Disney Disney/Pixar the Art of Inside Out, (Hardcover)

"The Art of Inside Out" is a fascinating look inside what should be another modern classic from Pixar. As a fan of the animation company, this book was a must-own - and it's instantly one of my favorite art books from their films. Pixar has been doing a lot of sequels lately (and they have more scheduled), so it's nice to see an original concept like "Inside Out" where the team has to start from scratch and build a world. This book compiles just about every conceivable type of artwork from the film: pencil drawings, ink, marker, digital paintings, and even clay sculpts. You also get a few pages of storyboards and the color script. Much of the imagery in the book is dedicated to the main characters - Riley (an 11-year old girl), her parents, and most importantly the emotions: Joy, Disgust, Fear, Anger, and Sadness. There are also many pages dedicated to the worlds that these characters inhabit - specifically the world inside Riley's head in which the emotions live. One of the things that is very cool to see is how the five emotions essentially began as simple shapes and colors. Of course, the final characters are very layered and have a lot of detail - but the fundamental differences in shape and color allow the audience to easily distinguish one emotion from another and gives each character their own unique look to match their personality. There is almost no text here, other than a foreword by Amy Poehler (who voices Joy) and an introduction by director Pete Docter. Some images do get captions, but they are short. So those looking for insight into the production process may be disappointed; although the artwork itself kind of demonstrates how the film's characters and design evolved over time. I enjoy all the Pixar films; one of things I like is the way the filmmakers collaborate. The directors are very involved in the art and design process, taking a hands-on approach in a way that many live-action directors don't. Pete Docter is a great director (Up, Monsters Inc.) but he is also a great visual artist - the book shows some of his own sketches. Anyone interested in animation or design in film should consider a purchase. Kids should really enjoy flipping through this one because there is a lot of great character art and colorful imagery. This is one of the nicest art books I've come across in a long time. The book is available in hardcover or as a Kindle version; I highly recommend you purchase the hard copy, in this case the art deserves to be seen on the printed page rather than on a computer screen.