Animation

Animation is a lot like Superman: it's fantastic, colorful, and straddles two worlds. For Superman, those worlds are Earth and Krypton; for animation, they're genre and technique.

Animation is a little bit of both, and it's further characterized by a vivid color palette, like the rainbow of emotions that man Riley's control panel or the bright hues of Long-Term Memory, Imagination Land, Preschool World, and Abstract Thought.

Which brings us to the third hallmark of the animated genre: imaginative settings. We're not sure how a setting can get much more imaginative than the inside of somebody's noggin. Preschool World alone boasts Sparkle Pony Mountain, Graham Cracker Castle, and the Teddy Bear Hall of Fame. From anthropomorphized anger to Cloud Town, animation makes all that inventiveness possible.

Comedy

From Midnight Run to The Heat, Shmoop loves a good buddy comedy. Inside Out fits that mold with its relationship between Joy and Sadness. They're an odd pair forced together by extreme circumstances (a.k.a. trying to get back to HQ). From that, hilarity ensues, whether it's Sadness fondly recalling the "funny" movie where the dog dies or Joy having to drag her lethargic blue pal around Long-Term Memory by the ankle.

With its fantastical setting, Inside Out is also able to pull off a plethora of clever sight gags. Dream Production Studios is filled with visual humor, for example, from the disastrous effects of the reality distortion filter right down to the posters in the background that advertise productions like Something's Chasing Me! and I'm Falling for a Very Long Time into a Pit.

Adventure

For Shmoop, adventure means putting that milk from the back of the fridge on our Frosted Flakes. For major motion pictures, adventure means characters on an intrepid quest through exotic locations. Potentially rancid milk optional.

Inside Out sees Joy and Sadness undertake an epic journey back to Headquarters to restore order to Riley's emotional world. We're not saying the stakes are huge, but if Joy doesn't make it back, Riley will never be happy again. No pressure.

The backdrop for their expedition is Riley's mind and a host of stunning, imaginative backdrops, like the winding corridors of Long-Term Memory or the treacherous caverns of the Subconscious, which is populated by living, interactive representations of Riley's deepest, darkest fears. We're talking spooky basements, creepy clowns, and so much broccoli.

The only way that locale could get more exotic would be if somebody shoved a piña colada in Jangles' gigantic white hand.