Inside Out

   When I was a child, I was extremely happy all the time. I lived in a big house in a safe neighbourhood with my Mum and most of my extended family lived nearby. I was average at school but this was okay because I had very dedicated tutors who encouraged and taught me every day after school, to ensure that I never fell behind. I had many friends at church and school and at times, I even felt like a mini celebrity as twins are a big deal in Nigeria.

  This all changed in August 2004, when I moved to the UK at the age of 9. The massive culture change caused me to go from a chatterbox to a recluse, and I started to bottle up my feelings, writing them down in a diary instead of saying what I really felt. In those first few weeks in the UK, I would spend lunchtimes and breaktimes crying to my teachers about how alone I felt. This was a very sad time for me. Seeing how sad I was made other kids reach out more to me and eventually, I became happy again and made new friends.

  To say that it touched me to see a scenario similar to this play out in Pixar's Inside Out would be an understatement. I sat there in the cinema, bawling my eyes out like a sap. Inside Out is set in the mind of a young girl called Riley, where her five personified emotions, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust, try to guide her through life as she moves to a new city with her parents. The story is made even more touching by the fact that it's based on the real life changes that the director, Pete Docter, noticed in his daughter's personality as she grew older.

  Change and growing up can be sad. And it's okay to feel sad because acknowledging this sadness is the way to happiness. This is the very powerful message that I got from Inside Out, which is why I think that it's a vital and important watch for everyone. Some might say some of the 'deep brain stuff' that's mentioned in the film is too difficult for younger children to grasp. However, I'd counter this argument with the fact that my five year old cousin and seven year old brother understood the film's message perfectly. I nearly cried again when they were telling me that feeling sad is okay as this is a message that feels even more poignant because of this.

  I'd even go as far as to say that Inside Out is the best Pixar film that I've ever seen. That's right, I went there, Go check it out!

Rating 9.5/10