Inside Out 2

The sequel to one of Pixar’s best films is, thankfully, one of Pixar’s best sequels, delivering all the humour and emotional insight that made the first film such a delight, while still keeping its accessible and entertaining tone.  Feels like ten years of therapy in 96 minutes … in a good way!

Premise:  Riley has now turned 13 years old and is on the cusp of puberty, which heralds the arrival of a new group of more complex emotions – Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui – much to the dismay of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust.  But as all the emotions try to find a new balance, Riley is invited to a make-or-break ice hockey camp that could determine the course of her life at high school.

Review:

There’s always a risk that making a sequel to a highly original first film will only result in diminishing returns, especially given that, by definition, the sequel is unlikely to ever be as inventive or original as the first film.  I could list plenty of examples of disappointing sequels to great original films, but even the good sequels have often replicated what worked in the first film, rather than building something new from scratch.

All of which makes Inside Out 2 all the more impressive, because although it carries on the broad themes and ideas from 2015’s Inside Out, it’s by no means a retread of the same story.  While Inside Out explored Riley’s emotional upheaval resulting from her family’s relocation to a new town – personified by the struggle between Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) and Sadness (voiced by Phyllis Smith) for ‘control’ of Riley’s emotions – Inside Out 2 is tackling a different, but equally universal, mental health issue, as personified in this film by the arrival of Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke).

“…for a 13-year-old, there are arguably no higher stakes…”

Just as Inside Out sought to educate audiences that there’s no such thing as a ‘bad’ emotion, and that Sadness was just as important to Riley’s mental wellbeing as Joy was, Inside Out 2 doesn’t simply make Anxiety and the other new emotions – Envy (voiced by Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (voiced by Paul Walter Hauser) and Ennui (voiced by Adèle Exarchopoulos) – into straightforward antagonists.  Instead, it’s clear from the outset that Anxiety is there to help Riley – especially during this critical ice hockey camp which could determine whether she’s a social outcast or one of the popular kids for the rest of her time at high school.  For a 13-year-old, there are arguably no higher stakes, and Anxiety is there – with her carefully constructed plans based on her detailed analysis of every possible potentially adverse scenario – to ensure that Riley’s future is protected.

But (and without getting into plot specifics) the film then goes on to demonstrate – in a hugely entertaining way that’s accessible to viewers of all ages – that obsessing over every possible thing that could go wrong, or focusing on the negatives rather than the positives, or basing your sense of value on external validation, is likely to result in unmanageable levels of pressure and is disastrous for people’s mental health and sense of self-worth.

“…represents complex psychological concepts in entertaining, funny & easy to understand ways…”

Inside Out 2 tackles some fairly complex psychological themes – one key plot thread relates to Riley’s nascent ‘Sense of Self’ and her complex ‘belief structure’ that’s forming on the cusp of puberty – but it does an incredible job of representing all of these complex concepts in entertaining, funny and easy to understand ways.

The genius of Inside Out 2 is that very young children are likely to enjoy it as a funny comedy (because it is consistently very funny throughout), even if some of the deeper subtext goes over their heads; meanwhile older children and teenagers will hopefully take on board some of the film’s key mental health messages, but in a way that doesn’t detract at all from their enjoyment of the film as a piece of pure entertainment.  Adults, on the other hand, may see most clearly the intelligence and thought that’s gone into the script, and the talent it takes to make a 96-minute therapy session so utterly delightful and funny throughout.  Anyone who’s struggled with mental wellbeing, stress, anxiety or self-worth are likely to see parts of themselves at various points in this film – but hopefully they’ll also take the film’s humorous messages to heart and not be too hard on themselves in the future.

“…a more than worthy successor to ‘Inside Out’…”

Returning from the first film are Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Riley’s mom and dad, although they do get less screen time here, as the main focus is on Riley’s social trials at ice hockey camp rather than the familial relationships of the first film.  On the other hand, Anger (voiced by Lewis Black), Fear (voiced by Tony Hale) and Disgust (voiced by Liza Lapira) are arguably a little more invoiced in the main story this time.

The first Inside Out was arguably the best original Pixar film of the last 15 years, but Inside Out 2 is a more than worthy successor.  Entertaining and insightful, this offers something for viewers of all ages.