★★★★
"Maybe this is what happens when you grow up; you feel less joy"
Inside Out 2 is absolutely wonderful — and one of the most mature films Pixar has made to date. It’s Pixar doing what Pixar does best - a family-friendly movie that kids will love that’s about deep, important, complex things that adults can appreciate and relate to. It’s amazing how impactful Pixar can be when they make their themes so universal. Inside Out 2 is extremely relatable for all ages but this time around it's the more mature themes that make it especially impactful for older viewers. It deals with the consequences of letting anxiety take over and proves why we are made up of many emotions. And this one hits hard. It feels like a natural progression for our main character, Riley, the core emotions that we love, and this inventive concept. The way they expand upon this idea as we experience Riley’s early teenage emotions is fantastic, and Anxiety is easily the best new character. I wish it allowed us more time to absorb the creative moments rather than speed running through them, but even though it's clearly reaping the benefits of standing on the shoulders of its giant predecessor, Inside Out 2 (mostly) works thanks to its personification of Anxiety. The way anxiety can overwhelm our mind, manipulate our emotions, and paralyze our bodies— it's all brought to life creatively, but more importantly, sincerely. Not only that, but visually the way Anxiety was portrayed was especially poignant — it felt like the animators were able to truly convey visually how anxiety feels. The characterizations are visually inventive, while the psychological playfulness is as smart and funny as anything in the first film. (Sarcasm is a literal chasm; anything shouted across it sounds snarky on the other side.) It’s a Pixar film — the animation is of course inventive and breathtaking to look at.
Pixar has once again captured the perfect amount of heart, mixed in with some powerful and relatable teenage emotions. The depth is lacking with some of the new characters, and the film feels too fast-paced at times — it loses itself in the middle but finishes incredibly strong. The film is very emotionally resonant and the ending had me shedding a tear — but while it is entertaining and enjoyable, it doesn’t quite match the storytelling and emotional heights of the original. Still, the magic of Pixar is felt from beginning to end, it is an absolutely beautiful film that takes us on a familiar journey inside Riley’s head but finds new levels of depth along the way. It’s an outstanding sequel (one of Pixar’s best sequels outside of the Toy Story sequels), remarkably poignant and genuinely moving. Few films have captured anxiety and the complexities of becoming a teenager so well. Both moving and hilarious, with a standout performance from Maya Hawke, Inside Out 2 is flawed, but phenomenal.
And honestly, as someone who has had their own fair share of experiences with anxiety and panic attacks, this film was cathartic. I don’t care about its flaws, this was a special film for me. It was like Pixar put a camera inside my head and showed what it was like to feel these emotions and experience anxiety better than I could ever explain it. Sure, parts of this movie may even be a little too real for me and yeah, it might become a frequent therapy session, but I love that this film could so directly and accurately communicate what it is like to feel anxiety. To show this as a real human emotion we all experience made me feel seen; that I am not alone in dealing with anxiety. From the opening scene where Joy was shoving all the negative memories away to the “back of mind” to Anxiety playing out every possible scenario in Riley’s mind, to Riley’s panic attack at the end, I couldn’t have related more to the movie. And I love it for that. I love that we have an accessible, entertaining movie that allows us to connect and explore anxiety. I love that I can have fun with this movie, but also see myself and my struggles in it. I loved how they played with the idea of the “sense of self” in relation. I loved how they showed the memories/experiences impacting beliefs. I loved how they showed the loss of control with major anxiety. I was just blown away. There hasn’t been a movie that I could relate to this much emotionally in recent memory, and certainly not one that explores anxiety this accessibly and effectively. I just think; if only I had this film sooner in life. And that’s why I’m so happy that kids today will have it. I hope that this helps to create a lot more conversations and awareness around anxiety, between friends, parents, and kids, and that kids today can learn how to process and befriend their anxiety a lot more effectively than my generation has been taught.
Inside Out 2 is a beautiful depiction of living with anxiety and the way it uncontrollably dwells in our minds leading to panic attacks and a plethora of memories and future events plaguing us, but it is not the decider of our beliefs. If you ever want to explain to someone what anxiety feels like and how it manifests itself, make them watch Inside Out 2. As much as I don't want to get hyperbolic with this review, I have to say it because I felt strongly about this after the first film, and I feel the same way now — I truly feel like I'm better off having seen Inside Out 2. The original Inside Out completely recontextualized Sadness in the most beautiful way. Inside Out 2 serves as an especially poignant reminder that all of our emotions and experiences, the good and bad, make us whole. Inside Out 2 is an important film that reminds viewers that we can’t let our emotions drive our personality. While not all parts stick the landing, the sum of these parts makes it a must-watch. Wise and witty, Inside Out 2 continues the Pixar tradition in the ways that matter most.
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