‘Inside Out’ is ingenious in conception, masterful in execution

Move over “Toy Story” 1, 2, and 3. Make room “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E.” Clear some space “Ratatouille” and you, “Incredibles.” There’s a new animated movie that’s about to claim its own position on the top shelf of Pixar’s best: “Inside Out.”

This latest gem from Disney Pixar is ingenious in its conception and masterful in its execution. And it’s so moving, funny, and astute about human emotions; it’s amazing no film has used the premise before.

“Inside Out” gives us an inside-out look at what it’s like to be an 11-year old girl named Riley. The movie identifies five basic emotions that make up Riley’s internal landscape and turns them into characters: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.

These character-emotions constantly jostle with each other for supremacy as Riley goes about her daily life. And when Riley’s five emotions interact with her mom’s five emotions, and then her Dad’s five emotions, the complexity of family life is on full display.

For example, a classic scene at the dinner table. Mom asks an innocent enough question, Riley responds, and Mom internally starts worrying.

“So how was the first day of school,” mom asks.

“It was fine, I guess … I don’t know,” Riley answers.

And then mom’s emotions start in.

“Did you pick up on that,” one emotion starts and the other emotions agree. “Something’s wrong. We’re gonna find out what’s happening, but we’re going to need support. Signal the husband.”

One of dad’s emotions quickly jumps in: “Sir, she just rolled her eyes at us.”

The emotions of all three then duke it out. Riley ends up going to her room and dad’s internal voice congratulates himself for avoiding a disaster while mom’s internal voice declares “What a disaster!”

Her parents play significant roles, of course, but the focus stays on Riley and how each of her emotions takes precedence at different times, depending on the situation she finds herself in. The funniest sequences in the movie, and there are a lot of them, involve the individual emotions arguing among themselves about what Riley should do.

For instance, when Riley drops a grape on the floor, a battle royale breaks out between Disgust, who zeroes in on all the gross germs the grape may have picked up, and Joy, who only sees the potential for sensual pleasure in that sweet and juicy grape. When the five-second rule is invoked, all gets resolved inside Riley’s head.

When Riley’s family moves from comfortable Minnesota to a strange-seeming San Francisco, Riley goes into crisis mode. Her five primal emotions unavoidably start interacting with each other and shading Riley’s core memories, the very cornerstones of her personality.

The way the movie resolves the crisis is as psychologically profound as that great moment in “Toy Story 3” when all the toys grab hands and confront the existential dread of their own demise.

Pixar, at its best, expands the reach of animation into arenas most “cartoons” would never even consider. That’s why adults &#8212 especially parents &#8212 will enjoy and appreciate “Inside Out” every bit as much as, if not more than, the children they bring to the theater. There are plenty of laughs and insights to go around.