingly clever and coherent.
But the movie’s power lies in its depth. Inside Out is about accepting the complexity of emotions. Joy is determined to keep Sadness out of Riley’s memories because she thinks joy is all Riley needs. And Riley keeps a façade of happiness because she believes that’s what her parents expect from her. But the movie beautifully shows that sometimes happiness isn’t attainable and that sadness may be what’s necessary in order to feel joy.
Inside Out is bursting with excellent performances but the clear standout is Phyllis Smith as Sadness. She had the toughest job—that of making the ultimate “Debbie Downer” likable—and she succeeded. Smith brings such humor and empathy to the character that Sadness isn’t just likable but greatly relatable.
Inside Out’s existence is so important. Many children seeing this movie will be going through the same changes as Riley. This movie not only gives those children a language to express their emotions, but it also gives them the knowledge that they aren’t alone.
