INSIDE OUT (2015) 4.5

Leaving the theater for this movie, I felt completely refreshed and satisfied. The Pixar short before the feature, Lava is fantastic. As an adult, it helps to get you in the innocent mind frame of seeing an animated movie. Inspired by one small idea, "I lava you," the short is adorable and irresistibly simple.

As for the feature, I was excited to see the film, but had very few preconceived expectations. The introduction absolutely hooks the audience in by going through the intricate maze they created to be the human mind/brain. Concepts of the different sections of the mind, short-term memory, subconscious, and the fading of different memories are extremely simple for a younger audience to grasp and relatable for adults. I found myself actually recalling old, personal memories and reminiscing to those memories I didn't have clear pictures of, such as riding a bike for the first time or my first spoken word.

There also is a solid concept of how these events in everyday life contribute to who you become as an individual. Memories that don't fade are those that shape you. Going through the main character's emotions, I was somewhat emotional seeing the main character Riley, growing and I could see these simple emotions evolving into those more complex. The audience is then able to see this evolution throughout their developed maturity and even the ages of children. It truly captures the idea that emotions are not simply black and white or one color in this case.

Innovative concepts of how we truly remember the past were fantastic. From Imagination Land and even the Dream Studio that featured classic movie posters for those dreams that always tend to circle back, the ideas were extremely entertaining and realistic, as ridiculous as that sounds.

The headquarters, where the emotions are to stay is a win as well. The voiceover choices were spot on. Amy Poehler as Joy captures the essence of true joy and how something inside does ultimately strive for joy regardless of the circumstances. Sadness utilizes the voice of Phyllis Smith, and this is the most impressive by far. There are multiple hilarious quotes from this emotion that the audience can definitely walk away with such as, "Crying helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of my problems," and "We could cry until we can't breathe." Reflecting back, the constant interference with sadness parallels the urge to self-wallow. Bill Hader, Lewis Black, and Mindy Kaling play Fear, Anger, and Disgust and these are not at all lost, even though their role is a bit smaller. The five emotions come together and give some reason to our everyday mood swings.

Near the end of the film, there featured the inner emotions of Riley's mom, dad, a dog, a cashier, a cat, and even a bus driver. These are absolutely hilarious. It is effortless to find someone you to relate these emotion characters to. This feature is the close of the film. At a 94 minute screen time, Inside Out is a huge success. I recommend all ages to go see it. After all, "what could happen?"