Inside Out (2015) Dir: Pete Docter
Disney and Pixar's 2015 team-up, directed by Pete Docter, was one of the many recent animated family comedies I've unfortunately missed or pushed down the watchlist for whatever reason. With the release of the recent sequel, it reminded me that actually this one might be worth watching.
I liked most of the character designs, except for the protagonist's, which didn't quite fit for me. Everyone else looked a good mix of silly, fantastical and imaginative. I enjoyed the setting for the main characters too, I thought it was an interesting interpretation of the mind.
On a more general note, the animation was pretty wonderful. I wouldn't say its Disney and/or Pixar's best, but I still appreciated it a good deal. The same analysis can be applied to the soundtrack, although I found the key theme a little repetitive by the end, although I appreciate its supposed to be the main theme of the film.
The story had its moments, and while it was quite predictable, and certainly cheesy, it had a great sense of adventure, and dipped between character perspectives quite nicely. It's also worth pointing out, for myself as well as others, that the film is for kids, and evidently, in that sense, the film does its job pretty successfully.
Amy Poehler brought her typical flair and energy to the leading role, and provided an upbeat and excitable vibe that proved infectious and enjoyable. Her character wasn't the most interesting in the film, but I didn't mind her regardless.
Phyllis Smith was the standout performer for me. She lent her voice, familiar to fans of 'The Office', to what turned out to be the most enjoyable character in the film. I thought her Eeyore-esque portrayal of 'Sadness' was a brilliant call, and confirmed to me that she was a very wise casting choice.
Richard Kind and Kaitlyn Dias gave the best of the other voice acting performers. Both were very good at expressing their character's emotions, and certainly embodied their roles well enough. I also enjoyed the other actors who lent their talented voices to the cast; Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan.
Overall, this was a fairly standard but fun family comedy, which told a solid story with plenty of morals and adventure. It seems like a bundle of fun for its target audience though, and at the end of the day, that's the most important thing. If the kids enjoy it, that's enough for me.
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