Film Review – Inside Out Wow. Where do I even begin with this film? I was fortunate enough to travel to Pixar last month to meet the filmmakers and watch the film ahead of release, to produce a Making of special for TV, and I was immediately captivated by this bold story about the emotions vying for control inside the mind of an 11 year old girl named Riley. The most profound film about the human condition I’ve seen in a long time, perhaps ever, the Pixar team, over five long years, have created an all time classic that should touch generations to come. We meet Riley moments after her birth, and are introduced to Joy – voiced by Amy Poehler. Less than a minute later we meet Sadness – voiced by Phyllis Smith. These two emotions are joined by Fear (to keep Riley safe from danger), Disgust (to keep Riley safe from broccoli and social rejection) and Anger (to detect injustice and blow his top subsequently). These five core emotions run headquarters – the inside of Riley’s mind, and are responsible for her day-to-day behavior as well as creating and preserving core memories. When she and her family move from small town Minnesota to San Francisco, the eleven year old and her emotions undergo changes that startle her parents and leave Riley in a state of confusion and despondency. Sadness and Joy travel outside of headquarters on a mission to restore Riley’s happiness, leaving the other three emotions running the show. On their trip to long term memory, Joy and Sadness realize the importance of one another, and frankly I’m tearing up just typing this as I remember the powerful scenes that are so moving throughout the entire film. Joy and Sadness also traverse the many dark places inside our minds including dream production, personality islands, imagination land and the memory dump. Being Pixar the film is also chock-a-block full of gags, thanks primarily to Anger, Disgust and Fear, and it sets a new benchmark for family films. Abstract thought, memories, imagination, emotions, and every conceivable avenue to explore inside the far reaches of our minds are touched on in this story, and it illustrates just how powerfully significant events in our lives can affect the way we view the world, depending on how we deal with them and how we have been equipped to cope with change and challenges. Having also moved at age 10 to a new school where I knew nobody, forever impacting the way I approached the world outside myself, this film holds particular significance for my own personal journey and me. A front-runner for an Academy Award for Best Picture this is a MUST-SEE FILM for everybody. 5 Stars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4QtVfLHjkI