Inside Out

This review may contain spoilers!

The animated film that will make adults cry. I would give Inside Out a 7.5/10.

The animation within this film is incredible; making a world out of a human mind by blending such vibrant colours and shapes. I think the design and presentation of the film on it's own is enough to really speak for the film. However beyond this we are shown a well paced film with some very engaging characters. The story itself is an incredibly metaphorical story about the human psyche and about growing up (as well as Depression and a whole list of incredible themes). This worked best when it stopped acting like a children's film and worked as an incredible story for all ages.

Amy Poehler, who voiced Joy, was an incredible lead; she really embraced her emotion but led the character's progress to the extent that we see her embrace Sadness as an emotion. Richard Kind, who voiced Bing Bong, was one of the most memorable characters of the film; in fact you grow so attached to him that when he is 'forgotten' it's remains as one of the saddest moments in the film. Mindy Kaling, who voiced Disgust, was an incredibly entertaining and amusing character; in fact she was such a sassy and strong comedic presence within this film. Kaitlyn Dias, who voiced Riley, was a fantastic viewpoint in this film; she showed what was happening within her mind in a really fantastic and engaging way. Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan, who voiced Mom and Dad respectively, are some really engaging characters within this film; the chemistry with Dias is incredible and it works to the advantage of the human element of this film.

The best performance within this film comes from Lewis Black, who voiced Anger. At first we see Anger as a source of comedy, albeit a bit darker than some of the lighter comedy in this film. However beyond some of the exceptional comedy elements this character presents where are shown something else entirely through Black's performance. Black guides a role that acts where an antagonist would normally act but who is entirely a protagonist in how they treat Riley. Anger takes us to some of the worst points for Riley and creates a fantastic third act.

Where this film suffered was where it fell into appealing to it's younger audiences; ultimately this was treated as a children's animated feature. But throughout you came to expect more from it than simple humour and moments, this film could have been a lot more powerful if it had moved away from dumbing down the story and the characters. The music within this feature is quite tame and falls into the backdrop more often than not, it certainly isn't something you come to remember strongly.

Phyllis Smith, who voiced Sadness, has a truly annoying voice; her character evolves little over the course of the film and brings the Joy plot down. Bill Hader, who voiced Fear, was a role that had little impact upon the story; in fact his over the top performance merely undermined some good scenes.