Inside Out
Director: Pete Docter
(In theaters)
B+
With a pretty outstanding list of movies under its belt, Pixar didn’t have to try very hard to sell me on seeing Inside Out. Despite being well into my 20s, I love a good animated film just as much as I did 15 years ago. Ignoring the general lack of luster I’ve felt for Hollywood and its knack for churning out recycled plots and subpar sequels, I spent the money to see the eagerly anticipated film about emotions.
If you simply watch the movie and decline to think too much about it, Inside Out is wonderful. Pixar sold audiences on a new concept: an 11-year old girl who is battling an ever-increasing depression brought on by adolescence and a moving to a new town. That synopsis alone is more suited to a dark and complex indie B-list film than an animated one, but Inside Out explores emotions without becoming bogged down, making the movie as suited for children as it is for the adults who bring them.
Pixar kept with its tradition of exploring difficult situations and complex emotions. 2009’s Up! dealt with the end of a lifelong romance and new beginnings, while 2012’s Brave saw a princess rejecting marriage as an end-goal. Keeping with this Pixar tradition, Inside Out‘s female protagonist isn’t a princess, and romance doesn’t take away too much of the plot. In a world where women still struggle to shatter the glass ceiling, it’s phenomenal and empowering to finally have a female front-and-center in a movie (even if she’s animated). Topping off this already winning combination is Pete Docter, who directed Up! and has co-written many of Pixar’s films. Our main character, Riley (voiced by Kaityln Dias), has help telling her story through her emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). Other familiar voices include Rashida Jones, Diane Lane, Frank Oz, Richard Kind, and even Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. With over half of the main characters played by actors from hits like Parks and Recreation and The Office, it’s hard not to expect greatness.
Keep your expectations in check, however, because it isn’t all puppies and kittens. Inside Out lacks the impressive animation of Sully’s appearance in Monster’s Inc. or the detail in Ratatouille. Although it is still a gorgeous film, and the entire design is much simpler than previous films. For example, Joy appears as a plain sprite; the surrounding San Francisco area is, like Riley, rarely seen; and the cavernous corridors of Long Term Memory are less than spectacular. Perhaps in an age where new and outstanding graphics are hard to accomplish, Pixar is simply shifting its attention to groundbreaking plots — an arena in which they are still the main contender.
Despite trying to center on Riley’s story, Inside Out focuses more on the relationship between Joy and Sadness as they try to return Riley’s core memories to their rightful place. With Riley hardly seen on-screen, it’s hard not to notice the juxtaposition of Joy — a thin, bright sprite in a dress — and Sadness — a short, dowdy, dull character in glasses. Perhaps Pixar made the differences so stark to better illustrate the differences in the emotions, but it could be a slight nod towards the everlasting waif figure to which most Disney and Pixar female protagonists succumb. It’s also worth noting that what little emotions we see from the parents adhere to strict gender stereotypes. Similarly disappointing, the mother perpetuates a 1950s-style stay-at-home mom. Pixar uses so much energy confronting adolescent emotions and creating complex female protagonists that there’s none left over for parental roles.
Overall, though, Pixar succeeds in slowly scraping at the glass ceiling and confronting the transition from childhood into adolescence. The three female protagonists — Riley, Joy, and Sadness — are allowed to grow and learn without their gender being of any major consequence; it’s a huge accomplishment when most animated films feature princesses finding their prince as the only storyline. These characters are allowed to have depth and complexity beyond a relatively simple plot, which puts a spotlight on the relationship between happiness and misery. The slow rollercoaster ride of the film will have you laughing and crying in turns, with just enough pause to appreciate both.
