Inside Out Review - Pixar Back on Form

In the middle of 2014, I remember thinking to myself that I didn't really care about Pixar anymore. Back then I just thought it was because I'd grown out of it. I was 12, I was older now, I could legally buy a Marvel film on DVD, I could get library books out without my parents knowing, I didn't need to watch these silly children's films. In hindsight, however, I see it differently. The problem wasn't me, it was Pixar. Just look at the last films they'd made; Monsters University (2013), Brave (2012) and Cars 2 (2011). None of these were awful films by any means, but they weren't really up to Pixar's usual standards.

Then along came Inside Out and I realised that I was being ridiculous. I hadn't grown out of Pixar, there's no such thing. Whilst Minions appealed mainly to younger audiences by being just plain silly, with silly jokes, silly stories and silly characters, Inside Out, just like Pixar's best work, appealed to everyone by being smart, with smart jokes, smart stories and smart characters, but most importantly, gorgeous animation to tie it all together.

I know I said in my Minions review that most animation companies can animate beautifully nowadays, but none can do it like Pixar. Everything they do is just sublime on a technical and creative level and Inside Out is no exception. Every single corner of the screen is bursting with vibrant, energetic animation, all of which is filled with the most wonderfully inventive and clever design I've seen in any film in a long time.

It also helps that the story and the writing is just as creative, with the film exploring surprisingly real and important issues within a story that's engaging at the same time. Also, although the film may not be a constant laugh riot, the jokes that are made are all very well written, although a lot of the humour comes from insightful observations about the way our brains naturally work, that are implemented brilliantly into the film's visual design (notable examples include the 'perfect boyfriend creator' and 'dreamland productions') as opposed to straight up jokes.

Inside Out showcases a welcome return to form for Pixar. After a few average Pixar outings, it's wonderful to see them make a film that may not have you laughing from start to finish, but will constantly impress you with it's amazing animation, visual design and writing in a way that Pixar hasn't achieved since the original Toy Story.

Inside Out - Overall Score: 9/10

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