Inside Out

Directed by Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen, Inside Out follows an adolescent named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) as her life is thrown into turmoil after her parents decide to move to San Francisco, with the bulk of the movie transpiring within the deepest recesses of her mind – where five emotions (Amy Poehler’s Joy, Phyllis Smith’s Sadness, Bill Hader’s Fear, Lewis Black’s Anger, and Mindy Kaling’s Disgust) attempt to keep Riley on an even keel during this difficult time. It’s an admittedly ambitious premise that is, for the most part, employed to creative and thoroughly captivating effect by Docter and Del Carmen, as the filmmakers, armed with Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, and Docter’s screenplay, deliver a briskly-paced, consistently watchable endeavor that benefits from its top-notch voice performances and frequently eye-popping visual sensibilities – with, in terms of the latter, Docter and Del Carmen suffusing the narrative with bright, colorful landscapes that remain an ongoing highlight within the perpetually watchable proceedings. And while the movie does contain a very small handful of lulls, particularly as Joy and Sadness first embark on a perilous journey through Riley’s mind, Inside Out builds towards an affecting and emotionally-devastating final stretch that ensures it concludes on about as positive and memorable a note as one could envision – thus confirming its place as a top-tier release from Pixar Animation Studios.

***1/2 out of ****