Inside Out

Pixar found its voice again. And it's inside your head.

Can an intelligent film that teaches kids to talk about their feelings (including sad ones) be the feel-good film of the summer? Pixar’s latest animated film answers that with a joyful “yes.”

The story of Inside Out takes place inside the head of an 11-year old girl named Riley and features colorful characters that represent her feelings: Anger, Disgust, Fear, Joy and Sadness.

I enjoyed this sophisticated film as if it was just for me, and the young kids with me (ages 6 and 8) were glued to the screen as well. They giggled and learned about feelings. If this film helps prove that you don’t have to have madcap visuals and fart jokes to hold kid-sized attention, then it’s done us one more favor too.

Simply put: My emotions were feeling simultaneously happy and sad while watching this film, and that’s the point.

Award potential: If Up can score a Best Picture nod, maybe this could too. We’ll see how the rest of the year goes, but it’s a lock for a Best Animated Film  nomination.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.