Edd Watches Pixar: Inside Out Review
I’m a grown man who hasn’t seen most of the Pixar movies that people are obsessed with, but I was challenged to check ’em all out and share my thoughts. Join me as I watch ’em all one by one – see if I buy into the hype.
Movie No. 15: Inside Out (2015)
This is the first of only two Pixar movies I’ve seen in theaters. My wife was really intrigued by the concept at the time wanted to see it. She thought it could be a sleeper hit.
Right out of the gate, from the opening scene with Baby Riley, I immediately noticed that this film has the most realistically designed humans to date. People thankfully no longer look like stretched out Mr. Potato Heads like in those early movies. Yeesh.
And speaking of humans, this is easily the most “human” of all the films to date, mixing Pixar goofiness with surprisingly deep psychological themes. It was very interesting how Joy was the main leader in young Riley’s head, while her stressed mom was led by Sadness and Anger was the head honcho for overworked dad.
I probably just have four Angers and one Disgust lady in my head. I bet they’re working inside Castle Grayskull while an army of Christina Milians from the Dip it Low video eat Sour Patch Kids and listen to Keith Sweat’s 1996 album. I’m very on-brand.
As a parent this movie has to be traumatizing. Remember all the fun you had with your now-angsty teen? Well they DON’T, those good times fell in the pit of lost memories.
Your girl Riley went from cute kid who makes monkey noises to credit-card snatching runaway with the quickness. Life comes at you fast. And what did she think she’d do if she made it back to Minnesota, live in the ice hockey rink? I guess the Foresight and Common Sense characters don’t show up in your head until you get older.
This thing also proved that the human imagination is a terrifying place. Cotton-candy flavored elephants, bottomless pits, giant killer clowns – we are a screwed-up people.
But it’s the little touches that tied this one together. The facts and opinions getting spilled and mixed up, the dream(works) studio, the message about Sadness and Joy coming together like sunshine and rain, Frankie B style. Oh lord, and Bing Bong sacrificing Riley’s memory of him to save her life – unconditional love from a figment of a little girl’s imagination. Whew, if Up didn’t break me Bing Bong almost did.
Back in 2015 I said this was the best Pixar movie I’d ever seen. In 2020, I’m saying the same thing (while wearing a mask). It’s an incredibly well-crafted concept with a beautiful message and quietly one of the better films of the past decade.
PLEASE DON’T MAKE A SEQUEL.
Edd’s favorites:
**Inside Out**
Toy Story 3
The Incredibles
Monsters, Inc
Ratatouille
WALL-E
Finding Nemo
Up
A Bug’s Life
Toy Story
Toy Story 2
Cars
Monsters University
Brave
Cars 2
Next up is The Good Dinosaur. I don’t know what this is about but the movie poster looks like a pack of dinosaur fruit snacks.
Want to see more? Keep up with Edd as he stumbles through the world of Pixar here.
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