Pixar's latest animated destined-to-be classic is built around the concept of how our various emotions affect our behavior. Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Anger (Lewis Black) and Fear (Bill Hader) are headquartered in the Control Center of the mind of happy 11-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), who moves from her idyllic Minnesota home to San Francisco, where she has trouble adjusting. The three stabilities in her life—family, friendship, and hockey—suffer. While Joy once dominated Riley's consciousness, keeping Sadness on the sidelines, now both are sucked from the Control Center and plunged into the myriad kaleidoscopic channels of her brain after Riley realizes that she no longer has friends she can rely on, and subsequently loses confidence in her hockey abilities. At the dinner table, Mom (Diane Lane) and Dad (Kyle MacLachlan) react to petulant, pre-teen Riley's moody rebellion, which is a reflection of her insecurity. Director Pete Docter explores “inside” Riley's mind, which reacts to the “outside” world, depicting the brain's inner workings with honesty, humor, and compassion, with each experience presented as a marble that rolls over ramps and through chutes, landing on a Train of Thought, sometimes bypassing Long Term Memory, or leading to Abstract Thinking, or even Goofball Island. Colorful, captivating, and funny, Inside Out is one of the most ambitious and exciting animated films ever made. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Granger)
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