After a run of disappointing sequels like ‘Cars 2’ and ‘Monsters University’, Pixar is back on form with its best film in years, ‘Inside Out’, an animation partly set inside an 11-year-old’s brain. It’s not out here until next Friday, but ‘Inside Out’ has already been a massive hit in the US. Watching it, you get the impression that director Pete Docter (who also made ‘Monsters, Inc.’ and ‘Up’) took a look back over the studio’s incredible 20-year back catalogue and cherry-picked the best of each film. Here’s why ‘Inside Out’ is pure, perfect Pixar.
Nine reasons why ‘Inside Out’ is vintage Pixar
The studio’s latest film is a storming return to form. Here’s why ‘Inside Out’ ranks among Pixar’s best
2. It’s quietly bonkers, just like ‘Up’
3. It’s a quest movie, just like ‘Finding Nemo’
4. It’s heartbreaking, just like ‘WALL-E’
What makes Pixar different to every other Hollywood animation studio isn’t the madcap action scenes or the whacked-out ideas – though they’re obviously great. What makes it special is how it gets right to the emotional core of its story without resorting to the kind of squishy, saccharine sentimentalism that Disney (which owns Pixar) became notorious for. ‘Inside Out’ is a perfect example: this tale of a girl ready to leave childhood behind is filled with loss and heartache. But in the world of Pixar that’s just part of life.
5. It’s full of blink-and-miss-it gags, just like ‘Monsters, Inc.’
6. The supporting characters steal the film, just like ‘Toy Story’
7. It’s all about girl power, just like ‘Brave’
8. It’s great for grown-ups too, just like ‘Ratatouille’
9. It’s made with loving care, just like every Pixar movie
Even when Pixar is off its game – and it’d be hard to argue that ‘Cars 2’ and ‘Monsters University’ represent pinnacles in the animation field – its films are always painstakingly crafted and packed with charm, wit and an abundance of visual detail. ‘Inside Out’ proves, beyond a doubt, that this commitment to providing an all-embracing experience for their audience is unlikely to change any time soon. It’s an extraordinary, overpowering film, fit to stand alongside anything the studio has created. Here’s to the next 20 years.
Read our review of ‘Inside Out’
It’s all in the mind in Pixar’s latest, a delightful, frenetic, near-experimental animated film from the makers of 'Up' and 'Toy Story'. Pixar fans will be in seventh heaven with the film’s bold thinking – and kids will be straining to listen to imaginary voices in their heads – after diving into the mind of Riley, an 11-year-old girl whose tiny world is turned upside down when she moves from Minnesota to San Francisco with her mum and dad.
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