Amy Poehler, Bill Hader and Lewis Black in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie ‘Inside Out’

Imagine yourself as an 11-year-old girl from Minnesota asked to move to San Francisco, California as your belongings get misdirected to Texas. Imagine missing your friends, having your father disappear emotionally because the family moved to pursue his job, and learning that the pizza place down the street serves all pizza with broccoli, a vegetable you detest. The Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen directed movie Inside Out (2015) begins in this fashion. Blog namesake Lynn enjoys this animated action and adventure movie.

(From left, Diane Lane as Mom (Jill Andersen), Kaitlyn Dias as Riley Andersen and Kyle MacLachlan as Dad (Bill Andersen) in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out).

The Andersen family reflect our family, with the internal life of 11-year-old Riley at the center of our tale. Kaitlyn Dias voiced Riley Andersen, with voice credits for mother Jill Andersen and father Bill Andersen going to Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan. The interaction amongst the three drives the internal lives for each, with the majority of the adventure resting with the life of the pre-teen Riley getting turned inside out.

(From left, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Bill Hader as Fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust and Amy Poehler as Joy in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out).

Central to the internal life of Riley, especially in the face of the stress that has been introduced to an already trying age for many, is the transition among five central emotions. With the feelings embodied as characters named Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust, we are introduced to those characters as voice respectively by Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black and Mindy Kaling. The move begins with Joy aiming to keep an upbeat perspective to the series of early setbacks experienced by Riley as the other feelings, quite naturally, present themselves.

(From left, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Amy Poehler as Joy and Richard Kind as Bing Bong in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out).

When Sadness and Joy get separated from the rest of the group in the central nerve center of Riley’s experience, the true adventure of the story takes a fascinating turn that brings in long term memories for the girl. School proves difficult while the chance to play her beloved hockey begins calling into question other core memories. The meaning of beloved Bing Bong, as portrayed by Richard Kind, helps bring a tenderness to internal emotional extremes that lead to external actions that bring the larger story to actions that are both relatable for adults and pre-teens alike.

(From left, writer and director Ronnie Del Carmen, writer and director Pete Docter and writer Meg LaFauve in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out).

The female protagonist with male and female antagonists proves a nice touch for Inside Out, with writing credits resting with Meg LeFauve and the directors, Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen. I grant the film definite props for entertainment value and a compelling jaunt back into the period before some of the more serious questions of senior high school really begin. I grant the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five stars.

Matt – Wednesday, April 12, 2023