Entertainment

Inside Out Now on Blu-ray with a New Short Film and Free Activity Pages

Back in June, we took the girls to go see Inside Out in the theatre. Everybody loved the movie, and here’s the glowing review I wrote. Okay, okay, I gushed. Well, if you missed it in the theatre, Inside Out is now on Blu-ray. Buy it, borrow it, put it on your Christmas list. This is still one of my top movie picks of the year.

Inside Out Blu-ray

Do you ever look at someone and wonder what’s going on inside their head? Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out takes an exciting and hilarious journey into the mind to find the answer. Based in Headquarters, the control center of 11-year-old Riley’s mind, five emotions are hard at work, led by lighthearted optimist Joy. She strives to make sure Riley stays happy as she operates alongside fellow emotions Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. It’s “an instant classic,” raves Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times. Experience it like never before on Disney Blu-ray!

Head over to my Inside Out review to see what I thought of the movie itself. (TL/DR: This is one of those great movies that reaches both kids and adults. Watch it!) I’ve been waiting anxiously for this to come out on home video so we can watch it again, and we’ve been really wanting to see both the short films included on the Blu-ray.

“LAVA” was shown before the theatrical release. It’s the longest love story you’ll ever see (we’re talking over millions of years!), one between two volcanoes who can only hear each other sing. It does eventually come to a happy ending, but Tee still finds it very, very sad.

“Riley’s First Date?” is brand new to this release and lets us see inside Riley, her mom, her dad, and her date’s head and meet their respective Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust characters. The story isn’t about Riley, or her parents, or the boy waiting downstairs for her, but about how the emotions inside each of them respond to the situation. It’s cute and funny, but at four and a half minutes, it can’t pack the poignant punch that the movie does.

I found it interesting to see who was the “boss” inside each mind. Joy heads up the team inside Riley, but apparently Anger is boss in Riley’s dad’s mind, as Sadness is the head honcho is her mom. What does that mean for their personalities? As an aside, I get that it probably makes it easier to quickly tell the difference between all the versions of Joy, Fear, etc. (e.g., all Dad’s emotions have a mustache), but why do all the other people have emotions that match their own gender, but Riley is the only one with both male and female?

The Digital HD & Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with a fantastic selection of extras and bonus features. Of the seven behind the scenes featurettes, I enjoyed “Mixed Emotions” the most. Seeing how they came up with each emotion’s look and personality was fascinating. I love seeing behind the creative process. Turns out Disgust was the most difficult to nail down, and she went through multiple revisions before settling on the version we have now. 

“Story of the Story” shows us the long process from idea to finished product. A couple of other featurettes delve into more technical aspects like animation film editing (I found this particularly interesting) and sound design. And this is something new: in “Our Dads, the Filmmakers,” the daughters of Director Pete Docter and composer Michael Giacchino made a featurette about what their dads do at work.

Pictured (L-R): Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust, Joy. ?2015 Disney?Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Pictured (L-R): Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust, Joy. 2015 Disney-Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Stay connected with the latest news and information about Inside Out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Available to purchase on Amazon or wherever Blu-rays are sold.

Bonus Features:

  • Riley’s First Date? (In-Home Exclusive Animated Short Film)Riley, now 12, is hanging out at home with her parents in San Francisco when potential trouble comes knocking: a boy shows up at the door. Can Mom and Dad’s emotions handle “Riley’s First Date?”
  • LAVA (Theatrical Short Film)Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, LAVA is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years.
  • Story of the Story – Director Pete Docter talks about the evolution of Inside Out, from the ideas and memories that inspired the story through the hurdles, explorations and experiences that helped shape it into the film it is today.
  • Paths to Pixar: The Women of Inside Out – Inside Out filmmakers, from voice actors to animators to production crew, talk about their paths, their goals, the challenges they’ve faced and the lessons they’ve learned along the way
  • Mixed EmotionsInside Out‘s filmmakers talk about how they decided which emotions to focus on in the story and how they went about creating each one’s distinct personality and visual identity
  • Mapping the Mind – Inside Out‘s artists take you through the years-long process of designing and creating a world everyone knows, but no one has ever seen – the human mind.
  • Our Dads, the Filmmakers – Elie Docter (daughter of director, Pete Docter) and Grace Giacchino (daughter of composer, Michael Giacchino) bring you behind the scenes for an inside look at the making of the film.
  • Into the Unknown: The Sound of Inside OutWhat is the sound of a memory forming? Sound designer Ren Klyce describes the challenges – and the unique solutions – involved in creating the aural world of Inside Out.
  • The Misunderstood Art of Animation Film Editing – Learn more about the crucial role of an animation film editor, who helps take the story from its earliest, most exploratory versions, to the final, polished film you see onscreen.
  • Deleted Scenes
    • Riley Grows Up – In this scene from a version of the film where the primary relationship was between Joy and Fear (then named Freddie), the emotions begin to notice a change in Riley.
    • Joy’s Decline – Joy’s struggles to make sense of the limitations on Riley’s behavior that seem to be springing up at every turn.
    • Misdirection – Joy and Freddie encounter a group of Riley’s “retired” imaginary friends, including an early version of Big Bong.
    • Construction – Joy is guided through Riley’s mind by a radical non-conformist, Bing Bong, outraged by the demolition of older areas like Imagination Park.
  • Commentary – Commentary includes participation from directors Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen, and producer Jonas Rivera.
  • Mind Candy – A montage of toolkit and interstitials produced for Inside Out.
  • Inside Out Trailers – A collection of domestic and international trailers made for Inside Out.

If your little one still can’t get enough Inside Out, check out these fun activity pages and a memory game, free to download.

Inside Out Activity Pages

Disclosure: I received a sample item for review.  All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ.

Leave a Comment

9 Comments