Inside Out (Cinema Screening)

(spoiler free)

Thanks to ODEON Cinemas Screen Unseen event, UK audiences have been treated to an advanced preview of Pixar’s latest animation, Inside Out. I had mixed feelings about this film before seeing it, I liked the idea of looking at feelings/emotions as characters but I thought it could be a hard idea to execute well, when has Pixar ever let me down before though?

What stands out to me most in the film is just how awesomely clever the whole thing is. The general premise for the film is clever to start with but how Pixar expand and build on this initial idea is just wonderful and was a real pleasure to watch. As we get to explore the Inside of Riley’s head we are taken to different sections, each being so original whilst often drawing influence from very simple sayings or ideas we already have about our own noggins. Also, whilst many of these sections were so crazy and mad they all made perfect sense for this setting, this is definitely Pixar’s most intelligent film to date. Although we are inside Riley’s head for the most part she is never really the main character – instead we are introduced to five of her feelings who tell most of the story; Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger. These five characters were so fantastically written and brought to life through their designs. The chemistry between all of these feelings was perfect too, allowing for may antics and amusing dialogue throughout the film. This chemistry also allowed for endless comedy to feature, I don’t think I have ever laughed as much at a Pixar film as I did here. This is certainly much more than just a kids film, there is humour for all ages in here. Inside Out has much more than just humour though.

As is to be expected with this Disney studio there is definite heart and emotion behind Inside Out and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that tears might be shed. It’s quite an impressive feat really as when you think about it all the main characters are feelings, but throughout the film their characters really are developed as are the viewers feelings towards them. I would have loved to have seen the film from a boys perspective, whilst this isn’t a complaint I just think personally it could have been more powerful and relatable, nonetheless the early years of any child’s life were brought to life wonderfully here through the character of Riley. I thought that a few more emotions/feelings could have made appearances too though, for example – jealousy, loneliness, doubt, excitement etc. I know things could have got crowded but limiting Riley to five emotions seemed a little unrealistic to me and I’d have loved to seen some other feelings maybe even make cameos if you will. All be it that is a very minor complaint as the five main characters all work so well. There is creativity beyond Riley’s head too though as hers isn’t the only head we get to see the inside of. As a result of this creativity many scenes in the film are enhanced and the end credits scenes are quality.

Inside Out should easily restore any lost faith that fans had in Pixar as they are firmly back to their best, this film really could challenge the other classics to be top of the list. Combining humour and heart in the most effective way yet Inside Out will amuse the youngsters and probably connect with the adults in a powerful way. Of course as always there is an inventive and entertaining short to look forward to as well – Inside Out will for sure be a highlight for 2015.

Rating – 9/10