Inside Out 2 Movie Review ★★★★☆
Image credit: Disney
Almost 10 years after the original was released, Pixar has given us Inside Out 2. The sequel introduces us to four new emotions, Embarrassment, Ennui, Envy and Anxiety.
The story took its first jab at my heart when it showed Family Island (the main focus of the first movie), while still up and running, much further away compared to Friendship Island. It’s the perfect way to introduce newly thirteen, beautifully pimpled Riley’s step into teenagerhood. Pairing this with the fact many viewers such as myself have shared that they saw the first movie with their parents and this sequel with their friends, yeah, ouch.
The movie centres on Riley and her two best friends Grace and Bree. We follow Riley as she tries to balance her old and new friendships as well as her own feelings and how she is perceived. The film shows how teenagerhood seems to make all of your friendships somehow messier.
A new, well-executed element is the importance of Riley’s sense of self. We see small acts every day add up as string to create the structure of Riley’s sense of “I am a good person”. Over the course of the movie, with the help of the character of Anxiety, Riley makes decisions out of fear to impress others. All these actions also add up to her new sense of self of “I’m not good enough”. Hearing this from 13-year-old Riley, a character we love, is shattering when you realise you often do the same to yourself.
This movie’s most enjoyable character was Anxiety. I think she well represented the worry that often starts in adolescence and follows us to adulthood. Dealing with friendships, puberty and starting high school are a great combination for overthinking, even though kids are often seen in the media as carefree and naïve. There’s a scene where Anxiety gets her workers to brainstorm as many bad situations as possible for Riley’s hockey game while she sleeps that I’m sure was relatable to many in the audience. Joy counters this with positive situations that could happen and it’s a great depiction of the negative framework we often stick ourselves in.
Inside Out has always aimed to teach young children about different types of emotions and that it’s okay to experience them. The first movie was a tool many teachers used to teach their classes about emotion in a fun and engaging way. The sequel echoes this purpose by recognising children’s anxiety as valid through Riley’s journey and making kids feel seen.
However, the sequel is not able to live up to the first’s legacy. It feels rushed compared to the original’s depth. The entire movie takes place over just a weekend which is very ineffective. We don’t know enough about Riley’s friends to care about maintaining their relationship as much as her friendship with the new character, Val. It also hinders Riley’s growth as we only see a small sliver of her life, giving the film a small environment. I wanted to see more about Riley’s school and home life but instead hockey becomes the centre of the film.
A factor at play may be Pixar as a studio changing direction to making sequels after less successful, but creatively new, films like Elemental and Luca. Creative director Pete Doctor has spoken about doubling down on what first spoke to audiences, which makes this feel like a bit more of a guaranteed success/cash grab after workforce cuts.
Inside Out has a strong, familiar base Pixar knows will succeed and has so much potential I am sure we will see more of in the future. Although slightly undercooked, its best elements really do shine. To conclude, Inside Out 2 is a nostalgic, fun-filled movie that will make you a little bit kinder to yourself.