4.5 out of 5 stars (one of the best of its kind)
Inside Out 2 is one of Pixar’s best sequels, hands down. After a series of films that were good if uneven in quality (particularly in their sequels to beloved originals), Inside Out 2 is a wonderful surprise that harkens back to the company’s glory days, taking the simple yet creative concept of their first movie, maturing with their young audience, and expanding its world in logical, creative ways. There are a couple of minor issues here, but the overall package hit me so strong that they’re easy for me to overlook and should entertain all ages.
Picking up 2 years after the last movie, emotions Joy (Voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Voiced by Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Voiced by Liza Lapira), Fear (Voiced by Tony Hale) and Anger (Voiced by Lewis Black) have been working in unison to help their human preteen Riley (Voiced by Kensington Tallman) retain her developing sense of confidence. Her skills on the hockey rink have gotten her noticed by Coach Roberts (Voiced by Yvette Nicole Brown), who offers Riley and her friends a chance to attend a 3-day hockey camp. All seems sunny side up until a Puberty Alarm goes off and with it come several new emotions: Anxiety (Voice wonderfully by Maya Hawke), Envy (Voiced by Ayo Edibiri), Ennui (Voiced by Adele Exarchopoulos), and the non-speaking Embarrassment. Feeling our heroes are no longer suited to help Riley, Anxiety kicks them out of HQ and starts messing with Riley’s confidence while the group navigates Riley’s changing mind to re-establish order.
I love Inside Out 2. Just as the original explored the idea that negative emotions shouldn’t be pushed down, this sequel continues that throughline to the more complex yet honest point about the new emotions we get upon entering glorious puberty and how we deal with them. Given that anxiety in teens and preteens has become more prevalent in recent years, I was nervous how the film would portray that as botching it could have horribly backfired. From both myself and noticing other people in my life who suffer from anxiety, I think this is an inspired way of handling it on a kid’s level without sugarcoating how it can affect them. Maya Hawke is inspired casting and is energetic without being overbearing, helped by her duck-muppet character design. The way Anxiety’s motivations and effects on Riley are portrayed are smart and authentic-feeling, likely helped by the filmmakers bringing in teen girls to watch the film and offer advice for authenticity during its development.
The animation is expectedly beautiful and the representation of the mind’s changes in this new period of life are simple yet funny and creative. A great deal of clever verbal humor is mined from this and the slapstick should keep youngsters happy, though, like the first film, they might not fully resonate with it until they’re older, which is fine. The best animated films are those that can speak to us at any age, and this one does that one wonderfully. On a more personal note, as I’ve dealt with some of my own anxieties about various things over the last few months and sometimes wished they’d just vanish, seeing this film acknowledge that more complex emotions we get with age are all part of our full beautiful selves offered great solace as I work through my own stuff and should offer similar hope to kids, teens, or even adults experiencing similar problems. Some may notice the film is structurally similar to its predecessor, but the creativity in how Riley’s mind has changed matches the first one while offering frequent humor along the way.
My only ding on Inside Out 2 is that the musical score here (done by Elemental composer Andrea Datzman rather than original composer Michael Giacchino) isn’t as memorable as the original but on a scripting level this is one of Pixar’s best sequels and films in general as far as I’m concerned. I’m glad the kids of today can grow up with this series just like my generation did with the Toy Story films while their parents can pull out the tissues Inside Out 2 is another creative, funny, and emotionally honest adventure that should charm, uplift, and entertain audiences of all ages and emotional ranges. See it in theaters.
Rated PG for Mild Thematic Elements