Comparison: Inside Out Vs Minions
Posted by Leah on
7/16/2015 11:24:22 AM
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I’m going to try to compare this summer’s top two children’s movies, Inside Out and Minions. I think it’s safe to say that the two biggest times of year for Hollywood and the theater industry are summer and Christmas. In my opinion they’ve taken this to the extreme, leaving the rest of the year with pretty slim pickings. That aside, I think I’ve pretty well worked out their formula. Summer is the time for at least one big budget comic book movie (sometimes two or three as is the case this year with the releases of Antman and Fantastic Four). Then there has to be at least one widely hyped rom-com. Add in another big budget feature that has more buzz than a beehive (its Jurassic World this year). Add to all of that a kid’s movie that we’ve all seen the trailers for for at least 7 months, and there you have it! That is the formula for a great summer at the movies. (I’m not really going to get into the Christmas formula right now since I think its WAAYYY too early in the year for that!)
This year is a little bit different though. This year kids have it made with not one, but two widely anticipated features catering to them, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out and Universal’s Minions. These two films couldn’t possibly be more different, but because they were released within a few weeks of one another, and they’re neck and neck in the box office I thought it appropriate to do a side by side comparison of the two.
I guess the best place to start with this comparison would be with the summaries of each film. I’ll start with Inside Out:
11 year old Riley has always been a happy-go-lucky little girl. She has amazing friends, amazing parents and couldn’t be happier at their home in the Midwest. But when her father must uproot the family and move them to San Francisco for a new job, Riley and her emotions, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust must learn how to best handle and adapt to her new home, new school and new life.
And now Minions:
The gibberish speaking Minions have been around since the dawn of time and their purpose has always been to serve the most despicable masters they can find. Unfortunately for them their masters never last very long. For years the Minions go without a master to serve which sends them all into a deep and seemingly endless depression. Finally Kevin, Stuart and Bob decide that enough is enough and set out in search of a new master. After a long journey they find Scarlet Overkill, the first female super villain. The Minions quickly learn that there is a huge difference between despicable and evil.
As far as storylines go Inside Out is a far deeper and more thoughtful movie than Minions. Minions is simply a prequel/spinoff of the Despicable Me movies. Inside Out really delves into the psychology of emotions and how they influence what we do and how we act. In fact, Pete Doctor, the writer/director of the film began development of it in 2009 after witnessing changes in attitude that his own young daughter was going through. According to Wikipedia he then began consulting with “Dr. Paul Ekman, a well-known psychologist who studies emotions, and Dr. Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.” The resulting film is one that incorporates the latest research on emotions into the story, but is done in such a way that keeps the film accessible to young and old alike.
Really, besides the fact that both of these films are for children and were both released during the summer, there is no good comparison, because their subject matter is totally different. I think you’ll find, as I did, that your enjoyment of both will depend somewhat on your mood, as well as the moods and maturity levels (to some degree) of your kids. Both films are likeable and entertaining. Both are worth seeing (especially if you liked the Despicable Me movies, although that’s not a requirement). Both films feature a myriad of some of the biggest stars out there, as most animation does these days. But when it comes down to it, here is your choice: If you want to see something that is visually stunning, deeply thought provoking, funny, witty and one of the best, if not the best film Disney/Pixar has ever put out, go see Inside Out. Young or old, this one’s worth the time you’ll invest. If, on the other hand, you or your kids would rather see something that’s action packed, silly, easy to watch and just plain fun for fun’s sake, go see Minions.
Either way it seems clear to me that we, the movie going public, are the real winners this summer.
Inside Out is rated PG, was written and directed by Pete Doctor and Ronaldo Del Carmen and stars Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader and Lewis Black. Its in theaters now.
Minions is rated PG, was directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin and stars Sandra Bullock, John Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan and Geoffry Rush. It is also in theaters now.