Year: 2024

Runtime: 96 minutes

Director: Kelsey Mann

Writers: Meg LeFauve, David Holstein, and Kelsey Mann

Stars: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, Yvette Nicole Brown

By Morgan Roberts

Building off of the world cleverly crafted in 2015’s “Inside Out,” filmmaker Kelsey Mann and the creative team at Disney/Pixar expand upon the range of emotions one girl experiences as she enters puberty in “Inside Out 2.”

Riley (Kensington Tallman) has just come to manage her five main emotions: Fear (Tony Hale), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Anger (Lewis Black), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), and Joy (Amy Poehler). Just as Riley prepares for a hockey camp, puberty and four new emotions emerge. Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Ennui – or Boredom – (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), and Anxiety (Maya Hawke). As Riley’s brain becomes crowded with new emotions, she struggles to be herself at a pivotal moment which may change the trajectory of her life before she heads to high school.

“Inside Out 2” is far more abstract and complex than its predecessor. It looks at not only emotions but core beliefs and sense of self. It is no longer simply how Riley feels but how she views herself in the world. Her feelings certainly influence that, but through her own understanding and processing of the world, she begins to establish her own beliefs about who she is as a person. 

As Riley faces the pressure of fitting in and feeling accepted, her feelings are also trying to navigate the change of puberty and the additional emotional.  While the film may not fully capture younger kids the same way the first film does, it certainly provides a reflective cinematic experience for children nearing or experiencing puberty. We navigate with Riley what it means to find yourself – or lose yourself – as you get older and are faced with choices to plan your future. Growing up is complicated and messy. Especially at that age, you feel stuck, not quite a kid, but not old enough to really feel like a teenager. “Inside Out 2” impeccably encapsulates that tightrope.

Poehler is sublime as she reprises the role of Joy, punctuating much of her performance with compassion and care of the audience. Poehler has always exuded delight and optimism as Joy. She demonstrates the ways in which voice acting should receive some kind of recognition due to the skill it takes to convey such complexity through a voiceover performance. 

While the new cast members – including Hale and Lapira taking over Fear and Disgust respectively – are superb, it is Hawke as Anxiety who stands out. She perfectly captures the constant rumination of anxiety and the internalization of that comes with it. And yet, Hawke manages to make Anxiety complicated and endearing. You witness her best intentions devolve into spirals; Hawke brings both a fast-paced and child-like quality to the character which nails the portrayal of how anxiety can feel.

Nevertheless, despite the films under 100 minute runtime, parents might want to reconsider taking smaller children to the film. By the time film reached its pinnacle point, children in the audience became restless. It is fine that a children’s movie is not made for 4 and 5 year olds. This one happens to be geared towards older children, and they will certainly be able to handle the film’s length.

“Inside Out 2” is a strong sequel to a beloved children’s film. Fans of the original film will appreciate the continuation of this story and the ways in which it builds upon the first film. While more mature in its themes and its intellectualization, it does give older kids who feel caught in the awkward stage of their preteen years representation of what it feels like to grow up. Moreover, the film does an excellent job for the adults who will have just as much fun – and heartache – reflecting on their own adolescence.