Tune in to “Inside Out”

We are an outdoorsy crew but sometimes nothing can be beat than cozying up to a new summer family flick in the comfort of an air-conditioned movie theatre. So on Tuesday evening, I scooped up the kids and surprised them with a sneak peek of Disney PIXAR’s Inside Out. 

“WE ARE GOING TO INSIDE OUT?!” That shrill scream was courtesy of my 4-year-old, her eyes bright with excitement.

First, here’s the synopsis on the movie straight from the mouth of IMDB:

Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is a happy, hockey-loving 11-year-old Midwestern girl, but her world turns upside-down when she and her parents move to San Francisco. Riley’s emotions — led by Joy (Amy Poehler) — try to guide her through this difficult, life-changing event. However, the stress of the move brings Sadness (Phyllis Smith) to the forefront. When Joy and Sadness are inadvertently swept into the far reaches of Riley’s mind, the only emotions left in Headquarters are Anger, Fear and Disgust.

Now, I’ll profess that the beginning of the movie baffled the kids and even me a little bit. The story tries to summarize for viewers that not only will we be meeting the 5 Emotions – who live in a special Headquarters inside Riley’s body – but that each emotion the title character Riley experiences can generate a memory. Memories are collected throughout the day and then sent back to… well, I don’t remember the name of their starting point. But they disappear. THEN, there are core memories which are saved forever {think the first time you rode your bike or met your spouse}. AND each person also has Islands that make up their unique personality. PHEW. All I could think of was the line from the show Friends when Ross and Monica’s mom utters “That’s a lot of information to get in 30 seconds.”

Thankfully as the story continues, the plot evens out a bit. Emotions Joy and Sadness find themselves unexpectedly in the depths of 11-year-old Riley’s subconscious, and without them all Riley experiences are Disgust, Fear and Anger.

Joy – being the unofficial leader of the Emotions – believes her mission is strictly to show happiness to Riley, but in fighting the way back to Headquarters discovers what the power of a collective teamwork really means.

{Also be advised that one of the supporting characters doesn’t perish per se, but viewers are lead to believe he won’t return under somewhat sad circumstances.}

This movie reminded us quite a bit of the 2009 film “Up” in that through great sadness or turmoil comes an important moral. Bottom line: This latest installment of Disney PIXAR’s family-friendly films is beautifully animated, and artfully balances its appeal to both parents and youth. Inside Out opens in theaters nationwide today, June 19th. For more information including showtimes, visit movies.disney.com/inside-out/.

 

This sneak peek was provided courtesy of Fathom Events, Disney PIXAR and AMC Castleton Square 14, for which we are most grateful.