Watched on Blu-Ray

2015 was Pixar's last big year, with "Inside Out" proving to be the biggest and best film in Pixar history alongside "Toy Story 3", "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille". Nothing that came afterwards hit me as much.

Technically, the studio, which was bought by Walt Disney for 7.4 billion US dollars in 2006, proved about 9 years ago that they were among the best at the time. The technical perfection of the animation, the handling of shapes and colors, structures and light are once again masterful and allow no other conclusion than that "Inside Out" is one of the most visually beautiful animated films of all time. Of course, the small but subtle details that can be spotted everywhere here also make their grand appearances and, of course, insatiable Pixar fans can once again look forward to discovering Easter eggs to other (master) works by the studio. But the film's technology is actually only marginally interesting, because "Inside Out" offers other qualities that are far more striking, such as the fact that Pixar's 15th feature film has more to offer than a story with rather unusual characters with emotions as heroes.

The special thing, or rather the beauty of the movie, is that it has something to offer on several levels and, above all, it works. There is the level of pure entertainment. The film by Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen (who makes his feature film debut here) really pulls no punches here and offers pure entertainment. That alone will ensure that every age group has a fun time in the movie theater. In addition, "Inside Out" also offers a philosophical and playfully poetic level. The way the world of our thoughts, feelings and dreams is portrayed by Pixar can be described with the two words "creative" and "imaginative", but this brief description cannot be described as truly satisfactory.

Because it is difficult to adequately describe what Pixar conjures up here from their high-performance computers and, above all, their heads. What you see on the big screen is too colorful, diverse, effervescent and euphoric. The best adjective is probably "indescribable". Yes, this little word outlines "Inside Out" as roughly as it does aptly. The fact that the animation studio from Emeryville, California has stood for attention to detail, perfectly realized ideas and stunning ingenuity since the beginning of its existence should not have been known only yesterday. But with this journey through the actually complex world of our minds, Pixar has created a highlight.

Similar to "Toy Story 3", the movie has many facets that make it particularly interesting for adults. While younger viewers enjoy the cuddly and extremely endearing design, older viewers can expect emotional moments of reflection when the film itself asks us which memories we have forgotten. All the beautiful moments that we have locked away in our heads and yet forgotten in the far reaches of our minds, probably forever. A realization that, in a modified form, also brought us the third adventure of Cowboy Woody and Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear and, just like there, it is not despair that prevails, but optimism. An end is usually also a beginning.

"Inside Out" also pays homage to our childhood, that innocent time of discovery and apparent boundlessness. As always with Pixar, this all works as a pure entertainment product as well as an emotional confrontation. What makes it special: Regardless of whether you want to get involved or decide to see the film solely as an adventurous comedy, "Inside Out" is insanely fun either way because of its almost boundless joy in creating fantastic worlds, each of which has unbridled potential and is more than a mere stage template for narrative romping.

Certainly, Pixar doesn't really dare to do much with "Inside Out". Just think of what would have been possible if the makers had not docked themselves into the head of eleven-year-old Riley, but into that of an old person. Yes, the basic idea of "Inside Out" is almost an invitation to try something completely new. Unfortunately, Pixar missed this opportunity, but they made the most of the direction they chose for their movie, or rather they knew how to compensate for it with a pure excess of ideas. With "Soul" at the latest, Pixar dared to leave the safe castle of childish themes or depictions. They certainly show courage with their films, as in "Inside Out".

In the film, the character of Bing Bong (Richard Kind) is an emotionally sympathetic figure who is given the great burden of making us realize that memories, like ourselves, are fleeting. Bing Bong was once Riley's imaginary friend and since she has forgotten him, he has been living out his existence as a kind of vagrant between the meter-high shelves of Riley's memory store. This Bing Bong stands for the enormous emotional quality of "Inside Out". A movie, or rather a story, that succeeds in bringing an elephant dolphin raccoon cotton candy creature so close to an adult viewer that the diaphragm has just as much to do as the tear ducts, is an enormously impressive achievement. I cry every time thanks to Bing Bong. However, I would also like to point out that "Inside Out" occasionally digs a little too deep into kitsch.

But of course the focus of "Inside Out" is on laughter and here, too, Pixar doesn't mess around, but goes all out! The makers have refrained from constantly churning out the really big laughs. Instead, they manage to keep a smile on your face throughout the entire running time, which repeatedly turns into a loud laugh, for example when we as viewers finally find out why cats are the way they are, what goes on in the minds of parents or how dreams are actually produced in our heads (keyword: dream factory).