‘Inside Out 2’ Review: Pixar’s return to its former glory
With Inside Out 2, Pixar might just be back
Anxiety has been a significant part of my life for the past few years. It all started when I entered the tenth grade, marking the beginning of my high school years. Over the next few years, my beliefs shattered, and I spiraled into failure. I failed my exams for the first time and quickly realized that people I thought were my friends weren’t actually my friends. My social anxiety intensified; I remember being afraid of notification tones, thinking I had failed again or that my teachers had called my parents.
I began to doubt myself and believed I was a failure. I was constantly anxious about my appearance. This anxiety escalated when I had to change schools for my sixth form. My social anxiety defeated me every day, and for the next two years, I spent my time alone, with no friends, crying myself to sleep every night.
I’m happier now, but watching Inside Out 2 brought back all those feelings. The film struck a nerve I didn’t want to revisit. Sometimes, films can be so cruel yet also provide enlightening moments. This is why I love film so much, and it reminded me why I loved Pixar.
I was fortunate enough to watch the film before most of the world, which feels deserved because many films don’t reach theaters here at all. Inside Out 2 builds on the brilliance of the first film, Inside Out (2015). It reunites audiences with Riley, now a 13-year-old girl from San Francisco. In the first film, 11-year-old Riley’s emotions — primarily Joy (Amy Poehler) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) — struggled to maintain control of her fragile state of mind after her family moved from Minnesota. During this journey, Joy learned the important role that Sadness plays in our lives as we grow older.
Two years later, Joy and the others are ready to begin class again. Just as Riley is about to join high school, she is invited to take part in an elite hockey camp where the pressure begins to mount. If she performs well, she will join the varsity team and in return become “popular” and “cool,” but if she fails, she might become a social pariah. Simultaneously, inside Riley’s mind, the emotions Joy, Sadness, Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) have to adjust to the arrival of new pubescent emotions: Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), and the leader of the pack, Anxiety (Maya Hawke).
Anxiety and Joy want the same things for Riley — to protect her — but they both have different ways of doing that. Joy wants Riley to live in the present while Anxiety, naturally, is anxious about the future. Anxiety starts the mission at the hockey camp as soon as she arrives, as it could determine the next four years of her life. High school is cruel; what will happen if Riley blows it? Is Anxiety going to lead all the emotions then? The differing methods between Anxiety and Joy lead to a tussle for control of Headquarters.
The first film captured the state of the mind, even if it was simple. This movie takes it further with more abstract concepts of the human psyche explored, like the belief system that forms the foundation and sense of self of Riley, forming the basis of her personality. Some additions are fun, while some feel forced and out of place and are rather there for comedic quips. Some emotions feel like mere additions to the film rather than contributing significantly to the story. I’m surprised they got Ayo Edebiri to voice Envy yet still didn’t largely make use of her — no identity except for being a “yes-woman” to Anxiety.
Visually, the movie is very well made and goes back to its roots. Pixar’s animation game here is incredible; after a few lackluster films since the pandemic, Pixar went simple and, as they say, never forgot where they came from. The film is vibrant, and the use of color is my favorite; it attracts me to the film, it feels good when I look at it, it makes me feel different emotions. The attention to detail, the color codes for all the emotions is intelligent and is what sets Pixar into the pioneer of modern animation.
On the whole, Inside Out was structurally way better than this sequel, but the depiction of emotions here is what makes this movie feel genuine and different from the first. The showing of teen insecurities, especially on the Anxiety part, might just be a real-life documentary. This film will break some box office records this summer, and hopefully it’s the start of Pixar’s renaissance.
