Ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a child? Pixar claims to know, depicting it in 3D and very vivid color, in the studio’s latest animated feature Inside Out. The film focuses on, or rather in, Riley, an elementary school girl, who moves with her family to San Francisco and has a hard time adjusting. We see five emotions vying for control in her noggin: Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith).

Walking the fine line between too cerebral for young children and not cerebral enough for adults, I didn’t find it completely satisfying for any age. The kids who saw it with me said they liked Inside Out, but they weren’t jumping around and raving about it being “awesome,” either. And I have to admit, while I found it pleasant enough, I can’t rhapsodize about it as I did about Up, Wall-E, or Toy Story 3. I’d say Inside Out sits comfortably in the middle of Pixar’s body of work.

Not that there isn’t some spectacular animation, along with valuable lessons to be learned, as there are with most animated features. I love Inside Out‘s message in particular, which is that it’s okay–and even helpful sometimes–to be sad. That one’s unique, and not heard often enough. But to be honest, I found the seemingly never-ending journey through the mind a tad boring, and really, that scary clown in memory land? Couldn’t they have come up with something a bit more original?

Still, Inside Out is in no way a waste of time, and other critics are absolutely rhapsodizing about it. You will definitely have fun taking your little ones to see it, and then inevitably buying them emotion action figures and plush toys afterwards. But just know you won’t be absolutely blown away. And neither will the box office–Inside Out is expected to open at No. 2, behind those hungry dinosaurs of Jurassic World in their second week.

Rated PG

1 hour 34 minutes

Get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Inside Out Review: Pixar Plays Mind Games