Combining a wonderful message with smart-witted dialogue and the stellar animation we’ve come to expect from Disney Pixar, Inside Out is a fantastic choice for young and old these school holidays.
Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear—these are the emotional voices in our head that are given characters in Inside Out, a film which explores how feelings can control our lives.
As 11-year-old Riley tries to cope with leaving her beloved Minnesota behind, her emotions each try to steer her through the challenges of moving to a new city. With Sadness (Phyllis Smith) taking the reins more than Joy (Amy Poehler) likes, the two emotions end up in a fight that goes disastrously wrong.
Ejected from Riley’s mind headquarters, we follow Joy and Sadness as they work through Riley’s memories, subconscious, imagination and thoughts, on their journey back to headquarters. But they need to hurry. With Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Fear (Bill Hader) in charge of Riley, as you can imagine, these are not the emotions you want controlling your mind.
Inside Out makes wonderful sense of the very complex emotions children can experience, and in doing so with good humour and heart, it makes for a standout film. Without being trite or heavy-handed, the movie is laden with valuable messages to help young people feel ok about feeling lots of different ways. It’s also funny and filled with the intelligence Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader always bring to their work.
My 8-year-old daughter gave it 10 stars, and as a mum who usually frets about having to sit through children’s films, I too was pleasantly surprised and genuinely entertained by Inside Out—which is out just in time for the school holidays.
Directed by: Pete Docter, Ronaldo De Carmen
Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling
Rating: G
Runtime: 94 mins
Release Date: June 18
Reviewer rating: 4/5
