i was in no way prepared for the extent to which this film is about hockey.

this is Pixar's most exhilaratingly clever film since RATATOUILLE, and the premise is far more engaging and coherent than could reasonably be expected... but i struggle with all this talk of people losing their faces. the fact that the movie tells you *literally* what to feel sure makes it tough to experience anything for yourself, and so — for all of its gargantuan imagination — this felt like something of an emotionally stunted spectacle, to me. it didn't help that i totally failed to connect with Bing-Bong, or that the central journey never enlivens its meaning, or that Hader and Kaling's characters never contribute all that much.

and yet, i can't help but feel that this is going to be extremely valuable for kids who are in the process of shedding their childhoods. odd that Pixar's most high-concept film also skewers to their youngest audience (audience from the CARS dreck, of course).

oh, and Joy is a real... delight.

OH... and dear holy fuck god the short before this movie is awful. do yourself a favor and literally be anywhere else on the earth when it's playing.

OOOHH... hockey!