Inside Out.

I'm a big Pixar fan. I love animated films, anyway, but I'm consistently amazed by the quality of the movies that Pixar puts out. Somehow they always manage to set the highest standards and make most other animated films look a bit ridiculous in comparison. (Just being honest, though I will admit that with Tangled and Frozen, Disney has been improving. I know that Pixar is owned by Disney, but you know what I mean.)

Having said that, I wasn't especially excited about their new film, Inside Out. The whole premise didn't seem very interesting, and the previews I'd seen didn't draw me in. But knowing that Pixar movies are almost always amazing, my mom and I still decided to go see it at the theater.

I'm so glad we did! Pixar did not let me down...I loved Inside Out. It was fun and fascinating and beautifully animated and hilarious and heartbreaking. (Most Pixar movies make me tear up, and this one was no exception.)

 

Sadness was, by far, my favorite character. Poor thing. She was so awkward and uncomfortable and melancholy. She reminded me of Puddleglum (from the Chronicles of Narnia), which is probably one of the reasons why I loved her so much. She was just perfect, from her oversized glasses to her knit turtleneck, and she made me laugh a lot.

 

 

The whole plot ended up being really creative and interesting. From what I understand, I think that a lot of it was actually based on what scientists know about the brain and memory and how those things work. I loved how they imagined the long-term memory storage and abstract thought and everything else. I'm not someone who's particularly interested in science or medical stuff or how the brain works, but they presented everything in such a lovely way that I couldn't help but be fascinated.

 

I also loved it when we got a peek inside other characters' heads. That was hilarious. :)

 

As usual, the attention to detail is incredible. Not just little things in the plot or bits of dialogue that I'm sure I won't pick up on until after repeated viewings. But I especially noticed the gorgeous animation details this time. I love the textures of everything! Sadness' hair and the slightly fuzzy look of her sweater. Then there's the way that Joy doesn't look quite like a solid form (she's almost pixilated around the edges) and how that sparkly essence follows her around.

{Also, Lava, the short film before Inside Out, was adorable. Slightly odd, but adorable.}

So...yeah. I was impressed. :) While I think that a couple of the other films like Monsters, Inc. and Up will still remain my absolute favorites, Inside Out is up there at the top in terms of creativity and beautiful animation and an emotionally engaging story. (How do those people at Pixar manage to be such geniuses? I'm a little jealous.)

P.S. The idea of a dinosaur movie doesn't appeal to me much, but after this one I am so ready for The Good Dinosaur later this year. :) Also, if I ever finish my Disney film marathon, I think I'm going to continue it by rewatching and reviewing all of the Pixar films...

 

Have you seen Inside Out? What did you think?