'Inside Out 2' Is a Marvelous Mixed Bag of Emotions

Inside Out 2 (2024) is the latest release from Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, but is it a joy to watch, or will it prove all our anxieties right and drive fans into a rage? After watching the new film from the Mouse’s sister studio, this writer got in touch with his feelings and had this to say about the predicted Pixar powerhouse.

An image shows animated characters from the movie "Inside Out." The characters, including Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger, display a range of emotions. Joy is in the center, smiling, surrounded by the other characters who exhibit their respective emotions. — Credit: Pixar

If you’ve been keeping up with Inside the Magic’s most recent coverage, you know that both Disney and Pixar have a lot riding on the success of this film. After a season of box-office bombs, both studios desperately need a win to compensate for financial shortcomings like Wish (2023) and Lightyear (2022).

Returning to one of the studio’s most successful properties in the form of an animated sequel really was the smartest move Disney could play, especially since the original brought in $858 million at the global box office. However, if the coming-of-age themes seen in Turning Red (2022) were too much for some audiences, can audiences handle the teenage angst of Riley’s new set of emotions?

Inside Out 2: It’s All in the Mind

Five animated characters are looking out at a vibrant, whimsical cityscape filled with various imaginative structures resembling a dreamland, during twilight. (From Inside Out) — Credit: Pixar

Although it might still be early in the game, the movie does what it sets out to accomplish; it’s a family-friendly animated feature from one of the industry’s leading studios that will resonate with hundreds and thousands of moviegoers. Still, how does it stand up to what Pixar has presented before?

Although original Inside Out director Pete Docter is not attached to the production, the Pixar head expressed optimism about the sequel’s future as Kelsey Mann took the director’s chair and led the project. During an interview with TIME, Docter said the following about the film’s success.

“I can’t imagine having a better chance at a big box office than this because it’s a known movie and characters that meant something to people and a really funny cast—and hopefully something meaty at the heart of it that you can take home as well.”

Pete Docter also expressed the need to return to a sense of familiarity. Moreover, the film’s relatability might ultimately be what keeps both studios out of hot water.

Docter also stated,

“It’s sort of cynical to say people want to see stuff they know. But I think even with original stuff, that’s what we’re trying to do, too. We’re trying to find something that people feel like, “Oh yeah, I’ve been through that. I understand that I recognize this as a life truth.” And that’s been harder to do.”

Now that the film is officially out to the public, many potential viewers might be asking whether or not it’s what the studio promised. Follow us on a twisted train of thought as we get in touch with our feelings for this sequel to one of Disney’s most surreal adventures.

WARNING: Spoilers for Inside Out 2 beyond this point!

The Plot

Sadness and Joy from "Inside Out 2" standing in a whimsical environment with glowing ground and streams of light flowing from above. — Credit: Pixar

Set one year after the first film’s events, Riley is now a teenager, and her emotions are still running the console up at Head Quarters as she navigates a new phase in her life. After the puberty alarm sounds off, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) are joined by a new set of players that come with those awkward teenage years.

As Head Quarters is expanded, the main cast is joined by the high-strung Anxiety (Maya Hawke), the wide-eyed Envy (Ayo Edebiri), the lethargic Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and the shy Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). As tensions run high while Riley is at hockey camp, both sets of emotions struggle to control Riley’s console, ultimately leading to Anxiety overthrowing Riley’s Sense of Self and bottling up the original characters in a surprisingly villainous move.

After escaping Riley’s vault of secrets, Joy, Sadness, and the rest of Riley’s core emotions, they have to transverse their girl’s stream of consciousness and get back to HQ before Anxiety and her friends completely damage her sense of self beyond repair. Without spoiling the ending, things don’t go the way most fans probably expect.

The Characters

Joy about to hug Anxiety in the control room — Credit: Disney Pixar

One of the biggest selling points for the new sequel is its new cast of emotions joining the original five from the first film, but that doesn’t mean things have changed for Riley’s core feelings. In fact, this sequel is perhaps Pixar’s finest example of character development since Up.

The original lead characters are as lovable as fans remember, but they are still affected by the events of the first film. Everyone has a role to play, and they’ve clearly evolved since the last time we saw them.

Joy is still the one who wants the seat of power, but she recognizes that all of Riley’s emotions have a place; Sadness has broken out of her shell and is a lot more interactive, Anger has learned to embrace his softer side, Fear is slightly more daring, and even Disgust puts her hatred of broccoli aside for Riley’s sake. But do they play well with the others?

Four Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Anxiety (Maya Hawke), and Envy (Ayo Edebiri) in Inside Out 2 characters showing varying emotions and styles plus colorful backgrounds: blue drenched and sad, pink and surprised, orange and quirky, and purple and dreamy. — Credit: Pixar

One of the movie’s biggest selling points is the new, more complex emotions, which are some challenging feelings that many in the audience can identify with. Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment are all natural elements that come with growing up, but Pixar truly outdid themselves in depicting the film’s conflict.

If there’s one thing the film does exceptionally well, it’s how the artists chose to portray anxiety. Not only does the character come with literal emotional baggage, but she eventually serves as the film’s antagonist by evolving from healthy caution into a full-blown mental disorder.

A common theme seen throughout the film is the Sense of Self, Riley’s personality cultivated by her emotions as she grows up. When Anxiety damages it during her hostile takeover, the audience sees how mental struggles (like anxiety, depression, or trauma) can completely change a person.

If there’s one thing that the sequel should absolutely take away from the original, it’s engaging in these often difficult subjects in a way parents and kids can thoroughly understand. By giving concepts like anxiety, envy, and even panic attacks a face or a visual reference, starting a dialogue about them becomes much, much easier.

Our Thoughts

All of the emotions on the poster of Inside Out 2 — Credit: Pixar

Inside Out 2 is perhaps the most relatable Disney film we’ve seen in a long while. Although it’s undoubtedly the family-friendly animated movie both studios so desperately need for the summer, it’s also unexpectedly poignant in the series’ continued message of emotional and mental health.

As attitudes toward mental health continue to change, Pixar has made the subject of understanding more complex emotions more approachable for all ages. Disney has even created an emotion-tracking journal to help younger viewers better understand their feelings.

Although this film was made with a wide audience in mind, kids who grew up with the first film (especially those who are now early teenagers) will undoubtedly benefit the most. That said, this writer personally felt seen as Anxiety’s overthinking and stressing about the future was represented in an incredibly relatable way.

Anxiety introduced in Inside Out 2 — Credit: Pixar

Given the current events circulating social media and our divisive culture, another entry in the Inside Out series might be what the audience needs right now. Topics of anxiety, panic attacks, personal growth, and mental health are all represented in an incredibly visual and comprehensive way that makes discussing these subjects much easier.

This writer sees no reason that the film shouldn’t make its budget back at the very least. It’s a return to form for Pixar that has characters and themes that audiences can relate to in a big way, and that’s precisely what will launch the studio back into the public eye.

The Verdict

Inside Out emotions gather around — Credit: Pixar

Inside Out 2 delivers what Pixar previously promised, but the new lineup has some expected changes. Original cast members Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling are noticeably absent, but Tony Hale and Liz Lapira carry their mantles well.

While this writer would have loved to see more surreal and abstract concepts represented as much as they were in the first film, the sequel takes a lot more time to build the world within Riley’s mind and explore other facets of her personality. It’s easily a place Pixar could revisit.

Above all, this is an animated feature that feels distinctively Pixar. Unlike previous entries like Elemental (2023), Turning Red (2022), and Lightyear (2022), it revisits a familiar style from a pre-COVID era we all wish we could return to.

Inside Out 2 is currently available in theaters everywhere, and feels like the animated homecoming fans have been waiting for. Although we still miss our beloved Bing Bong, the new film is still quite an emotional experience.

What did you think about this new Pixar piece? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!