For so many golden years, we loved and appreciated the original stories that came from the minds and animators of Disney/Pixar. But after so many bombs, it’s no wonder that they are turning to beloved stories to make them fresh again. Or so I can gather for the reasoning behind the new film, Inside Out 2.
Much like the iconic movie, Toy Story, we had to endure Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. But these turned out to be movie sequels we didn’t know we wanted and needed. That was a nearly perfect story arc that told the tale, much like Inside Out, of a child growing up. What worked so well in that series of movies was that it was primarily told from the point of view of the toys, making it relatable to both kids and adults.
(Side note: don’t even get me started on the complete mess that was Toy Story 4.)
This is where we run into some problems with Inside Out 2.
In the original movie, Inside Out, we follow the story of Riley, an 11 year old that’s suddenly taken from her world of friends and familiarity as her family moves to San Francisco. Her emotions are all over the place and are dominated by the primary characters in her head, Emotions, namely, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust.
Inside Out 2 follows in the footsteps of Riley as she reaches the ripe old age of 13, the start of her teenage years and the beginning of puberty. As anyone that has gone through puberty knows, everything is a mess. Our emotions are all over the places as we straddle that line between being a kid and really starting to grow up in adolescence.
The movie starts with a quick reminder of Riley’s Emotions (note: Joy, Sadness, and Anger are still voiced by the same actors but Disgust and Fear have been replaced). And then one day, a construction crew arrives at headquarters to “remodel” the place and bring in new Emotions: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui, signaling the official start of puberty.
At the same time, Riley is headed to a hockey camp with her two besties and finds out they will be going to a different high school next year. Suddenly Riley, complete with braces and imperfect skin, is thrust into the most anxiety-inducing situations a young teen can imagine. She’s ruled by self-doubt, self-loathing, wanting to fit in, wanting to stand out, and all of the other conundrums that go with adolescence.
And, as you can imagine, her standard Emotions, with Joy in the lead, are quickly demoted as Anxiety takes center stage. It feels entirely accurate, appropriate, and stressful all at the same time. The rest of the movie becomes very frenetic as any movie with Anxiety at the center of it might be.
I’m reminded of the wonderful movie, Eighth Grade, that I watched several years ago. It’s a story of an introverted 8th grade girl surviving the end of school. I loved it for its accuracy but also felt triggered, as if I had lived that awkward last year in middle school all over again.
Here’s where I have some criticism of Inside Out 2. They do a wonderful job of capturing early teen angst and the chaos of it all. And I think it’s a really wonderful visual for parents and teens close to that age to really visualize and understand what’s happening in their own body. But outside of that narrow window of people, I’m not sure who the target audience is.
I took my 17 year old son with me who was 8 years old when we saw the original. And he thought it was a good movie (as did I) that just could have been better. We both felt like we’re forced to feel all the awkwardness of puberty right along with Riley with no real resolution other than Anxiety can’t or shouldn’t be the dominant emotion.
I think they missed the mark with the new Emotions for Riley. Anxiety definitely fit the bill (even if over the top) and Ennui (while the name is a little obscure for most) will have parents laughing. Embarrassment is also totally appropriate and a wonderful character. But Envy was underdeveloped and really just provided a sounding board for Anxiety. I think they could have done better with that one.
With all of that said, there were plenty of things I loved about the movie. The animation, as you might expect, is stellar. We can appreciate realistic details like sweat dripping from Riley’s face or marks on the hockey wall while still enjoying the glowingly fuzzy animations of the Emotions. There were other moments that truly made me laugh out loud (we do see some cameos from Mom and Dad’s emotions) but I’ll save those for you to discover for yourself if you choose to go.
Overall, this film was not a disappointment but didn’t leave me feeling as uplifted or fulfilled as the original movie. If I had to pick the right audience for this film, I’d say kids between 10 and 14 and their parents. Older teens probably won’t be interested and younger kids won’t understand any of it. But do stay for the stinger at the end of the movie!
