Inside Out 2

by Tyler Glover

Director: Kelsey Mann 
Starring: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke & Kensington Tallman 
Rated: PG 
Runtime: 1 hour & 36 minutes

​It is officially summertime at the cinema. You know what that means, right? Time for tons of sequels to hit theaters hoping to become major box office smashes like their predecessors. While some people may feel “Joy” about this, some are watching in “Fear” and “Anxiety,” hoping the sequel doesn’t ruin their beloved characters. Fans become concerned the movies were made solely for the money and not for the creative process of continuing the stories of their heroes. Fans are worried the studios just watch in “Envy” at other studios’ successes and in their “Anger,” do whatever it takes to match or best them. It can make the fans feel great “Sadness” to think these sequels could be made and be an utter “Embarrassment” to the franchise. If the script is full of “Ennui,” it can leave fans filled with “Disgust” for the studio. Movie fans are full of so many emotions about sequels and luckily, most of those are emotions of “Joy” for Disney-Pixar's “Inside Out 2.”    
 
It has been nine years since 2015’s “Inside Out” hit theaters introducing us to Riley and her emotions. The time has finally come to continue Riley’s story as she turns 13 -years-old. All the emotions we met in the first film are back: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Tony Hale), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Liza Lapira). They are all here for Riley as she goes to a weekend ice hockey camp in hopes that it will help her qualify for her school’s team, The Firehawks. Shortly before arriving, Riley learns that her best friends Bree and Grace will not be attending the same high school as her, killing her dream that they would all be on the same team together. In the two years since the events of the first film, Joy has made a new section in Riley’s mind called the “Sense of Self.” This “Sense of Self” is basically Riley’s belief system and who she is. If there are any negative thoughts, Joy pushes those to the back of Riley’s mind. Joy hopes she will mostly be positive.  
 
However, shortly after attending the camp, headquarters becomes overrun with new emotions: Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos), and the best thing about the sequel: Anxiety (Maya Hawke). Anxiety is basically the Head Honcho of the new group and is the equivalent of Joy in leadership. Anxiety is determined to make Riley happy but her attempts prove to be misguided. Joy and the gang must race against time to help Riley through the weekend and help her to not lose who she is before it is too late.  
 
I think this film is just as good as the original. What I love about it is that it perfectly introduces four new characters and makes us fall in love with them while not sacrificing time with the already beloved characters from the original. I feel the scriptwriters (Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein and Kelsey Mann) did an impeccable job balancing the time given to all the characters. Our love for Joy, Anger, Fear, Sadness and Disgust just grows even stronger while also allowing us to embrace new friends. The MVP of the film is Anxiety, though. Hawke’s portrayal of Anxiety is so full of energy, chaos and charisma. Audiences around the world will fall in love with Anxiety and will feel like they want more time with her, even though there is much time already given to her.  
 
One of the most magical aspects of movies is to take us somewhere we have not been before. This film’s production design is just as beautiful as the original. It is full of breathtaking visuals that make us long to go to a place like this. You can be on a river floating next to broccoli, a cave full of mystery including a “Deep Dark Secret,” or at a big pile of memories to sort through in the back of your memory. Wherever it is, if it is in this film, it’s going to be a gorgeous place to be
 
One critique I could see many having with the film is that the storyline is reminiscent of the first in trying to help Riley remember who she is and why she would not do things that she starts to do. However, that is the beauty of this sequel. We all experience this throughout our entire lives. You would think over time we would know better but we don’t. Sometimes, we learn some of the same lessons over and over again. Certainly, at Riley’s age, that could be even more true. While it may be similar, I feel the screenwriters did a fantastic job of making the story fresh, new, and exciting despite its similarities.  
 
“Inside Out 2” is such a fantastic film. It manages to entertain young kids while also giving us a great lesson about the world we live in. My only partial criticism is I feel this one doesn’t hit emotionally as well as the original. It has a moment where we reflect on joy and adulthood that was a great moment but could have gotten us in our feels a little more. That is something we have come to expect heavily from a Pixar movie.