‘Inside Out’: New Pixar Film Is Studio’s Best In Years, Critics Say

Critics are falling in love with Pixar’s latest film, Inside Out.

At the time of this publication, Rotten Tomatoes has Inside Out listed at a 99 percent approval rating, with 96 of the 97 reviews counted as positive. More are expected to be added as the day goes on.

Inside Out is the highest-approved Pixar film on the site since 2010’s Toy Story 3. Since then, the animation studio was met with very negative reviews for the 2011 sequel, Cars 2, and mixed reviews for 2012’s Brave and 2013’s Monsters University.

Inside Out tells the story of a young pre-teen girl who moves with her family from Minnesota to San Francisco. The move has a major impact on her, as it does the emotions that control her — Joy, Anger, Sadness, Disgust, and Fear. The film’s voiceover talent includes Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Diane Lane, and Kyle MacLachlan.

It’s rare that an animated feature gets nominated for best picture at the Oscars, but Pixar has achieved that in the past with Toy Story 3 and Up. Many critics are feeling that Inside Out should also be in that category once the nominations roll around, including Tom Long of the Detroit News.

“It’s hard to believe that anyone will make a film more ambitious and more fully realized this year than Inside Out. Let the talk of a best picture Oscar win begin now.”

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times agrees.

“Inside Out [is] a bold, gorgeous, sweet, funny, sometimes heartbreakingly sad, candy-colored adventure that deserves an Academy Award nomination for best picture. Not just in the animated category — in the big-kid section, right there with the top-tier live-action films. It’s one of the best movies of the year, period.”

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also gave high praise to Inside Out.

“Pixar’s 15th feature is another landmark, an unmissable film triumph that raises the bar on what animation can do and proves that live action doesn’t have dibs on cinematic art. Oh, did I say it was funny? It is, uproariously so, when you’re not brushing away a tear.”

With more reviews slated to be published, it’s likely that there will be some who give a negative review of Inside Out. As of right now, the only one featured on Rotten Tomatoes is that of FilmDrunk’s Vince Mancini. Mancini writes that he had trouble deciphering the demographic to whom Pixar aimed for its latest feature.

“Inside Out feels like it wants sensitive parents to think it’s cute more so than it wants kids to think it’s cool. The message it delivers isn’t nearly as new-agey obnoxious as you might expect under the circumstances, but it still feels like a story the school psychologist might have used to teach kids about their feelings.”

Do you plan on seeing Inside Out?

[Image credit: Disney/Pixar via Collider]