For some lore on this review series
Inside Out is one of the few Pixar titles that I have watched the most as a jaded grown-up. Not sure if it’s more than four but this rewatch definitely makes it three times in the last few years. Arguably that is not very impressive for some people but for me it’s quite a lot.
Admittedly, the reason why I watched Inside Out more over the other Pixar offerings had more to do with the subject matter than the entertainment of animation so in that capacity it was different viewing experience.
But the question is as always is what are my own subjection feelings, opinions and emotions for Inside Out? Which emotion took control of my personality console as I watched Inside Out?
(Post contains affiliate links)
An Emotional Plot
I think Inside Out was the Pixar movie that really solidified that meme about Pixar movies follow the scheme of “What if blank had feelings” because the crux of Inside Out is what if feelings had feelings.
Plot-wise the film centers on the inner brain workings of an eleven girl, Riley, who is adjusting to life after a major move from Minnesota to San Francisco.
The plot is low stakes all things considered. No one is going to die and no one has to save the world. The characters just have to persevere and maintain the inner workings of one girl who is the world to them.
There are two main plots of Inside Out, Riley’s emotional/personality shut-down leading to a apathy which is a direct result of Riley losing the ability to feel Joy and Sadness as they got thrown out of headquarters. The other plot focuses on Joy and Sadness’ journey through Riley’s mind back to headquarters.
Joy and Sadness’ journey through Riley’s mind is very imaginative. It’s a delightful blends of a lot of whimsical animation and takes an idea that is highly conceptional – the entirely if the human mind a workplace with different department, jobs, and sections – and makes it simplifies it to make it all understandable, entertaining, fun and emotional satisfying.
It’s also in this journey that these seemingly opposing emotions go on where Joy learns to feel sad herself and that Sadness is a healthy emotion that Riley needs. In this way Joy matures to be able to comprehend more complexity to the concept of Joy, like bittersweetness.
Animated with Feeling
It’s par for the course that Pixar animates their movies extremely well. Inside Out really did like it went the extra mile to render the part of the brain and its function to animation. Also the design style of the emotions is great especially with all their textures.
People often site the sequence when Bing-Bong, Joy and Sadness go through the abstract though tunnel with its animation change as inspired and yes it is, I love the scene too.
I also appreciate the different style of animations for the “real human world” and the inner-workings. Also how other people’s minds are different from Riley’s mind. Just a neat bit of extra-ness that makes all the difference.
Also another bit of delightful extra-ness is Riley’s outfits. She starts off a wearing rainbows as sign the her emotions are balance and them she wears black when she in mental brake down and apathy. Great touch.
An Emotional Villain?
There is some discourse of who the “villain” or “antagonist” is in Inside Out. Many will say there isn’t one, some say Joy, some consider Riley herself but I have another idea. I will say the “villain” isn’t nefarious it’s more the result of stress and a feed-back loop but it’s the mom, a.k.a Jill.
Again, she is not coming from a place of evil intent but when she thanks Riley for being “their happy girl” through the adjust to their cross-country movie that is when Riley really starts to suppressed her sadness and when Joy took a more proactive lead over the console. This leads to Sadness trying to get expressed but Joy thwarting the attempt which causes the mix-up of getting the two emotions getting thrown out of headquarters.
While it’s easy to latch on to Joy as the villain it only because the mom values Riley’s upbeat happiness which inadvertently made Riley suppresses sadness. Thus made clear as right before this conversation Riley was about to let take Sadness take lead of the console which she needed to process her life change hence while Sadness felt the call to touch the memories.
Though it understandable if you want to go no villain or it’s Joy, the debate is fun sometimes.
Maybe A Little Too Emotional
While this is not the most depression movie I have ever seen, it’s a difficult to rewatch. First there is the gut-punch of Bing Bong’s sacrifice of his existences so that Riley can feel joy again. There is also just the overalls themes of this movie. The theme being that heavy, painful and difficult emotions need to be felt. In that capacity Inside Out is a very relatable movie that offer some form of escape but also feels more real that other movies.
Closing Thoughts & Feelings
All in all, Inside Out is a great movie with compelling themes, stunning character design and art style and voice acting. It’s the total package but it feels just too heavy to really rewatch with some regality as some the other Pixar movie and I say having watched this more than most of the Pixar movies.
Also to answer the question of Which emotion took control of my personality console as I watched Inside Out? Maybe Sad Joy? Bittersweet or charmolypi? I do enjoy this movie but Inside Out encourage sadness so it’s ok to feel it.
Shout-out to the TripleDent Gum running joke, I enjoyed that.
