When I left the cinema after watching this film, there was a change to normal. I still had my slightly awkward walk and my jacket was still sodden from the grey downpour that had dribbled all over London, so it wasn’t that – but I was wearing sunglasses. “Why oh why were you wearing sunglasses?” I hear you ask in your millions, “They’re an incredibly impractical thing to wear in a still-quite-dark room as it impairs your visibility directly and you look like a bit of a dick” I also hear you somewhat smarmily add. The answer is this; it was to cover my rather puffy eyes.
I had been crying. HARD.
This film made me cry more than any film in the cinema ever has (even harder than when I saw The Best of Me when I realised how much of my life I had wasted watching it). I’m a very masculine man, consistently mistaken for both Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Ray Winstone (don’t think about the logic of that, just accept it) and while I can be moved by films it takes a lot to make me sob but this did it – a lump materialised in my throat from the first 30 seconds, before it bulldozed the blubgates open with a gut punch to the feels.
In case you’re unsure of what Disney Pixar’s new high-concept movie is, allow me to fill you in; Riley is an 11 year old girl who we follow from her birth, from both outside and inside her head as we witness the inner mechanics of her mind; her “headquarters” are led by her five emotions Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Anger (Lewis Black). As her parents relocate her to San Francisco from Minnesota (oh jeez, no Fargo crossover here I’m afraid), Joy and Sadness get lost away from headquarters and chaos reigns in Riley’s head as they try to get back with the help of her old imaginary friend, a candy floss elephant Bing Bong (Richard Kind).
Directed by Pixar wunderkind Pete Docter, Inside Out is stunning in every capacity. The visuals are as gorgeous as you’d expect from Pixar, and more so – the emotions themselves are beautifully rendered with vibrant, active colouring and skin that looks like it’s made of fuzzy felt that make them come alive even more. San Francisco somewhat deliberately looks grey and drab whereas the rest of the palette is reserved for the vistas and landscapes inside Riley’s mind. The headquarters control room has a kooky Enterprise feel to it whereas the rest of the mindscape has character of its own; from the old school Hollywood feel of Dream Productions to the Lego Movie-esque Imagination Land, every location has been thoroughly thought about and beautifully realised on the screen.
The voice acting too is outstanding, especially from Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith and Richard Kind respectively, quipping their comedic lines with gusto and really powering through with the emotional meat (as much as one can power through meat) when they need to. It’s a very funny film too with concepts and lines reserved especially for adults (the “train of thought” for instance, or the confusion of the “facts” and “opinions” crates being a jab at the Twitter age). But it’s worth noting that the lines, actions and concepts of the film are both so funny and/or heartbreaking not just because of what they are, but what they mean for Riley, and what it’s saying about the very fabric of being human at all. It teaches us that we need to embrace all of our emotions and all of our memories – in fact, the movie makes a whole plot point out of quite why Sadness is needed at all, which is a fair criticism you may have of the film before you wander into the multiplex. The commentary that this film has on human personalities and psychology and even life itself elevates it above any standard animation fare, teaching children and adults alike about depression and about what makes you you. It also provides an explanation as to why songs from adverts get in your head, which is handy because I’ve had the “if you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit join our Club” song in my head for the past 23 years and now I finally know why (bloody Forgetters).
My only worry is that because it’s so high concept and at times challenging that some kids may get confused about what’s going on or may even not like it. But for everybody else Inside Out is utterly wonderful film that delivers in spades for your funny bones and tear ducts. Bring your sunglasses though – you’ll need them…
Richards Reckons 