Inside Out 2, 2024.
Directed by Kelsey Mann.
Featuring the voice talents of Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Ayo Edebiri, Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paul Walter Hauser, Yvette Nicole Brown, Ron Funches, James Austin Johnson, Yong Yea, Steve Purcell, Dave Goelz, Kirk R. Thatcher, Frank Oz, Paula Pell, June Squibb, Paula Poundstone, John Ratzenberger, Sarayu Blue, Flea, Bobby Moynihan, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Libi Rose.
SYNOPSIS:
Teenager Riley’s mind headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
As most people reading this are probably aware, human emotions become more complex with age. This means that Inside Out 2 was inevitable, even if the thought of crafting something to stand alongside the first—which is already rightfully considered one of the greatest animated movies ever made—likely instilled fear. And while directing reigns have been handed over to Kelsey Mann (this is his debut feature, although he has long participated in Pixar projects generally among the animation crew) with a script from Dave Holstein and Meg LeFauve (the latter of which contributed a few rewrites to Inside Out) taking over from Pete Docter (a creation that was deeply personal for him), this sequel is overflowing with imagination and brilliance, even if it doesn’t have the same emotional power and can sometimes feel like a retread, albeit a dazzlingly creative one.
Riley is now 13 (and voiced by Kensington Tallman), still happily adjusted to her new home, and flourishing on the hockey rink alongside her two besties, Bree and Grace (voiced by Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green and Grace Lu). She makes her parents (voiced by Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) proud. All is well.
Crucial to those good vibes are that the emotions in her mind are properly balanced. Of course, those emotions are Joy (once again voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), and the comedic relief trio of Anger, Disgust, and Fear (of those three, Lewis Black is the only returning cast member, with the latter two now voiced by Liza Lapira and a reliable Disney/Pixar presence who I’m assuming lives in the studio headquarters at this point, Tony Hale), all working together and understanding that allowing Riley to feel each one of those feelings is necessary not to shut down. More specifically, Joy has embraced the need for Sadness to permeate some emotions, comprehending that sometimes it enhances the power of a more positive, happier emotion and that crying has value.
With the sudden arrival of puberty (a ringing alarm that haphazardly starts blaring at the mind workstation), so too comes a group of new emotions: Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke), Envy (voiced by Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (voiced by Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (voiced by Paul Walter Hauser), all of which were part of 20+ character ideas considered as emotions in the first film, which was, as we know, cut down to five for the sake of streamlining and simplicity. More to the point and true to the feeling, Anxiety and her pals begin to take over every aspect of Riley’s mind, shoving aside the old crew.
It is a mildly tough sell that a 13-year-old would have not yet had any brushes with embarrassment or even boredom, for example, but if this franchise is going to consistently take the route of gradually introducing new character emotions with each installment, it mainly works due to a means to explicitly focus on one overbearing feeling, breaking it down, and studying how to manage it. If Inside Out was, in addition to being a masterful film, a productive, insightful, and meaningful developmental tool for children and even adults to be better equipped and understand sadness and depression through an imaginative, whimsical, and gorgeously animated tour through the amusement park of islands that is the mind, this sequel has beautifully and ingeniously accomplished that same effect for anxiety.
Like its predecessor, Inside Out 2 is also bursting with bright ideas, visualizing the mind in a literal, acutely observed, and often hilarious sense. New areas are explored in the mind, such as a “stream of consciousness,” a vault for repressed memories and secrets (the location feels like a cheeky nod to the infamous Disney vault but perfectly fits into the context of the film), and concepts such as a “brainstorm,” providing material for marvelous spectacle. The humor is also clever, including a sidesplittingly funny send-up of children’s TV tropes, specifically the dynamic of an animated character breaking the fourth wall and encouraging kids to participate in the show.
Inside Out 2 also seems to be making a premeditated effort to stick with following Riley in the real world almost as much as it follows the emotions up to shenanigans in her mind. Most of the time, this works, especially when Riley is seen at a crossroads, nervous about what will become of current friendships and how hard she should try to fit in with an alternative crowd that she will be seeing more. At one point, Riley is seen walking behind her friends while we hear the voices of emotions bickering from inside, causing one to wonder and wish the material would be more potent without cutting back to the mind station. It would certainly feel more ambitious and immersive.
However, the filmmakers and animators have unquestionably outdone themselves in the detail department of character models and environments. When Riley is placed into a penalty box (such a great idea to illustrate claustrophobia and how much more active anxiety becomes in a confined space where someone is alone with their thoughts) and her face is front and center of the image, there is visible skin blemishes and even sweat pouring down her cheeks. Additionally, set pieces in the mind, such as an avalanche of glowing orb memories, are colorfully stunning. Similarly, there are aesthetically impressive visualizations of new concepts, such as a “belief tree” that grows new roots (they resemble strings on a harp) as Riley amasses a sense of self.
Inside Out 2 could have easily become overstuffed with new emotions and locales, especially considering the two groups are quickly separated, meaning three storylines are running concurrently. Fittingly, Anxiety emerges as the controlling and emotional focus but, similar to the first movie, a more complex take on a villain under the impression that this is the only way to look out for Riley. As such, it could be argued that the other new emotions don’t have much to do even if they do generate the occasional laugh, but Maya Hawke’s manic and frazzled voiceover performance as Anxiety is outstanding, encapsulating the closest thing to a living, authentic manifestation of the emotion. It’s a performance so attuned to what anxiety is and how it affects every little detail of a person (much like the film also understands).
Again, Inside Out 2 sticks to an established template, which is fine, considering the material inspires the same amount of wonder, excitement, and thoughtfulness. There is nothing but joy for this outstanding sequel, which treats anxiety with the same sensitivity, relatability, and valuable insight into depression (okay, and maybe some sadness that it might take another five years to see the next stage and emotions of Riley’s life).
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
