Inside Out

French Poster

LAVA

The short that premieres before Inside Out is titled "Lava", and centers around a romance between two volcanoes. Only Pixar could make me emotionally attached to a volcano and take me on a roller coaster ride of feeling in the course of 5 minutes.

The entire short is also a song - it's a Hawaiian ukulele song and it's still stuck in my head.

Though the story of this short is weaker than past Pixar shorts, the musical aspect and the tropical aesthetic instantly won me over. 

INSIDE OUT

With my first viewing, I loved every bit of this movie. I am continually amazed at how well this concept was executed. It takes mad writing skills to create a believable story about the emotions in an 11 year old girl's head. It's incredible that the majority of the movie can take place within the infinite expanse of the human brain - and yet nothing feels missing.

In typical Pixar fashion, it looks and sounds beautiful - the visuals of the mind are very creative (Train of thought! Imagination land! Dream Productions!) and Michael Giacchino's soundtrack of "short instrumentals to accompany playtime and spark daydreams" is spectacular.

The wonderfully animated (both in character and in aesthetic) core emotions play off of each other in hilarious and intellectual ways, making the movie enjoyable for kids and adults alike.

The message of the movie is beautifully real - sadness is a part of life, and that's OK.

Ranking Pixar movies is nearly impossible for me, but Inside Out is up there with Toy Story and Monsters Inc. More than any other Pixar movie, Inside Out is a celebration of life and all life's parts: including growing up, losing innocence, and accepting sadness. Please, please don't miss this movie. 

Below is a chart of the emotional combinations in the movie. Check it out!

Image courtesy of Christophe Haubursin, Vox.