Review of Inside Out (2015) by Kevin D — 23 Apr 2016

I saw Inside Out twice now, once at the theater and once at home, and I've learned to appreciate it on a couple of levels.

First, just as a kids movie, it's pretty great. It has a simple enough plot for the family to enjoy, with lots of cute moments and jokes. Kids will love it obviously for the characters, and adults can get into the themes behind the action as well. The importance of family, spending time together, learning to deal with problems as a unit are all part of the story line as well. I think it's one of those films that families appreciate for keeping a lighthearted approach to difficult family topics, and some downright emotional moments that Pixar so excels at. So I think it deserves high praise. It's silly, but it's a smart kind of silly.

Secondly, is how the plot, characters, and events all follow a theme of psychology. I was surprised at how many terms I had heard previously in my university classes. Short term, and long term memory storage, abstract thought and reasoning, and how people form their personality around core childhood memories. I was surprised at how well the story was blended together with that of our own minds and reflections. You have to wonder what goes on in your own mind, when you loose interest in lets say... a hobby, or a relationship, or grow apart from family as well.

As Riley progresses through a major life change, she also follows some very specific stages of loss as well. I was caught up when I was noting the small changes in her personality as she hits different stages. Isolation at school, anger at home with her family, depression, and acceptance. Anyways, it was really interesting to catch those terms of the stages she goes through during the movie. I'm sure there are lot's more for the psychologists out there.

So without giving away too much, this is a great addition to the Pixar repertoire. Fun for everyone. A cute family movie, smart in many ways. A cute family movie, smart in many ways.

4/5.