Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head? Disney•Pixar’s original new film “Inside Out” ventures inside the mind to find out. We were invited to an advanced screening of the new movie and excited to see what it is all about.
Official film synopsis:
Based in Headquarters, the control center inside 11-year-old Riley’s mind, five Emotions are hard at work, led by lighthearted optimist Joy (voice of Amy Poehler), whose mission is to make sure Riley stays happy. Fear (voice of Bill Hader) heads up safety, Anger (voice of Lewis Black) ensures all is fair and Disgust (voice of Mindy Kaling) prevents Riley from getting poisoned—both physically and socially. Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith) isn’t exactly sure what her role is, and frankly, neither is anyone else.
When Riley's family relocates to a scary new city, the Emotions are on the job, eager to help guide her through the difficult transition. But when Joy and Sadness are inadvertently swept into the far reaches of Riley’s mind—taking some of her core memories with them—Fear, Anger and Disgust are left reluctantly in charge. Joy and Sadness must venture through unfamiliar places—Long Term Memory, Imagination Land, Abstract Thought and Dream Productions—in a desperate effort to get back to Headquarters, and Riley.
Riley and her parents in their new home.
Andrew’s thoughts:
The originality of the movie concept alone is reason enough to go see "Inside Out". I can’t say I have ever seen anything that I could compare it to. This movie is likely change the way you think about emotions and what role they play in your daily life. I find it to be among the best Pixar has made, right up there with Toy Story, and believe it will ultimately be judged by most as such.
"Inside Out" is a great movie from start to finish. I was a little curious how they were going to inform movie-goers of the inner workings of the mind as they saw it without boring the viewer. They did a great job of telling the story of how the various emotions interact and how each plays a vital role. The viewer also gets to see how the actions of the emotions inside her head play out Riley’s world.
As the movie progresses and the characters travel throughout the mind of Riley, they come across “lands” that explain how and why we think various thoughts. As a viewer, I found myself totally relating to the various emotions, memories, and the story may seem complicated, but Pixar does a great job of telling it so that viewers of all ages will understand and enjoy the film.
His official rating: 4 out of 5 “Heads”
Julie’s thoughts:
I didn’t go in to this movie with certain expectations other than knowing if it is Pixar, it will be great. Of course the animation was superb. I loved the subtly of some of the character development such as how Joy always radiated a glowing sparkle and Sadness brought dim lighting to her vicinity. The voices were spot on and exactly what you would imagine these characters to sound like.
I enjoyed the creativity within the world inside Riley’s head and the story had a nice balance of comedy, wonder and emotions. I found that being an Army brat that moved a lot as a that this story sparked old memories and was very relatable for me. All in all a great story that leaves you satisfied. Note: Make sure to stay for the first part of the credits as you get to peek into some other characters heads that are very entertaining.
And prior to the feature there is an adorable short called “Lava” that brought life and love to some volcanoes. With spectacular animation and Hawaiian themed music this was a great little story. I love Pixar shorts and am always pleasantly surprised how they can evoke emotion in such an abbreviated time frame.
Her official rating: 4 out of 5 “Heads”
This movie is best for: a day date with the nieces and nephews
Official movie site: http://movies.disney.com/inside-out/
We just received the official list of all of the Disney movies coming to the theaters later this year and we are super excited for so many of them! We can't wait to see some live actions as well as some new Pixar flicks. Others look quite action packed. Here is all of the info we have so far and we couldn't wait to share. We will try to update as more details come our way. But for now mark your calendars and get your popcorn buckets ready!
Growing up we both were intimately familiar with Star Wars Episodes IV, V, and VI and practically wore out the VHS tapes. While we wouldn’t call ourselves super fans, Star Wars has always been enjoyable and held a special place in our hearts; when the franchise was acquired by Disney it just felt right to us. We recently went on a Star Wars movie marathon (thanks Disney+!) to gear up for the last installment. It was so enjoyable to watch films we hadn’t see in years and really get clear on characters and details. We were also reminded how “The Last Jedi” felt a bit mediocre to us. With plot holes and silly moments it felt a little fluffy, but it also felt like it was building for the final chapter.
We were excited to hear that for “The Rise of Skywalker” J.J. Abrams was back at the helm. But we knew he had his hands full to not only include nostalgia from all the movies previously, but also bring in new exciting moments, and tie up a lot of loose ends. When we were invited to an early screening of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker we felt a big build up of excitement and nerves. This could be the final goodbye to many beloved characters (including ones that had been around since before we were even born!) Read on for our spoiler free review… We were excited to hear that for “The Rise of Skywalker” J.J. Abrams was back at the helm. But we knew he had his hands full to not only include nostalgia from all the movies previously, but also bring in new exciting moments, and tie up a lot of loose ends. When we were invited to an early screening of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker we felt a big build up of excitement and nerves. This could be the final goodbye to many beloved characters (including ones that had been around since before we were even born!) Read on for our spoiler free review…
Maleficent has always been one of the most memorable Disney villains and we had really enjoyed when Disney developed the live action “Maleficent.” Unlike some of the other movies that stuck close to the original story, this movie offered a unique and memorable twist. When we heard that a sequel was coming out (by the way can you believe it’s been five years since the first?) we were excited to see where this story would continue. Last night we were invited to attend an early screening of “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”, read on to hear what we thought…
2019 has certainly been the year for Disney to make 90’s kids excited! In Disney’s latest live action, the animals of 1994 The Lion King are brought to life. This classic was a favorite for both of us growing up, so needless to say we have been pretty excited for this one. This week we were invited to an advanced screening of the film, but unfortunately Andrew couldn’t attend due to a work conflict. Julie decided to still go check it out anyway (sorry Andrew!). How does this reinvented version compare to the iconic film of our childhood? Read on to see what she thought…
First can we just say the Disney slate of live action movies this year is mind blowing! Dumbo officially kicks off 2019 with a reimagined story based on the 1941 Oscar-winning Disney classic. While we had both seen the original cartoon as kids, neither of us could remember the entire story. But Dumbo is such an iconic and classic character you can’t help but smile when you see the little guy, and who doesn’t love the Dumbo ride in the parks? With Tim Burton in charge, and state-of-the-art visual effects being used to portray Dumbo and many of his four-legged counterparts, we were intrigued to see if this new version would soar or crash. Last night we were able to attend an early screening of the show, read on for our thoughts…
Both of us have fond memories of watching the classic movie Mary Poppins as children. She is a well loved character and it is always fun to see her in the parks. When it was announced a new Mary Poppins movie would be released in 2018 it became one of our tops films we couldn’t wait to see. There has been a lot of build up and also a lot of questions, the biggest being “how do you follow up to such an iconic movie?” We were invited to attend an early screening last night to figure out if Disney’s latest sequel is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
We can’t believe it has been six years since the original Wreck It Ralph movie debuted in theaters. (We can tell we must be getting older when time seems to be going faster…) We loved the original story of “Bad Guy” Ralph wanting to be a hero. It featured a healthy dose of retro video game references, funny moments, and likable characters. When we heard Ralph and friends were coming back to the big screen to venture out of the arcade we couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Last week we were invited to an early screening and are super excited to give you our thoughts before the film releases next week. Read on for our full review (and don’t worry, there are no spoilers to “Wreck it” for you!)
Now that Halloween has passed we are stoked for the holiday season to officially begin! One of Julie’s favorite childhood memories during Christmas time was attending The Nutcracker ballet many times over the years. When we were invited to attend a screening of Disney’s new film based on the ballet: The Nutcracker and The Four Realms we couldn’t wait to get a jump start on the season. We were hoping this would be a new title to add to our list of must watch movies every December. The cast was stocked with a lot of big names and the visuals looked stunning. Read on to see what the verdict was on this latest fantasy film (don’t worry there are no spoilers!)
Most kids grow up fairly familiar with Winnie the Pooh and friends, either by reading the books or watching the Disney cartoons. That silly old bear was always a favorite of Julie's and here's a fun fact for you: Andrew's brother is actually named Christopher Robin (awww). When we were invited to an early screening of Disney's new Christopher Robin movie of course we had to go. We couldn't wait to see how these characters would translate to the live screen and were also curious to see what happens in the next chapter when Christopher Robin grows up. So come take a visit with us to the Hundred Acre Woods and see what we thought of Christopher Robin...
Flash back to 2004: Pixar's The Incredibles grossed more than $633 million worldwide and won an Academy Award® for best animated feature film of the year. We had both seen the original film many years ago and enjoyed the concept of what happens when a pair of super heroes ends up having a family and kids to worry about. The sequel has been a long time coming and we were curious to see what the latest chapter would have in store for the incredible Parr family.
A new Star Wars story begins...just in time for the holiday weekend! Earlier this week we were invited to an advanced screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Now while we wouldn't consider ourselves die hard fans, we do love the Star Wars franchise having grown up with the original movies. We have also been enjoying the latest chapters released in the last few years. We were intrigued to get a little more back story on the famous smuggler and scroundel Han Solo (and Chewy of course, because who doesn't love his furry sidekick?).
We are always intrigued to see if a books translated into film is successful, it can be hard to accomplish. As children neither of us got around to reading "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L’Engle but Julie vividly remembers the cover that featured a centaur and rainbow and was always curious about the story. The trailer certainly was intriguing with shots of beautiful other worldly settings and a story that looked a tad creepy with a clip of cookie cutter children in a Stepford Wives looking town. This week we were invited to a screening and these are our thoughts...
We are big Pixar fans and have been intrigued by months of teasers for the movie Coco. It seemed like a movie that would have great music, a creative story line and inspirational culture. We were invited to attend a screening Thanksgiving week to go check it out and find out more about who/what is Coco?
We love Pixar and had always been a fan of the inventive movie "Cars". When the series continued with a sequel we weren't totally in love with it. But now with a third installment we figured we should go check it out. Ka-chow!
Many years ago our first movie date was to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. It quickly took a special place in our hearts and Andrew grew especially fond of the franchise. But really, who doesn't love a little history, action, bad ass pirates mixed with some rum? Unfortunately the fourth movie was a little lackluster, so we have been eagerly waiting for the fifth movie to see if it would bring back the magic. This past weekend we had a POTC movie marathon at home then went to a screening of Dead Men Tell No Tales...
We have been loving the slew of live action Disney films lately that have been bringing childhood favorites to life. The Beauty and the Beast previews have been getting us exciting for the past several months and we couldn't wait to go check it out and see this new project. We invited our friends and fellow Disney lovers Ben and Kathy (who LOVES B&B) to join.
When the first LEGO movie was released we absolutely loved it. Seeing a childhood toy brought to life with amazing effects with some adult humor thrown in to go over kids heads was really fun. When we saw a new movie coming out we thought "Holy smokes Batman! This movie will be so awesome, because everything is awesome!" You are welcome for having that song stuck in your head the rest of the day...
Julie has an unhealthy obsession with princesses. So of course she has been waiting for the new Polynesian Princess to debut. Andrew had a schedule conflict so it became a girl’s night out with Julie’s Mom Lauree and sister-in-law Kelly joining her. The ladies went out for dinner and then off to the 3D screening of Moana...
When Julie was a child her mom would have been smart to invest in a VHS copy of Pete's Dragon. Instead week after week she requested the same movie from the video rental shop, so needless to say it must have been a favorite. When we saw previews of this updated version it seemed quite different, so we decided to go check it out.
Growing up Julie has always enjoyed the whimsical world of Alice and the Wonderland creatures. So when we were invited to an advanced screening of the latest live action flick we were curious to check it out. We had somewhat mixed reviews of the first film and wanted to see what the sequel had in store for us.
We had seen some trailers for this movie, the most memorable being the one where the main characters take a visit to the DMV run by sloths. It looked like it should be a fun time with cute characters, so we grabbed our 3D glasses and checked it out.
Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head? Disney•Pixar’s original new film “Inside Out” ventures inside the mind to find out. We were invited to an advanced screening of the new movie and excited to see what it is all about.
We are both really big Pixar fans so when we heard a new movie was coming out we were pretty excited. To be honest though, we hadn’t seen too much marketing about Onward or really know what this new story was about. When we were invited to an early screening we went in knowing not much more than this was a story about two brother on a magical adventure. We discovered this story had a lot of interesting facets. Read on to hear what we thought about this latest addition to the Pixar film family…