Inside Out 2 Review: Once More, With Feeling

If a sequel is close to the original in terms of themes, execution, and narrative, it can either be repetitive or heralded as a great sequel. For Inside Out 2, the sequel to 2015’s Pixar film Inside Out, it’s mostly the latter. Directed by Kelsey Mann, Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) returns as Joy, Lewis Black (Man of the Year), returns as Anger, and Phyllis Smith (The Office) returns as Sadness, whereas Fear and Disgust are played by Tony Hale (Veep), and Liza Lapira (21) respectively. The original emotions are joined by some new ones as Riley (Kensington Tallman) goes through puberty. 

Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) plays Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) plays Envy, Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya) plays Embarrassment, and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Colour) plays Ennui. When Joy tries to do her best to keep Riley with her friends at hockey camp, Anxiety takes control and forces Riley to make new friends to get ready for high school. To stop the emotions from getting in the way of Anxiety, she throws them in a jar that’s put in Riley’s vault, where she keeps her secrets.

Inside Out 2: More of the Same?

The story of Inside Out 2 is similar to the story of the first film. Riley has a problem, one emotion seems to be making that issue worse and Joy makes it her mission to bring things back to normal. This time all the main five emotions journey outside of the headquarters, trying to bring back Riley’s sense of self so that her beliefs aren’t overridden by Anxiety. The story imparts the same message the first movie does, that emotions need to work together for a healthy mind. 

While the story is similar, there are more than double the characters. There’s a solid level of development with many of them. Yet, it’s still paced greatly with a short 96-minute runtime. Riley’s going through more complex issues in Inside Out 2, trying to be good at hockey to impress the coach and the new team, while trying not to neglect her friends. Of course, Anxiety is messing with her sense of self so she falters with that last goal.

Like my future autobiography, Anxiety is the villain of this movie. Maya Hawke is fantastically frantic, and her performance put me on edge for the last half of the film. Inside Out 2 is funny, but I cringe and empathize with Riley more than laugh. Anxiety should rub off on you. All the new emotions are great, even if Annui and Envy are a little one-note. All the voice acting is also terrific, with Poehler, Hawke, and Smith standing out. Poehler’s given a little more to do in this one, with Joy having her moment to get frustrated and to inspire Riley’s imagination.

Expansion of a Sequel

Inside Out 2 expands on the ideas of the first film in interesting ways. Inside Out focused on memories and how they could have multiple emotions. Mixed memories are in the sequel, with Joy pushing some more unpleasant ones to the back of Riley’s mind. Joy also uses memories to create beliefs, forming Riley’s core sense of self. Just as the first movie could be used as an aid for younger children to help them better understand their emotions, Inside Out 2 could easily be used to teach children about beliefs and individuality.

Inside Out 2 is as funny as a Pixar animated film should be. Not only are there some great puns like the “sarchasm” or Anxiety’s “Anxi-tea”, but there are also great visual gags. One of the best but briefest additions is Lance Slashblade, (Yong Yea) an old video game character that Riley likes. One of his jokes made me howl with laughter in the theater. The humor isn’t just for kids, the adults should still get their turn. Old bits have been updated, too, as Imagination Land has gotten a bit of a makeover.

Michael Giacchino’s (The Incredibles) score is great, bringing Riley’s mind to life while also intensifying Anxiety’s actions. The art is also abundantly vibrant with color, which not only helps differentiate every character but also makes the world of the film visually stimulating. While we’re talking about visuals, two characters are animated to be visually distinct, with Lance stylized like an older video game character and the Dora-like cartoon character Bloofy (Ron Funches) having a reduced frame rate. With the smooth animation, these two stood out as characters because of their designs.

Feel Something

Even though it’s been nearly a decade since the release of the original, Mann and the teams at Pixar have managed to create a film that can not only stand on its own as an intensely creative, thematically interesting work but one that also serves as a fantastic sequel. Inside Out 2 is clever, witty, funny, sad, charming, bittersweet, anxiety-inducing, and cringeworthy all at the same time. It’ll make you feel something, that’s for sure. If you like animated movies you should run to a theater to watch this on the biggest screen possible.

You can feel some emotions yourself and see Inside Out 2 in theaters from June 14, 2024.