Inside Out (Pete Docter)

[Philip J. Fry]

Trailer:
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IMDb / wiki / RT

Official Website

[Watashi]

I heard it sucks.

[TGM]

Yeah, Pixar's not just back, this film is the absolute best they've ever, ever been. Stunningly brilliant, mesmerizingly imaginative, and it absolutely hits all of the feels, all of 'em. Not a dry eye in the house for this one, myself included. Just, holy fucking shit, dude. I didn't know this level of brilliance was possible to capture on film. Just a beautiful movie, in every sense of the word.

[Philip J. Fry]

Yeah, Pixar's not just back, this film is the absolute best they've ever, ever been. Stunningly brilliant, mesmerizingly imaginative, and it absolutely hits all of the feels, all of 'em. Not a dry eye in the house for this one, myself included. Just, holy fucking shit, dude. I didn't know this level of brilliance was possible to capture on film. Just a beautiful movie, in every sense of the word.

I'm so watching this next Monday or Tuesday.

[Weems]

Yeah, Pixar's not just back, this film is the absolute best they've ever, ever been. Stunningly brilliant, mesmerizingly imaginative, and it absolutely hits all of the feels, all of 'em. Not a dry eye in the house for this one, myself included. Just, holy fucking shit, dude. I didn't know this level of brilliance was possible to capture on film. Just a beautiful movie, in every sense of the word.

The humor worked very well in this film, but the sentimentality (and the broader storytelling arc) to me didn't. [

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Even my reaction to Bing Bong's fate was more a bemused "Oh, that's too bad" than an emotional pang. It almost came to life when Joy abandoned Sadness, but didn't really go on to maintain the dramatic integrity of that sequence.

]This is one of the Pixar installments that felt more concerned with seeming clever than being engaging.

[Mal]

I wasn't expecting a therapy session but I cried like a little bitch during this movie. I also took my autistic uncle to see it and he has never been so transfixed on the screen by a film before in the theater. There's something very smart and special about this story, it goes to another place to discuss humanity that few films even attempt. I look forward to seeing it again.

[Spinal]

This was OK. I mean it's Pixar, so naturally it's cloying as hell. There's some decent laughs though. Lewis Black makes the strongest impression. If Joy had to go through all that to learn the lesson she learns in the end, then she really wasn't qualified for her job in the first place.

[transmogrifier]

This was OK. I mean it's Pixar, so naturally it's cloying as hell. There's some decent laughs though. Lewis Black makes the strongest impression. If Joy had to go through all that to learn the lesson she learns in the end, then she really wasn't qualified for her job in the first place.

I was wondering whether the sheer unbridled ejaculatory enthusiasm from many critics for this was partly a response to the fact Pixar has been treading water for the last three movies and they are just glad to have their darling back, mainly because I thought the trailer looked bland.

I realize I'm just being a bit of a cynic and have no real reason to comment here until I see it, but I like to own up to my biases from time to time. I just don't think Pixar is any better or worse than other major animation studio division in terms of the quality of their output: some good stuff, some bad stuff, some stuff in between.

[Peng]

To me Pixar does have a more adult approach to character nuance and emotions that distinguishes them from other animation studios though. I feel like if you show any of their films to me without telling in advance (and obscuring the logo at the beginning), I am sure I can always tell it's them, except for Cars 2 and A Bug's Life. Those are Pixar at their most frantic in term of characters and pacing, and not coincidentally, my two least favorite.

[number8]

I was wondering whether the sheer unbridled ejaculatory enthusiasm from many critics for this was partly a response to the fact Pixar has been treading water for the last three movies and they are just glad to have their darling back, mainly because I thought the trailer looked bland.

I don't share the hyperbole, either, but it is most definitely a return to form compared to their recent output and I do think it's worth praising.

My problem with the concept is that I have to really force myself to remember to appreciate the movie for what it is about, not what I want it to be, which I never had to do with the Pixar movies I really love because the narrative is typically very specifically tied to the message and the concept. With this one, they've introduced a gimmick and a lesson that really could have been about a hundred different scenarios, as the closing credits montage demonstrated, and I imagine that they must have struggled with paring it to a universally relatable core, to the point of making the parents a source of no conflict whatsoever so as to not dilute the kid's source of depression. I'm not sure that's entirely successful (I can't imagine the reveal of a big two-story house with a fireplace being characterized as a dump resonated much with people in big cities—I actually cringed at that bit). I would say, though, that it's nice to have such a direct and simple visualization regarding the difference between sadness and depression. The best thing about the movie is the concept and the ways they visualize emotional fluctuations.

[P.S. Lava might be one of the worst shorts they've done.]

[Spinal]

I was wondering whether the sheer unbridled ejaculatory enthusiasm from many critics for this was partly a response to the fact Pixar has been treading water for the last three movies and they are just glad to have their darling back, mainly because I thought the trailer looked bland.

I realize I'm just being a bit of a cynic and have no real reason to comment here until I see it, but I like to own up to my biases from time to time. I just don't think Pixar is any better or worse than other major animation studio division in terms of the quality of their output: some good stuff, some bad stuff, some stuff in between.

Yes, this movie is basically what you think it is. No better, no worse. Laika may be the new Pixar.

[Spinal]

[P.S. Lava might be one of the worst shorts they've done.]

This was nearly Pixar self-parody.

[Spinal]

(I can't imagine the reveal of a big two-story house with a fireplace being characterized as a dump resonated much with people in big cities—I actually cringed at that bit).

My cringe moment was the reveal of the inner workings of the parents' brains, which basically played out like a Bud Light commercial.

[Irish]

I mean it's Pixar, so naturally it's cloying as hell.

I've never loved you as much as I do right now.

[number8]

My cringe moment was the reveal of the inner workings of the parents' brains, which basically played out like a Bud Light commercial.

That was... Not good.

Although right after the movie, I was asked if, since everyone else's emotions appear to be uniformly the same gender as the people they're in, does the fact that Riley's are mixed genders supposed to imply that she's genderqueer?

[Spinal]

Although right after the movie, I was asked if, since everyone else's emotions appear to be uniformly the same gender as the people they're in, does the fact that Riley's are mixed genders supposed to imply that she's genderqueer?

Spoilers for Inside Out 2.

[Dead & Messed Up]

That was... Not good.

Although right after the movie, I was asked if, since everyone else's emotions appear to be uniformly the same gender as the people they're in, does the fact that Riley's are mixed genders supposed to imply that she's genderqueer?

I bet they started out mapping her mind, realized later they would want to go into other minds, and decided to make the other minds look a lot more uniform to avoid any potential confusion. But I like your idea.

As for the city move and the two-story, I completely sympathized, because I took it as... it's not just that the townhouse is a little rundown, it's that the townhouse is the antithesis of what's familiar and comforting and open to her.

Very fun flick, though. Appreciated the relatively low stakes (a girl running away from home) and when Hader's character turned into a blase filmgoer during the dream sequence. Many clever little gags, and a nice message to the tots, even if it may land too loudly for parents.

Fuck that fucking lava cartoon. God, that made me angry.

[transmogrifier]

Why is the Lava thing so bad? Korea doesn't show the shorts typically, so I won't get to experience it for myself.

[Dead & Messed Up]

There's superficial stuff, like how the volcano "hero" looks fucking creepy compared to his weirdly svelte paramour, but what really fucking pissed me off was twofold. One, the "hero" doesn't do a damn thing. He stands around, sings about how he wants somebody to "lava" (ugh...), and waits. That's all he does. And wouldn't you know it, eventually his love bursts out of the ocean, and that's it. There's no agency. It's just a fucking waiting game. (Apologies for the cursing). Two, the underlying premise that happiness comes from finding (or "finding") the perfect someone. The volcano is all depressed because the whales and dolphins and birds are pairing off and he isn't. Translation: if you don't have someone, you need to, or else you won't feel normal. This is the type of messaging a studio like Pixar has a responsibility to subvert. I know it's all meant as a lark and lightweight and aww-isn't-it-cute, but I think there's something toxic here. It's ultimately just a gender flip on that hoary old Disney bullshit (again, apologies for the cursing), "Someday my prince will come."

And the song is lame.

[number8]

I mostly disliked it because the entire story was told through the song, making the visuals completely useless. If I just heard the song I'd probably find it charming, but I found no merit in it as animation. It's a music video that's more literal in its visualization than most music videos. That's pathetic for a short film.

[Watashi]

As someone who moved from Minnesota to California and had many deep regrets about it soon after, this film didn't relate to me at all.

Not at all.

[Watashi]

(I can't imagine the reveal of a big two-story house with a fireplace being characterized as a dump resonated much with people in big cities—I actually cringed at that bit).

Oh come on, Ary. You've only experienced living in big cities like NYC and San Fran. Moving from a suburban Midwest town to a tightly packed city is a huge deal for an 11 year old. It doesn't matter how big the house is. It's the exact opposite of warm and comfort for her.

Inside Out isn't the best Pixar movie. I liked it a lot, but it does have problems. I agree that I wish the entire film was focused on Riley and didn't jump into other characters' heads because it cheapens the gimmick and it's solely used as a throwaway gag that played on mom and dad stereotypes. I also wish Riley was a bit older. Maybe 14 instead of 11. Then I think I would buy running away as a sense of urgency. The central message is awesome. More animated films like this please and less "you are special" and "always follow your dreams."

[number8]

Yes, I understand that that was the intention of the scene. It doesn't really change my point.

[Philip J. Fry]

What did I like? I'm choked up and on the verge of tears.

What didn't I like? I'm choked up and on the verge of tears.

Final thoughts: I'm choked up and on the verge of tears.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Sure I'm not the only one who got some serious Totoro vibes.