Once again, the Disney Pixar animation studio has blew our minds with yet another brilliant and heartwarming masterpiece, Inside Out. Elegantly expressed and highly imaginative, the bold film touches on the emotions and thoughts that form inside of someone’s mind as he or she ventures through life’s conundrums, ultimately speaking to children and adults alike.
Directed and co-written by Pete Docter, the fine mind behind Monsters, Inc. and Up, and co-directed by Ronnie del Carmen, the inventive narrative plays out within the psyche of a 11-year-old pre-teen named Riley, whereby the emotions inside her mind, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, are constantly trying to make sense Riley’s overall well-being and keep everything in order.
By operating levers and buttons on a console, these five emotions produce Riley’s responses when provoked and Joy, the bright-eyed, bubbly micro-manager of the crew, perpetually tries to kindle positive feelings for Riley to keep her happy. Of course, this is all done for good reason as this creates positive long-term memories, which reflect Riley’s core nature.
Then, crisis comes as the ice hockey-loving Riley moves from Minnesota to San Francisco with her parents and she is forced to adjust to new life, making a new scary house feel like a home, attending a new school with anguish, and joining a new ice hockey team. Naturally, her trauma triggers negative emotions that intensely consumes her and all the things that define who she is, such as family, friendship and hockey.
Riley’s depressing mood worsens when Joy and Sadness wander off in the deep pits of Riley’s mind. The two eventually get lost and this causes a malfunction in her mind where the other three emotions, Anger, Fear and Disgust, are left to deal with Riley’s ongoing dilemmas. Would Joy and Sadness ever make it back to the control room inside Riley’s mind and would Riley become harmoniously happy again? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.
This epic compelling and whimsical journey of growing up definitely pulls on heartstrings and has a sense of innocence that also touches on family values, which is something all of us can relate to. Inside Out has managed to turn a simple theme into a lively, sophisticated and delightful feature that’s sure to become an instant classic, especially for the younger generations of the online computer age.
Inside Out also reminds all of us that the best moments in life are bittersweet and that sadness is just as valuable as happiness. Ultimately, these emotions make us who we are and our ability to feel helps us learn along life’s unforeseeable journey.
Inside Out premiered in Malaysian cinemas on August 20th. View the movie trailer here:
