Pixar goes cerebral, visualizing hormones and emotions as walking, talking avatars in the mind of a pre-teen girl. Shaken by a cross-country move at a very sensitive age, we see her struggle from both perspectives: in the upstairs control room, where various color-coded operators are baffled by her mood swings, and in the outside world, where friends and family are similarly perplexed. Inside Out is a high-concept production, one which does occasionally beat us over the head with symbolism, but its writing is generally sharp and clever and it’s adept at distilling lofty ideas to a format that’s digestible for all ages. And Pixar certainly knows how to tug the heart strings, as they do repeatedly during the dueling inside/outside crises at the film’s climax.
Not as consistent as the studio’s better efforts, the plot is a balancing act between moments where the philosophical gambles pay off and those where it gets a little too cute. The vital push-and-pull between Hope and Sadness is at the heart of things, an uneasy friendship/rivalry that tips and sways before reaching a state of zen, and that’s handled very well. The two abstract creatures’ escape through the long-term memory banks and bumpy rides on the train of thought... eh, those felt like more of a reach. A convenient use of familiar terms to suit the narrative.
When they work, Inside Out’s big concepts are deep and powerful; an elegant way to dissect complicated thoughts and feelings by way of shiny blue, gold and purple cupie dolls. When they don’t, the illusion swiftly falls apart. Before the story concludes, we get plenty of the former, but also a not-insignificant helping of the latter. A nice rebound from the missteps of Cars 2 and Monsters University, but not quite as sweeping, engulfing, or rewarding as the pillars of the studio’s classic catalog.
Review by drqshadowBlockedParent2020-01-31T16:46:41Z— updated 2024-01-23T14:49:30Z
Pixar goes cerebral, visualizing hormones and emotions as walking, talking avatars in the mind of a pre-teen girl. Shaken by a cross-country move at a very sensitive age, we see her struggle from both perspectives: in the upstairs control room, where various color-coded operators are baffled by her mood swings, and in the outside world, where friends and family are similarly perplexed. Inside Out is a high-concept production, one which does occasionally beat us over the head with symbolism, but its writing is generally sharp and clever and it’s adept at distilling lofty ideas to a format that’s digestible for all ages. And Pixar certainly knows how to tug the heart strings, as they do repeatedly during the dueling inside/outside crises at the film’s climax.
Not as consistent as the studio’s better efforts, the plot is a balancing act between moments where the philosophical gambles pay off and those where it gets a little too cute. The vital push-and-pull between Hope and Sadness is at the heart of things, an uneasy friendship/rivalry that tips and sways before reaching a state of zen, and that’s handled very well. The two abstract creatures’ escape through the long-term memory banks and bumpy rides on the train of thought... eh, those felt like more of a reach. A convenient use of familiar terms to suit the narrative.
When they work, Inside Out’s big concepts are deep and powerful; an elegant way to dissect complicated thoughts and feelings by way of shiny blue, gold and purple cupie dolls. When they don’t, the illusion swiftly falls apart. Before the story concludes, we get plenty of the former, but also a not-insignificant helping of the latter. A nice rebound from the missteps of Cars 2 and Monsters University, but not quite as sweeping, engulfing, or rewarding as the pillars of the studio’s classic catalog.