Pixar movies are nearly universally loved. There's a reason - their themes are timeless and the characters are truly likeable. Traditional Disney characters tend to be simplistic (good or evil), but Pixar characters are more nuanced, meaning a good guy can still act like a jerk. There are only a few films I haven't seen (mostly Cars related, like Lisa Simpson) and only one I've disliked (Monsters University , which wasn't terrible.) So the bar it set really high with Pixar films. Even a solid endeavor like Up can get lost in the middle of the pack, despite being better than 90% of its locally released peers.
So I was ecstatic when I saw Inside Out, which finally displaced Toy Story 2 as my personal favorite. There are no cartoon villains and no manufactured crises. Just a young girl alone with her thoughts, which don't always lead her to the best decision. As good as the Toy Story films are, they are still dependent on one contrivance after another. Nothing seems too unusual here. The characters can just be.
The characterization of emotions is simplistic, of course. That is to be expected. Riley loves and trusts her parents, but is hurt and confused by the cross-country move. She isn't terribly awkward or socially inept, but still has understandable problems with her new environment. The interplay between her emotions is terrific. Anger is expressed by scowls and Disgust with eyerolls. There are no outbursts or temper tantrums.
The base emotions are Joy (Amy Poehler) and Sadness(Phyllis Smith), both which awaken shortly after the child's birth. This short scene is incredibly powerful. They try to co-exist, although Joy tries to keep Sadness in check in some of the funnier exchanges. Poehler has received deserved praise for her work, but I thought Smith's portrayal was the best- she's sad, which makes her sad, which she is sad about... almost like an infinite series of despair. The other three emotions are all well-represented as well - especially Anger, which would have been twice the size of the others for my eleven-year old self. They all do well, but let's face it... this is Poehler's movie and she's up to the task.
The trip to the subconscious is littered with visual gems and a few headscratching logical faults that are easy to forgive. Mostly this trip displays the fragility of memory, which is why so many treasured memories can be forgotten but we can still hum the tune to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles without thinking. (Did I actually write that? Mental note - edit the TMNT part out!) Think of how many memories Riley had already forgotten and then recall that she's only eleven. Thoughts come and go so quickly. The return trip to headquarters is not as interesting, but we accept that they had the move the story along. A little contrivance isn't so bad.
Riley is adorable and we wish her the best of luck navigating the minefield that is adolescence. I think that's why the movie works. She isn't a genius or a superstar who has everything figured out. She's a pretty normal kid with a lot to offer and a lot to learn. And that's what makes her emotions so much fun to watch. Pixar just set the bar even higher.