This summer wasn’t great, but watching Inside Out 2 with my best friend, Fatimah, was a highlight. Adjusting to the constant grind of work and being away from my close friends from Moravian, I spent a lot of time stuck at home. So, seeing this movie was a welcome escape from my daily routine. I had been bombarded with ads for it on almost every platform, so it was no surprise that it was a big box office hit.
Inside Out 2, directed by Kelsey Mann and released on June 14, 2024, has become a one-of-a-kind staple in the Pixar franchise. As a Pixar fan myself, I’ve noticed there haven’t been many groundbreaking movies lately since the release of Elemental, which started as a flop but gained popularity gradually overseas, likely thanks to increased advertising. But Inside Out 2 has brought that magic back to our screens and doesn’t feel like a cash grab like some other movies as it builds off of the first movie, which is refreshing to see. Especially with the current lineups of remakes being introduced into the movie market this upcoming year. (I’m looking at you, Disney)
The movie starts by reintroducing us to Riley, the main character from the first film, and her core emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. We get a classic sequel recap of what’s been going on with Riley since the first movie, and it’s hard to believe it’s been nine years since the original! This makes watching this movie so nostalgic, as I was in a similar phase as Riley in this movie when the first movie came out.
Now, as a teenager, Riley’s emotions are in full swing, and with puberty taking form, everything becomes more intense, complicated, and chaotic than it was during that time of development. It’s a journey that resonates with our own experiences, making us feel a deep connection to the characters.
The movie touches on Riley’s developing sense of self, which helps her make decisions and shape her beliefs. We are discovering ourselves during this stage of life, so this concept is accurate to the experience of being a teenager. As an adult, I still learn about my sense of self, a common ideology that evolves as we age.
We learn that Joy has even created a gadget to push “bad” memories to the back of Riley’s mind. Then, we pick up from where the last movie left off—with the infamous puberty button waking the emotions from their slumber.
From there, things quickly spiral into chaos as Riley’s mind (or “headquarters”) gets upgraded to handle her new emotions. Once the console is repaired, the emotions realize that Riley’s feelings are becoming more dramatic—something that usually happens during puberty. This sets the stage for a series of events that test the strength of Riley’s core emotions and their ability to guide her through the challenges of growing up.
On her way to hockey camp, Riley discovers that her two closest friends won’t be attending the same high school as her. She hides her sadness from them but breaks down crying after they leave—a relatable moment, as starting high school can be challenging, especially when it means leaving old friends behind. Around this time, we meet Val, the star player and captain of Riley’s high school hockey team.
Puberty brings with it a whole new set of emotions, including Anxiety, Ennui (boredom), Embarrassment, and Envy, with Anxiety playing the leading role for all these new emotions. The way they introduce her is similar to how they introduce Joy in the first movie, as anxiety is her first emotion out of the three introduced.
Anxiety is quite the character, especially with the squealing and excitement of meeting everyone especially Joy when she is introduced. Anxiety convinces Riley to ditch her friends and join Val’s team, taking control by bottling up her other emotions. The fact that they created this as a visual made me die with laughter.
Then Anxiety, proceeds to rip out Riley’s sense of self and send it to the back of the mind which is the start of Anxiety’s takeover of Riley’s emotions that occurs before she sends the other emotions away.
On the other hand, Joy teams up with the others to restore Riley’s sense of self which ends up leaving Sadness to complete the task while the others are trying to get back to headquarters while she is finding Riley’s sense of self. The movie’s humor keeps the audience entertained and amused, even in the midst of the character’s emotional turmoil.
Throughout the movie, there are a multitude of relatable moments, like when Anxiety keeps Riley awake by bombarding her with worst-case scenarios—something we can all identify with when feeling anxious about something. The film also explores how Riley’s sense of self becomes tied to her belief that she’s not good enough after reading her coach’s thoughts about her in the book.
I’m not going to state what was written in the book, but personally, I don’t think it’s a bad comment as it’s just inferring that she needs more time to adjust. It’s easy to try and fit in and immediately hop into activities while we enter high school. The fact that Riley is already concerned about joining the Hockey team before she enters high school.
Joy sums it up perfectly when she says, “Maybe this is what happens when you grow up—you feel less joy.” This quote always makes me cry whenever I rewatch this movie. This is also relatable to the current experience of being an adult and losing the things that gave you joy or not having the time. These moments make the audience feel understood and validated in their own experiences, fostering a sense of connection with the characters.
One of the most touching scenes shows Riley experiencing a full-blown anxiety attack, with Anxiety glitching out in headquarters to symbolize the overwhelming nature of an attack—a powerful and relatable moment for anyone who’s experienced anxiety, especially during the transition into high school.I felt like this was an accurate representation especially because it’s one the first times pixar has gone this serious.
But the film isn’t all serious. There are plenty of lighthearted moments, too, like when Embarrassment steps up to help Sadness, which honestly was a pleasant surprise. The throwback to her favorite TV character, Blufy, a quirky character who feels like a knock-off of Dora The Explorer. Lance the glitchy warrior that Riley was fascinated with and had a crush on when she was younger.
He also had a killer move, and his only attack was rolling, which was hilarious to watch when he was trying to help get the emotions out. Anxiety’s character design, though, freaked me out a bit—she looks like a rejected muppet, which might have been Pixar’s way of making her stand out from the other emotions.
Ultimately, when all the emotions come together to embrace Riley’s evolving sense of self, it’s a real tear-jerker. This gave the concept that all emotions matter, whether negative or positive. It all builds up a sense of self, which correlates with the first movie’s similar concept.
Overall, Inside Out 2 is a fantastic sequel that captures the emotional turmoil of adolescence with humor, heart, and stunning animation. Inside Out 2 is a must watch for all fans of the franchise especially with its relatable over the navigation of growing up. It also brings up the concept that it’s okay to feel a range of emotions, and that sometimes the hardest part of growing up is learning how to accept and balance all of them.
I give the film 9 out of 10 Joys and highly recommend it to everyone, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
