To this day, I still believe that 'Inside Out' is an incredibly beautiful and profoundly emotional movie, so when I heard Pixar was developing a sequel, I was more than excited. In fact, if you scroll down a little to my older blog posts, you'll find that I reviewed the official 'Inside Out 2' trailer as one of my very first blog posts because I was so excited for this film to release ever since the initial teaser trailer was released last fall.
'Inside Out 2' was released on my birthday this year, so to celebrate, I went with my family to watch it in theaters last Friday evening. Walking into the theater, it was surprising to see how many people were there. I don't think I've seen a theater that full for a Disney film since before the pandemic in 2020, and honestly, I've missed the feeling of walking into a movie theater opening weekend for a Disney film and seeing the lobby and theater full of kids and adults. Getting to experience 'Inside Out 2' in theaters felt like a very surreal and full-circle moment, and I feel so blessed that I could experience it with my family, just like I did back in 2015 with the first 'Inside Out' film.
While Disney's' unsuccessful box office performances over the last couple of years could be linked to a wide range of debatable causes, there's no doubt that this weekend has been an extremely successful one for the Walt Disney Company, and not just financially. 'Inside Out 2' opened with a paired audience and critic score on Rotten Tomatoes of over 90% and thousands of positive reviews across various media platforms. Following its three-day box office performance, 'Inside Out 2' has made headlines as one of the biggest global debuts for an animated movie ever, with a whopping $295 million. I'm hoping the continued success of 'Inside Out 2' is a sign that Disney entertainment is beginning to turn a corner in relation to its storytelling and relatability with audiences.
→ Just a disclaimer before I continue: this post contains major spoilers for 'Inside Out 2.' ←
The story of 'Inside Out 2' follows Riley's transformative time at a three-day hockey camp as she wrestles with the emotional effects of puberty. Four new emotions move into Emotion Headquarters: Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy, and Ennui, and take over, literally bottling up Riley's core emotions, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger as Anxiety carries out "Operation New Riley," a plan to prepare Riley for the future. In order to carry out this plan, Anxiety and the other sophisticated emotions dispose of Riley's former Sense of Self in a misconstrued effort to cultivate a new identity for her. Meanwhile Joy and the other core emotions attempt to find their way back to Emotion Headquarters to try and stop them.
→ Just a disclaimer before I continue: this post contains major spoilers for 'Inside Out 2.' ←
The story of 'Inside Out 2' follows Riley's transformative time at a three-day hockey camp as she wrestles with the emotional effects of puberty. Four new emotions move into Emotion Headquarters: Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy, and Ennui, and take over, literally bottling up Riley's core emotions, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger as Anxiety carries out "Operation New Riley," a plan to prepare Riley for the future. In order to carry out this plan, Anxiety and the other sophisticated emotions dispose of Riley's former Sense of Self in a misconstrued effort to cultivate a new identity for her. Meanwhile Joy and the other core emotions attempt to find their way back to Emotion Headquarters to try and stop them.
Riley is portrayed as an incredibly complex and resilient character in this film, equally optimistic and expressive while also feeling emotionally vulnerable. I found the combination of Riley's' personality and character motivation incredibly relatable in many aspects. Her struggle against anxiety throughout the film was portrayed realistically in that it affected both her actions and Sense of Self in transformative ways. Actor Kensington Tallman did a fantastic job voicing her, successfully capturing Riley's essence from the original 'Inside Out' film while giving her an older feel characteristic of a teenage girl.
The film's beginning showed some backstory into Riley's life following the first film, including her officially becoming a teenager (turning 13) and her life in San Francisco. Also, at the beginning of the movie we're introduced to Riley's Sense of Self, built from her beliefs connected to a pool of important memories through glowing strands. With each plucked strand, Riley's' beliefs echo prominently: "I'm brave," "I'm a really good friend," "I'm smart," and the primary belief making up her Sense of Self: "I'm a good person." Riley's beliefs, albeit carefully selected by Joy and the other core emotions, were undeniably beautiful in nature. Yet, by the movie's epilogue, Riley's pool of memories and Sense of Self evolve into something much more emotionally rich with the introduction of her "bad" memories. Each memory has a purpose, and as revealed in the film's story, each one makes Riley unique and completes her ever-fluctuating identity.
One part that really stood out to me in this film was when Anxiety, after disposing of Riley's' former sense of self, cultivated the final branch of Riley's new, anxiety-rooted identity. As the crooked strands of her self-perception wove together, Riley's voice echoed to the back of her mind like a defeated proclamation: "I'm not good enough." Joy's reaction actually made me emotional, particularly when she discouragingly addressed Fear, Disgust, and Anger: "I don't know how to stop Anxiety. Maybe we can't. Maybe this is what happens when you grow up. You feel less joy."
As I've grown up, there have been times when I've experienced resigned feelings of anxiety and insecurity. Realistically, it's been hard for me not to get swept up in the stress and uncertainty of life, especially now that I'm in college and living away from home. I honestly think that's the main reason I'm so drawn to the imaginative world of stories, whether through writing or entertainment because they've provided me with an escape from real life. Watching a character like Riley experience similar anxiety about being away from home, wanting to be liked, seeking validation through accomplishments, etc., resonated with me. I felt like the depth of those feelings was portrayed both authentically and emotionally, building throughout the film and coming to a climax when Riley experiences an anxiety attack.
To see a movie so accurately portray something so debilitating and overwhelming as an anxiety attack was intense to watch, but it was incredibly well done. I felt like Anxiety being frozen at the console while at the same time uncontrollably spiraling while trying to fix the problem was such a great way to portray how it feels to experience an anxiety attack. The animation and flickering screen made it really feel like the walls were closing in, and paired with the sounds of Riley's pounding heartbeat and heavy breathing, the scene's intensity was only amplified.
Joy, though discouraged, handled the severity of the moment calmly, comforting Anxiety with a simple but emotional line, "Anxiety, you have to let her go," in which Anxiety immediately releases hold of the control console, and in a touching moment, all of the emotions form a group hug around Riley's' Sense of Self. A moment in this scene that really stood out to me was when Anxiety, after being ripped away from the control console, looked up at Joy and defeatedly confesses, "I just wanted to protect Riley." Not only was that line strangely profound, but it made me realize that my own anxiety doesn't have to be a bad thing. Just like the character Anxiety, we each need to care and be mindful of our own emotions, even the "bad" ones. Each one serves a unique purpose, but we don't have to let them define who we are.
One part that really stood out to me in this film was when Anxiety, after disposing of Riley's' former sense of self, cultivated the final branch of Riley's new, anxiety-rooted identity. As the crooked strands of her self-perception wove together, Riley's voice echoed to the back of her mind like a defeated proclamation: "I'm not good enough." Joy's reaction actually made me emotional, particularly when she discouragingly addressed Fear, Disgust, and Anger: "I don't know how to stop Anxiety. Maybe we can't. Maybe this is what happens when you grow up. You feel less joy."
To see a movie so accurately portray something so debilitating and overwhelming as an anxiety attack was intense to watch, but it was incredibly well done. I felt like Anxiety being frozen at the console while at the same time uncontrollably spiraling while trying to fix the problem was such a great way to portray how it feels to experience an anxiety attack. The animation and flickering screen made it really feel like the walls were closing in, and paired with the sounds of Riley's pounding heartbeat and heavy breathing, the scene's intensity was only amplified.
Joy, though discouraged, handled the severity of the moment calmly, comforting Anxiety with a simple but emotional line, "Anxiety, you have to let her go," in which Anxiety immediately releases hold of the control console, and in a touching moment, all of the emotions form a group hug around Riley's' Sense of Self. A moment in this scene that really stood out to me was when Anxiety, after being ripped away from the control console, looked up at Joy and defeatedly confesses, "I just wanted to protect Riley." Not only was that line strangely profound, but it made me realize that my own anxiety doesn't have to be a bad thing. Just like the character Anxiety, we each need to care and be mindful of our own emotions, even the "bad" ones. Each one serves a unique purpose, but we don't have to let them define who we are.
Coming from someone who has experienced more than one anxiety attack in my own life, Riley's physical reaction was also remarkably realistic and emotional. Watching her ground herself through the use of her senses and regulated breathing was such a beautiful moment. I also loved how her friends Bree and Grace helped guide her through her anxiety attack through the reconciliation of their friendship, giving her the strength to step back on the ice and finish the hockey scrimmage with her team.
The scene following Riley exiting the penalty box and calling out for Joy was incredibly beautiful and emotional. Pretty much everything about this scene was perfect, down to the musical score "Glide and Joy" by composer Andrea Datzman and the animated visuals. Honestly, I'd consider rewatching this movie again in theaters just to experience this scene theatrically again. Scenes like this one are an incredible reminder of how far animation has come in the last decade and how visually and emotionally striking it can be, especially when paired with an atmospheric soundtrack. Andrea Datzman's' overall musical work on 'Inside Out 2' is incredible, and I would highly recommend listening to the film's soundtrack.
The humor in this movie was both chaotic and genuinely amusing at the same time. I especially loved the scene with the "sar-chasm" and pretty much any of the chaotic interactions between Anger and Pouchy, a character I would never have expected to appear in a Pixar film but a pretty funny one. I thought the mix of 2D and 3D animation was different, but it honestly grew on me, and I think the two animation styles complemented each other well. I also loved the inclusion of cleverly written moments like when Riley was in the car on the way to hockey camp with her two best friends and her friend Grace "spills the tea" (Grace's version of Disgust literally spills a cup of tea over her control console) informing Riley that she and Bree would not be attending the same high school as her the following year.
The scene following Riley exiting the penalty box and calling out for Joy was incredibly beautiful and emotional. Pretty much everything about this scene was perfect, down to the musical score "Glide and Joy" by composer Andrea Datzman and the animated visuals. Honestly, I'd consider rewatching this movie again in theaters just to experience this scene theatrically again. Scenes like this one are an incredible reminder of how far animation has come in the last decade and how visually and emotionally striking it can be, especially when paired with an atmospheric soundtrack. Andrea Datzman's' overall musical work on 'Inside Out 2' is incredible, and I would highly recommend listening to the film's soundtrack.
The humor in this movie was both chaotic and genuinely amusing at the same time. I especially loved the scene with the "sar-chasm" and pretty much any of the chaotic interactions between Anger and Pouchy, a character I would never have expected to appear in a Pixar film but a pretty funny one. I thought the mix of 2D and 3D animation was different, but it honestly grew on me, and I think the two animation styles complemented each other well. I also loved the inclusion of cleverly written moments like when Riley was in the car on the way to hockey camp with her two best friends and her friend Grace "spills the tea" (Grace's version of Disgust literally spills a cup of tea over her control console) informing Riley that she and Bree would not be attending the same high school as her the following year.
Overall, I really loved the expansion of and interaction between characters like Disgust, Fear, Anger, and Joy. The sophisticated emotions were a perfect addition to the film and helped break down the complicated emotional aspects of puberty and growing up in an understandable but profound way. I also really loved Envy's character, despite the fact that she sided with Anxiety for most of the film. Her wide, sparkling eyes, toddler-like frame, and innocent dialogue made it hard for me to dislike her. Even Embarrassment, who I, based on the trailers, thought would be a boring character, had a surprising amount of depth and relatability.
All of the voice actors did a fantastic job, and the writers took up the daunting task of creating a sequel to a beloved and emotionally rich film and succeeded in nearly every possible way. 'Inside Out 2' was Pixar storytelling at its finest. I only wish the movie were a little longer, if not to show more of Riley's' life following hockey camp and at high school, but hopefully, that means there's an opening for a film sequel in the future. As a college student, I'd love to see a film covering Riley's' emotional experience in college.
However, speaking of the expansion of the 'Inside Out' universe, Disney announced over the weekend that an 'Inside Out' spin-off series is currently in the works at Pixar Animation Studios titled 'Dream Productions' and will air early next year on Disney+! The series will explore the universe of Riley's dreams through the full-fledged Hollywood-style movie studio within Riley's' mind, where her dreams and nightmares are created.
In conclusion, I thought this film was beautiful. It tackled some heavy emotional topics in an understandable but deeply profound way. Experiencing this film theatrically was amazing, and it really brought the characters, story, and visuals to life, and I teared up during several parts. Overall, I felt like the emotional experience matched, if not exceeded, the rich emotion of the first film. It's a film I'm sure many people can relate to, and it emphasizes the importance of learning to love who you are despite your flaws. And as 'Inside Out 2' director Kelsey Mann reiterated in a recent interview, "you don't need to be perfect to be loved. That is the foundation of the film."
All of the voice actors did a fantastic job, and the writers took up the daunting task of creating a sequel to a beloved and emotionally rich film and succeeded in nearly every possible way. 'Inside Out 2' was Pixar storytelling at its finest. I only wish the movie were a little longer, if not to show more of Riley's' life following hockey camp and at high school, but hopefully, that means there's an opening for a film sequel in the future. As a college student, I'd love to see a film covering Riley's' emotional experience in college.
What were your thoughts on 'Inside Out 2?'
Thanks for reading! :)
Thanks for reading! :)
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