Pixar’s back: ‘Inside Out’ wins animated feature Oscar

Pixar’s “Inside Out” directed by Pete Docter won the Oscar for animated feature Sunday.

The inventive computer-animated film is set inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl, turning her emotions — such as joy, sadness and disgust — into characters. The emotions, voiced by the likes of Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling, go haywire when the girl’s family moves to San Francisco.

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Its win represents a return to form for Disney-owned Pixar Animation Studios, which last earned the animated feature honor in 2013 for “Brave.” The “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo” studio has won the category eight times.

“This film was really born from watching our kids grow up, which is not easy,” Docter said during his acceptance.

“Inside Out” is Docter’s second Oscar for animated feature. He won in 2010 for the multigenerational tearjerker “Up.” This year, “Inside Out” also also nominated for original screenplay but lost to “Spotlight.”

A commercial success with $857 million in worldwide box-office ticket sales, “Inside Out” has long been considered the frontrunner for the award.

Other nominees included Charlie Kaufman’s R-rated stop-motion drama “Anomalisa” and Mark Burton and Richard Starzak’s “Shaun the Sheep Movie.” Two GKIDS movies — Brazil’s “Boy and the World” and Studio Ghibli’s “When Marnie Was There” — were also in contention.

The 88th Academy Awards are being held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Chris Rock is hosting the ceremony.

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