Poehler takes on titans from another time
Disney-Pixar animated feature goes head-to-head with Jurassic World
I am in no way surprised, and actually blown away, that they pulled off this bigide a and made it into a touching work place comedy.
AMY POEHLER
LOS ANGELES — When Amy Poehler is told she could be this year’s cinema giant slayer, she can’t help but snicker.
The 43-year-old is the lead voice of Joy in Pixar’s Inside Out, which opens against the monster smash Jurassic World in its second week of release (Jurassic drew in $511.8 million US worldwide last weekend).
Next Christmas, Poehler and Tina Fey star in the R-rated comedy Sisters, which goes head-to-head with the much anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.
“No problem,” said Poehler feigning overconfidence. “I’ve got one for each hand.”
The reality is the demographics are completely different. Inside Out, especially, is a family-friendly movie in the tradition of director Peter Docter’s past animated motion pictures Up and Monsters, Inc. In other words, expect layers of wit, wonder and a few deep thoughts.
Mostly, Inside Out exists in the mind of 11-year-old Riley. She’s characterized by the emotions of Joy (Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Anger (Lewis Black).
In the story, all five of Riley’s emotions try to control her thoughts after her family abruptly moves from a smalltown in Minnesota to the big city of San Francisco for her father’s job. The result is a tween in turmoil, struggling with her feelings once ruled by Joy alone.
“I am in no way surprised, and actually blown away, that they pulled off this big idea and made it into a touching workplace comedy,” Poehler said of the Pixar crew. “The movie has emotional depth and intelligence, and what I love is that they don’t patronize.”
“They” in this case is co-director Docter, who also co-wrote the script, producer Jonas Rivera and the rest of the Pixar team that helped refine the film over the last four years.
“Pixar believes collaboration is not a vulnerability and they actually embrace it,” said Poehler, who has made a career out of that comedy spirit on Saturday Night Live and the sitcom Parks and Recreation.
Certainly, Docter couldn’t have prescribed a better lead for his animated story loosely based on his daughter, Ellie, who went from carefree to gloomy during an adolescent transition.
“Joy was the last one to be cast, and it was the most difficult of any of the characters to write for because she had a tendency of being really annoying,” Docter said. “If you write someone who is always chipper and upbeat ... you want to sock that person.”
However, Poehler found a way to combine enthusiasm with a little bit of devilish charm.
“Riley is that moment before you’ve been thrown into the snake pit,” said Poehler. “It’s just that great time. I feel like as an adult you’re trying to always get back to it. It’s like magic hour and I think we have a lot of love for that age.”