Pixar has returned with Inside Out 2, the sequel to the highly popular 2015 animated film that followed the adventures of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear & Disgust inside their little human host’s head.
In Inside Out 2 the emotions return, led once again by Joy (Amy Poehler) piloting their favourite human Riley from their tiny control room inside her head. In this installment, Riley has hit puberty which unleashes chaos inside her head as some new emotions join the gang, including the hyperactive Anxiety (Maya Hawke), the very shy Embarrassment”(Paul Walter Hauser), the mean Envy (Ayo Edebiri) and the apathetic Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos). There’s upset when Anxiety takes full control and aims to change Riley’s personality completely in order to plan for the future, even exiling Joy, Disgust, Anger, Fear and Sadness from the control room altogether. Joy puts on a mission to save Riley by starting a quest to the back of her mind where “non-important” memories are stored in order to recover the tree of memories that made Riley who she really is.
Inside Out 2 is a perfect sequel to the already great first movie, it’s actually good enough to even work entirely on its own. The first film focused mostly on one particular emotion like Sadness, in this one we get to be part of Riley’s development as a person and as a result we get to experience the turmoil happening inside her head and how it’s affecting her relationship with her long-time friends as she attempts to make it onto one of the best hockey teams.
There are plenty of hilarious moments, especially when the emotions visit some of Riley’s mind’s most intricate corners and meet some of Riley’s favourite childhood friends including her video-game character crush and her favourite cartoons Bloofy and his sidekick Pouchy, a hilarious parody of Dora the Explorer and her backpack.
The voice cast is superb, and the art design and animation are spectacular, wowing you with many tiny details like the colourful particles glowing and moving on each emotion’s skin.
Inside Out 2 is an animated triumph and a wholesome back-to-basics for Pixar. It’s full of heart and will thrill kids, teens and parents equally with its simple, relatable and meaningful story. Don’t wait for it to appear on streaming platforms – make sure you watch it on the biggest screen possible. You won’t regret it.
