‘Inside Out’ in Review

Disney film highlights the inner workings of a young mind

More stories from Stephanie Kuski

‘Inside Out’ in Review

We all know the feeling when our emotions get the best of us, as if they are controlled by a bunch of buffoons in our head, who really have no idea what they’re doing.

Such is the case in Pixar’s “Inside Out.”

When 11-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is uprooted from her picture-perfect life in Minnesota, her emotions clash on how to best maneuver her new life in San Francisco.

From the perspective of inside Riley’s mind, her five emotions- Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear- find themselves in a sticky situation on Riley’s first day at her new school.

Joy (Amy Poehler) is the leader of the gang and most personifies Riley’s personality as a “happy girl.” When Joy and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) find themselves stranded outside Headquarters after a mishap with Riley’s core memories, they find themselves in deep trouble.

While Joy and Sadness navigate their way through Riley’s psyche, Riley finds herself terribly depressed about the move, losing her friends, and having a bad try-out for the new hockey team. Without Joy in the Headquarters, Riley finds it difficult to feel emotions at all.

Joy and Sadness’s trek back to headquarters takes them through strange, psychedelic corridors of Riley’s young mind, including Imagination Land, Dream Production Studios, and the elusive “abstract.” These corners of the subconscious remind us of the importance of our memories and the meaning behind our emotions.

“Inside Out” is a laugh-until-you-cry kind of movie. This movie speaks to adults and kids alike, reminding us what it feels like to be a kid feeling like the world- and your emotions- are working against you. But as we grow up, we realize that no one is against us, but sometimes life gets hard, and there’s always family and good friends to support us.

This movie truly finds the joy in sadness. A film that will warm your heart, Pixar once again triumphs. Make a point to catch “Inside Out” from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31 at the Woodland Theater. You’ll be glad you did!