'Inside Out': 5 reasons why Pixar movies are so powerful

I was sitting there, tears streaming under my 3-D glasses. It was happening all over again.

Even though everything I was watching was decidedly not real -- the animated universe of Inside Out -- I felt more emotion for these characters than I did for the entirely human cast of some other summer blockbusters.

Up also knocked me for an emotional loop. As did Toy Story 3. I thought maybe Pixar's remarkable run of flawless epics was coming to an inevitable close after some relative disappointments like Cars 2 and Monsters University -- but I'm happy to say Inside Out, which I saw this past weekend, is a triumphant return to form.

I've enjoyed a lot of recent animated movies from other studios (the first Despicable Me, for instance) but Pixar has, for me, been infinitely superior to its peers. Those other films might be good for a laugh and smile, but Pixar movies deeply effect my emotions, they take on grand themes -- that would be ambitious for any movie, let alone an animated one.

Inside Out is far more complex than its trailers would have you think. Besides the brilliant conceit that it dramatizes the inner workings of the mind's emotions -- fear, anger, disgust, joy and sadness -- it also delves into memories, the bonds of family, the aging process and other heavy life dramas.

And it also remains incredibly funny throughout -- which is an achievement in and of itself. How does Pixar do what they do so well and so consistently -- here are five reasons why:

1) They take their time - There are so many computer animated films these days we almost take their craftsmanship for granted, but these films are usually several years in the making and that's especially true when it comes to Pixar's output. That meticulous attention to detail and painstaking dedication is evident in all their films. They never feel like a rushed, poorly thought-out concept, They are always teeming with jokes and ideas.

2) The plots are ambitious - Which brings me to my next point. Pixar always raises the bar for the premises of their movies -- even their sequels. Think about it, each Toy Story movie adds a layer of pathos and complication that the previous film has lacked. Even some of their more mediocre films, like the so-so Brave, have something to say about relationships that is both adult and of value for kids. Inside Out is no exception, it affirms that need for all of us to indulge in our emotions no matter how painful it can be.

Inside Out

3) The voice acting is impeccable - By now we're all accustomed to stars lending their recognizable voices to animated films, but they always seem to raise their games when it comes to the Pixar films. For me, Tom Hanks and Woody are synonymous -- and in Inside Out, Amy Poehler imbues Joy with such a powerful myriad of emotions, it feels like a real master class in vocal performances. Their casting in every film is note perfect, especially in this film.

4) They aren't afraid to go dark - Wall-E took place on a decimated planet, Up kills off the protagonist's wife in it's first 15 minutes, and Inside Out centers on a depressed 11-year-old contemplating running away from home. This is not the typical kids movie fare, which is why Pixar films work so well. There's enough at stake that you can get genuinely invested in them -- in a way I doubt I could ever be in say, Minions. They also take the care to make sure their narratives are accessible to children, which is an impressive feat to say the least.

5) They are always a visual delight - In a marketplace that is truly over-saturated with animated films -- Pixar's product tends to look significantly better than its competitors. They use lighting more effectively than any other other studio. Inside Out contains a particular inventive sequence where Joy and Sadness follow the human protagonist's former imaginary friend down the rabbit hole of the abstract thinking portion of her brain, the deeper they go the more the animation simplifies itself. It's breathtaking -- and so is the movie.