Inside Out 2 Review: New Sequel With New Emotions - retoreview
Inside Out 2 Review: New Sequel With New emotions
"Inside Out 2," the highly anticipated sequel to the beloved animated film, is set to hit theaters on June 14, 2024. Directed by Kelsey Mann, with a screenplay by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, the story continues to explore the complex world of emotions that reside within our minds. The film is produced by Mark Nielsen and boasts a stellar cast including Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, Kensington Tallman, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Lilimar, Paula Pell, Pete Docter, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Grace Lu, Yvette Nicole Brown, John Ratzenberger, June Squibb, Ron Funches, and Yong Yea.
With stunning cinematography by Adam Habib and Jonathan Pytko and a captivating score composed by Andrea Datzman, "Inside Out 2" promises to deliver a visual and emotional feast. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, this 96-minute film, rated PG, is sure to resonate with audiences of all ages. Get ready to dive back into the vibrant, emotional landscapes that made the original film a classic as "Inside Out 2" takes us on another unforgettable journey.
Pixar Animation Studios has a unique approach to sequels. Similar to their parent company, the Walt Disney Company, Pixar openly acknowledges that sequels to their animated classics help finance new original projects. This admission sometimes comes across as an excuse for the perceived decline in quality compared to the originals. To be fair, sequels face a high bar of expectations from the start.
Pixar's challenge stems from their dedication to high-quality creativity and originality, which has propelled movies like Toy Story, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Ratatouille, and Up to iconic status. This commitment makes it incredibly tough for Pixar's sequels and prequels to meet expectations, as they have to follow up not only their own studio's legends but also landmarks in the animation and film industry as a whole.
That’s likely too much pressure to place on Pixar sequels. While it’s often true that they don’t quite capture the same magic as their originals, they’re not without merit. The Toy Story franchise, Monsters University, Finding Dory, and The Incredibles 2 all feature plenty of moving, funny, and effective moments, even if some aren’t as memorable overall. This brings us to Inside Out 2, a continuation of Pete Docter’s 2015 hit that explored the mind and emotions of a young girl named Riley. Docter, now the Chief Creative Officer at Pixar, has significantly contributed to the studio’s stellar reputation, directing Monsters Inc., Up, and Soul, and working on many others behind the scenes.
Inside Out, along with Coco in 2017, was a critical success during a period dominated by sequels—of the 11 Pixar films released in the 2010s, only four were originals. Inside Out 2 arrives at another pivotal moment where, according to Bloomberg, Pixar will supposedly strip more of their precious IP clean. Unfortunately, it acts as an indicator of the sort of middling, good-but-not-great content audiences might expect to see in the coming years. While there’s much to enjoy in this sequel, when compared to the creativity, storytelling, and emotion of the original, it simply doesn’t match up.
Directer Kelsey Mann in his new debut and written by Mann, Meg LeFauve, and Dave Holstein (with Pete Docter coming again solely as an executive producer), *Inside Out 2* continues the story of the emotions inside Riley’s mind. Now a 13-year-old girl about to began high school, Riley (Kensington Tallman) faces significant changes that disrupt the harmony in her mental headquarters, affecting Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira). The situation becomes even more complicated when Riley’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Andersen (voiced by Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane), send her to a summer hockey camp. There, she must impress her school’s star hockey player, Valentina “Val” Ortiz (Lilimar), while also managing her friendships with Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green) and Grace (Grace Lu).
New emotions are taking over Riley's mind, operating from a fresh, orange-colored console that has replaced the old purple one. Joy and the original emotions are pushed aside. Leading the new team is Anxiety (Maya Hawke), an orange, hyperactive bundle of nerves fixated on every possible bad scenario Riley might face. Isn’t that Fear’s job? The first movie didn’t fully clarify how Riley’s inner world functions, but this sequel further complicates the roles and purposes of each emotion.
Anxiety’s team includes Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). Their specific roles are unclear. Envy seems to be a partner to Anxiety, supporting its decisions, while Ennui only takes over when Riley is pretending to be cool and detached, rather than genuinely bored. The lack of clarity is odd, especially since Ennui’s character could easily embody teenage boredom and apathy, yet we don’t see it effectively portrayed.
In Inside Out 2, Embarrassment's role seems limited to making Riley blush, without driving any significant action in the script. This makes the new emotions feel mostly like tertiary characters. However, Anxiety stands out with a compelling personality and crucial narrative role. Maya Hawke (Stranger Things, Asteroid City) delivers an outstanding performance, bringing Anxiety to life with zany energy and a toothy grin. Anxiety amplifies Riley's doubts and insecurities, steering the plot and overshadowing Joy and the others.
The film excels in delivering slapstick cartoon mayhem through Riley's emotions, characterized by their Muppet-like designs and distinct traits. This Pixar sequel is packed with solid jokes, maintains a brisk but not rushed pace, and retains some of the original film's imaginative spark. The introduction of Riley's personal belief system, her stream of consciousness, "sarchasms," and other creative gags further enhances the movie's impressive world-building.
The central conflict between Joy and Anxiety over Riley’s “Sense of Self” is the strongest aspect of Inside Out 2. This struggle revolves around whether Riley can remain true to herself as a kind and good person or if the onset of puberty and new social pressures will irreparably change her. The Sense of Self is a beautiful new concept in the Inside Out universe, feeling like a natural progression from what Pete Docter and his team created in the original film, and is the most aligned with its ethos. The visual design of this concept is also stunning.
However, Inside Out 2 falls short of fully capitalizing on the opportunities presented by its screenplay. Exploring the mind of a teenager is complex, and while it's commendable that the film focuses on Riley's emotional and mental changes rather than just the physical ones, it still seems to tiptoe around the messier aspects of this pivotal time in a child's life. Inside Out 2 lacks the punch and honesty of other films that address this age group, such as Eighth Grade, It’s Me, Margaret, the upcoming Dìdi, and others.
Inside Out 2 doesn’t seem to have matured alongside its original audience from a decade ago. This doesn’t mean that a coming-of-age story needs explicit or suggestive content to feel authentic, but Riley’s struggles feel overly sanitized — as if the filmmakers were hesitant to fully explore the complexities of early teenage issues. As a result, the story this time around isn’t as compelling as before, diluting the impact of its emotional moments. Additionally, Inside Out 2 lacks the parental perspective that was a crucial element of the original movie's success.
Inside Out 2 remains effective and entertaining on its own terms, but it highlights how much further Pixar needs to go to truly surpass their past achievements rather than merely rehashing them in the future.
