Yet another beautiful animation from Pixar that will entertain a wide spectrum of viewers. There is something for everyone – humour and cute characters for kids, philosophy for adults, beautiful visuals for animation connoisseurs. Pete Doctor, the main driving force behind Up, Inside Out and Wall-E, writes and directs, which means you can expect a familiar bitter-sweet story, full of humour, metaphors and philosophy. It follows a familiar hero’s journey story structure, but provides enough twists and turns to keep it fresh.
Pixar have not lost their shape and deliver yet another mesmerizing masterpiece. The rendering, lighting and animation here are top notch as they developed novel techniques to render nearly photorealistic environments in New York, while combining it with some more otherworldly, trippy visuals in the astral realm. Those scenes are my personal favourite as they showcase the talent and imagination currently working at the studio.
I hope we can actually get the chance to experience the movie in IMAX once the pandemic blows over, it would definitely be worth another watch. The soundtrack is great as well and includes some touching jazz performances and experimental TRON-like vibes in certain scenes. The story follows familiar patterns, but will still touch you and make you think about the beauty of life and maybe, just maybe forget about life’s troubles and focus on cherishing each moment.