Many people can relate to inner voices that stem from emotions. From mundane internal debates over what shirt to wear or whether to eat that last cookie, to more serious conversations with yourself, such as deciding whether to quit your job or psyching yourself up for a big presentation.
The world inside the head of an 11-year-old girl who is torn away from her stable life is the subject of Pixar's newest film Inside Out. We meet the incredible cast of eccentric beings that live inside the psyche of Riley. While each of them is different and has friendships and conflicts, each is part of Riley's personality and their collective decisions and actions reflect what Riley does in the real world.
Sounds a bit deep for a children's movie? There may be some adult themes prevalent throughout the film but, as Chris Nashawaty for Entertainment Weekly said: "There's enough slapstick and silliness to keep kids entertained (including Richard Kind's quickly-being-forgotten imaginary friend, the rainbow-colored elephant Bing Bong)."
Each character that represents a different emotion Riley is going through gets a chance to play the leader of the group, depending on the challenges in Riley's life, such as moving to a new town, making new friends and growing up.
Even though each little character on their own little island in the gumball machine that is Riley's brain must rise up to their challenges, they are never completely at odds with each other and must work together. As Mary Pols explained in her Time review of the movie:
"[What] makes the movie so rich and enlightening, even for an adult well acquainted with their own blue periods, is the depiction of emotions not as at war with each other but rather in a constant juggling act to keep their human going."
The film also has some heartbreaking moments, which reflect a struggle that many parents face in real life. Although Riley's parents mean well, they seem to instill a false sense of happiness in their daughter rather than genuine joy, which will only prevail much later in the movie.
A.O. Scott, for the New York Times, described it best when he wrote:
"'Inside Out' turns a critical eye on the way the duty to be cheerful is imposed on children, by well-intentioned adults and by the psychological mechanisms those grown-up authorities help to install. 'Where's my happy girl?' Riley's parents are fond of saying when she seems down, and the forced smile that results is quietly heartbreaking."
All in all, Inside Out manages to be a rare film that kids will enjoy for the sheer visual delights and forays into the imagination. Adults too will be able to understand its deeper themes, which just might make them shed a few tears.
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