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.

4 out of 5 “Heads” ratings — **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.