For the last twenty years Pixar has taken us up to infinity and beyond when it comes to animation. With every peak though you are going to have to be valleys, we will call these valleys “Cars 2” and “Monsters University”. What Pixar has become is studio who seems to have abandoned the great original stories it was known for, and instead has relied on sequels. While that path isn’t always bad, since the “Toy Story” movies seem to get better each time they make a new one, but that isn’t the norm as we all know. So how can you fix the once unstoppable train? Simple you get it back on the right track, and then it will be ‘all aboard’ for everyone.
Most movie lovers know that the sequels are still coming, as we will get to find Dory soon. Until then Pixar is doing something it hasn’t done before, It’s releasing two movies in the same year, and the first one up is “Inside Out”. Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is your normal little girl, and by normal I mean she has emotions that run her life. Well these emotions of hers have names, there is Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and of course Sadness (Phyllis Smith). Together they form the headquarters in Riley’s head, and help shape how she views the things that happen around her. After a move to a new city with her mom (Diane Lane) and dad (Kyle MacLachlan) Riley starts to have problems. While the new city and new friends pose issues, the main problem for Riley is that Joy and Sadness get lost, and you never want to leave Anger and Fear in charge of anything (just ask the Jedi). So all Joy and Sadness have to do is make it back to where they belong, so they can give Riley the emotions she needs to live life in balance (like the Jedi).
With the missteps taken by Pixar, along with the “meh” trailers, you had to have a little doubt on what this could be, even if the story sounded like another home run. The good news is that, while not a home run, “Inside Out” is a very good original and funny idea. Everyone has the list of their favorite Pixar movies, that most probably start with one of the “Toy Story” films, with “Inside Out” you have a movie that will make the top 5 of most people’s best films from this beloved studio. With animation it seems Disney has stolen Pixar’s secret ingredient, with their stream of good films lately, but Pixar has got back a bit if it for this film. With touching moments that you expect and enough comedy to make you feel good, “Inside Out” offers a good balance of both joy and sadness. Take your kids to this movie this weekend and with them you can rediscover those forgotten memories. With “Inside Out” everyone will have a good time, and make you remember how good Pixar can be.
Brian Taylor
