JoBlo.com Gets a Sneak Preview of Pixar’s Inside Out!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Last night, we here at JoBlo had the wonderful opportunity to get an early glimpse at something really special from the fine folks at Pixar Animation Studios. And when I say early, I mean literally one year in advance. On June 19, 2015, Pixar will release INSIDE OUT. We were on hand for the presentation of what looks to be one of their most inspired and creative ventures to date.

The official synopsis goes a little something like this:

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

Before the footage was presented, both the film’s director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera introduced the presentation in a unique way that one would expect from Pixar. They explained where this very personal tale began, and that was from Pete’s very own daughter. The two presented a slideshow with a number of personal images of the men behind Pixar in the early days, as well as Pete’s little girl. We saw her as a child, and then a couple of candid moments when she began to grow up and face the big, bad teen years. We all know that brutal period of time when we realize that things are not all wonderful and good. It can be completely heartbreaking. This is true not only for the child growing up, but the parents watching the joy and hope flicker away and the anger, resentment and sadness arise.

After this clever introduction, we were shown the first five minutes of INSIDE OUT. Much like Docter and Rivera’s previous film UP, the opening is a deeply moving series of events. We are introduced to a little girl named Riley, a bundle of joy for her loving parents. Riley begins to see the world and we share her wide-eyed innocence through the eyes of Joy (Poehler) who lives inside the mind of the child. While much of this opening sequence consisted of simple drawings as opposed to full animation, it was nonetheless affective. When Riley first cries, Joy meets Sadness (Smith), an emotion she isn’t quite sure what to make of. Yet Joy is exactly what you’d expect from her name, sweet, cheerful and positive – as is Sadness and the rest of the emotions. The moment when Joy questions what could possibly go wrong for an innocent and loving eleven-year-old girl, it is clear that the realities of life are going to come crashing through the door.

In the next hilariously charming scene we were shown, both Sadness and Joy have lost their way into the vast and mysterious mind of Riley, leaving Anger (Black), Disgust (Kaling) and Fear (the scene-stealing Hadar) in charge. With Joy missing in action and unable to help bring her much needed energy to the girl, we find Riley is frustrated with no desire to communicate. When she and her parents are seated for dinner, her mother unsuccessfully attempts to find out how her day at school went. Not only do we see the struggle Riley is going through, we also see inside both her parents minds as they desperately try and connect with their once carefree daughter. And just like Riley, mom and dad have to contend with their own confusing, albeit more controlled, emotions.

With the footage being shown literally a year in advance, it was clearly not completed. However, the characters and the almost futuristic world they exist in appear to be incredibly realized. The many facets of the mind are expressed in unique and sometimes, quite literally, in abstract ways. During the introduction, Docter articulated his excitement about creating this fascinating film and going to uncharted territories. All the colorful “emotion” characters can help Riley recall her memory, or store it away, and this process is inventively captured on film. It is a bright and beautiful world, one that includes a “movie studio” that gives Riley her dreams and nightmares – it appears that this little girl has a ton of falling dreams judging by the movie posters in the fictional “Dream Studios.”

The idea of taking a Pixar film in a completely new world is an enticing one. And from just a few minutes of footage, I was fully taken in. Even still, my excitement for INSIDE OUT grew when we were shown the short expected to be released before the feature.

“Lava” is Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, “Lava” is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years.”

Introduced by the film’s director James Ford Murray and producer Andrea Warren, once this beautiful tale was complete, there was seemingly not a dry eye in the house. This volcanic, musical love story is an absolute treat. The director of this short even pulled out a ukulele to play the song from “Lava” live and it was stupendously entertaining.

Within just a few moments, I am already beyond thrilled to see what looks to be an animated movie with depth and poignancy. A movie going experience which parents can take their children to so they can possibly discover something new and wonderful about each other. And yet, we have to wait a year. I’m beginning to count the days until this feature finds its way into theatres on June 19, 2015.