'Inside Out' gives Disney fourth animated film Oscar in a row

INSIDE Out, a clever and moving story about the conflict of emotions inside the mind of a young girl, gave Disney its fourth consecutive Oscar on Sunday in the best animated feature category.
The cartoon from Pixar, a Disney subsidiary, beat fellow nominees Anomalisa, Boy and the World, Shaun the Sheep Movie and When Marnie Was There.
It won the hearts of critics and audiences worldwide with its engaging characters: Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger, who live inside each person's head, jabbing at buttons on an emotional switchboard.
"This was born from watching our kids grow up, which is not easy," said director Pete Docter, after he received the golden statuette -- his second.
"If you are in junior high, high school, working it out, suffering, there are days you are going to feel sad, angry, going to be scared. That's nothing you can choose, but you can make stuff," he said to applause.
"Make films, draw, write -- it will make a world of difference."
It was Disney's fourth Oscar in as many years for an animated film, following wins for Brave, Frozen and Big Hero 6.
With irresistible humour, Inside Out depicts the tumult of emotions that often override reason in both children and adults.
Parents can identify with the film's depiction of the joys and difficulties of raising a child, from birth to adolescence.
Meanwhile, the story of 11-year-old Riley is a universal tale of struggling to adapt to a new environment and circumstances.
As she slips into depression after her family moves from the northern state of Minnesota to San Francisco, Joy leads the effort to create happiness in Riley's life, trying to minimise the effect of the other emotions on the girl's psyche -- until she realises all must play a role in creating a contented life.
Directed by Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen, Inside Out won a number of other awards, including a Golden Globe and a BAFTA.
Docter, who also directed Pixar hits Up and Monsters, Inc., said the anthropomorphic approach to emotions came from watching his 11-year-old daughter Elizabeth and wondering what was going on inside her head.
"Emotions are not really little people running around in your head -- I hope that doesn't spoil anything for anybody. But in the film they are and that's a fairly good way of thinking about it," he told AFP in an interview.
The filmmakers interviewed experts including psychiatrists and neurologists as they created the film, to better understand the workings of the mind and consciousness.
The film is one of Disney's biggest animated hits, earning almost US$860 million (RM3.6 billion) worldwide, nearly five times its production budget of US$175 million.
It also notched the strongest opening weekend ever for an original, non-sequel film, edging out James Cameron's Avatar from 2009.
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, Inside Out, was considered an early Oscar favourite.
Many critics considered it one of the best ever produced by Pixar, the studio behind hits such as Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Ratatouille. – AFP