HOLLYWOOD—What is it about animated flicks where they just strike the emotions of the audience in a way that other movies just can’t? I don’t know, but this has to be one of the best sequels I have seen as a cinema buff. I loved the first flick, “Inside Out” I thought it was a great examination of emotions in kids. The sequel, “Inside Out 2” takes a look at a bunch of new emotions and discusses them in a way that is just fantastic.
Talk about being immersed in a film, I could not take my eyes of the screen and I was connecting with our main character Riley (voice of Kensington Tallman), who is a bit older and experiencing more emotions as she gets ready to journey into high school and competing for a competitive slot on the hockey team. The audience already knows about Riley’s earlier emotions, Joy (voice of Amy Poehler), Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith), Fear (voice of Tony Hale), Disgust (voice of Liza Lapira) and Anger (voice of Lewis Black).
They is still a core element in this movie but are forced to adapt to new emotions that include Anxiety (voice of Maya Hawke), Envy (voice of Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (voice of Paul Walter Hauser) and Ennui (voice of Adèle Exarchopoulos). One of the big emotions that becomes a massive focal point of the movie is Anxiety, that really triggers a flood of emotions and behaviors for Riley, especially after she discovers her two besties, Grace and Bree, will not be going to the same high school as her.
Man, this hit me like a ton of bricks. As a kid there is nothing more terrifying than going to a new school, and having to adjust to being the new kid and making friends and severing ties with your former besties. I know this all too well, as I did it a ton of times as a kid and the emotion, anxiety was not something that clicked with me then, but watching this movie, I felt every emotion Riley was grappling with and it brought me back to my childhood immediately.
“Inside Out 2” does an exceptional job connecting its narrative with the kids, but does so at the same time with adults in a way that I think keeps them more enamored than the kids. There is an internal battle between Riley’s core emotions and the new emotions that she is encountering as a result of getting older. Anxiety is a tricky one because it is not an easy emotion to describe, but this movie explains it in a way that both adults and children can understand. Let’s be honest if you were to ask me before watching this movie, could I describe it? Yes, but it would not be the easiest to break down into words.
Now, I can easily say it is worry or the notion of everything that could go wrong. I struggle with anxiety on a daily basis, and the movie taught me something so valuable that I didn’t even think about. You can only control what you can control and worrying about everything that can go wrong just makes your emotions go into overload. Take a deep breathe, relax and focus those energies on something. I learned something watching “Inside Out 2” and I think kids, adults and anyone who watches this animated flick will feel the same thing.
I love the dichotomy that the flick plays with about Riley abandoning her best friends in focus of making new friends that she may be attending high school with. It is that difficult time in our lives where we are transitioning and we want to be part of the cool kids gang, and it forces us to sometimes ask the question, who are we? We might have to hide or lie about things to fit in. The movie ultimately shows us you shouldn’t have to change to fit in and if you are changing, you might want to do a bit of self-reflection as to why.
Yes, “Inside Out 2” is a movie about emotions, but it tugs at your emotions in a way that is so powerful and gripping that I highly recommend this flick. Dare I say something I rarely say, “This is a must have movie in my film collection.” It can be rewatched over and over again and those same emotions will echo time and time again.
