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Combining real and thought-provoking human drama with an artistic and a playful animated premise has always been at the heart of Pixar’s success; who can forget Ellie and Carl’s relationship flashback reel in Up or the tear-jerking finale in Toy Story 3? Inside Out ­– directed by Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen – is another inspiring creation from the award-winning studio which promises plenty of laughs, thrills and even a few tears.

Inside Out is centred on the inner workings of eleven-year-old Riley’s (Dias) mind which is powered by her team of ‘emotions’, who are working hard to guide their girl through the daily ups and downs of life. Leading the way is Joy (Poehler), who finds it her duty to maintain peace – and joy – in Riley’s life and spends her days keeping a close eye on her fellow emotions; Saddness (Smith), Disgust (Kaling), Fear (Hader) and last but not least, Anger (Black).

Everything seems to be going okay until Riley’s parents, voiced by Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan, decide to move the family from Minnesota to San Francisco, throwing the teenager – and her inner mind-buddies – through the emotional turmoil of having to adjust to her new home. Joy works hard to provide a happy outcome, however; an accident sends her and Sadness into the mystifying maze of Riley’s Long Term Memory and things begin to unravel from there, with Fear, Disgust and Anger in charge.

Pixar’s Inside Out offers a thrilling journey through the workings of the complicated mind of an adolescent girl as she tries to come to terms with change. Told through a whimsical – and slightly whacky – lens, Inside Out is moving, quirky and silly and the writers seemed to have struck the perfect balance between cutesy and sombre in its storytelling, allowing all – no matter how old – to relate and follow the story with great ease and appreciation. Poehler is absolutely fantastic as the exuberant Joy who – unlike her fellow emotions – has been with Riley since birth; her can-do attitude is intoxicating and holds the power to melt the hearts of most cynics while Smith, in the role of Sadness, comes a close second.

Offering a great deal of heart and ingenuity, Inside Out is a refreshing addition to the world of animations and for Pixar especially, who have been in a bit of a rut since 2013.