Movie Review: ‘Inside Out 2’ is a delight many will relate to
If you enjoyed Disney Pixar’s “Inside Out“, then you’ll also enjoy “Inside Out 2”. It’s more than just more of the same, it’s a similar but different, with some new characters, both in Riley’s (the main human character) head and in her real life. And you don’t need to have seen the first one to enjoy this one.
At the end of the first “Inside Out” movie, Riley, the preteen who had to deal with moving to a new town, had settled in and Joy was once again the prominent emotion in her life, working well with Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust.
When “Inside Out 2” starts, Riley has just become a teenager, and with that comes puberty, which isn’t represented as one emotion, but a few new emotions/characters, Embarrassment, boredom (Ennui), Envy, and Anxiety.
Riley’s love of hockey plays a bigger part in this movie, and her family less, with her heading off to hockey camp, where the new emotions try to take control.
One of the new characters surprised me. I was expecting them to be represented in a certain way, but I should have known better by their name. This surprise didn’t help or hurt my experience. All the new characters are interesting, but I felt Envy wasn’t really needed.
There were also a few new characters that are sort of in the same role Bing Bong was in the first movie. But they’re different from Bing Bong in that he was funny and adorable, the new characters they encounter in the other parts of Riley’s mind are just hilarious – from video games to kids shows. Just in case you’re hoping to see Bing Bong again, like I was, he’s not in this one. But he is represented in a small way, so keep an eye out.
Like the first Inside Out film, “Inside Out 2” also teaches a lesson, but does so in a way that it doesn’t feel like you’re being taught. You can just relax and enjoy it without putting thought into it if you want. Although teenagers may experience anxiety, embarrassment, boredom, and envy more than others, we all still feel these emotions, some more than others. The move shows that a good balance is healthy, and to not let one take control of the others.
All of the original voice actors are back except for the voices of Fear and Disgust, but you won’t even notice. I didn’t even know those characters had different actors doing them until after I saw the movie. All of the voice actors were excellent. Phyllis Smith’s Sadness is my favorite, and I love that even though Amy Poehler voices Joy, I didn’t hear her as Amy Poehler. That goes for all the actors.
I recommend “Inside Out 2”. It’s a fun movie that keeps you entertained throughout. I hope there are future movies: they sort of teased the next version with a cameo character who kept coming out too soon. Go see it, even if you haven’t seen the first one, but I recommend watching the first one first if you can.
Score: 4 out of 5
• Inside Out is rated PG, and is an hour and 40 minutes long. There is one good end credits scene at the very end, so stick around for a payoff from an earlier mystery. I was disappointed to not see more of the zoom into the heads of different characters like the first movie had at the start of the credits.
In The Parks
You can meet the Inside Out characters in many Disney parks around the world. Joy is appearing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer, and a new character to meet, Anger, is appearing at Disney California Adventure, along with Joy and Sadness.
That park also has the only Inside Out ride, Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, a spinning ride for families. It used to be Flik’s Flyer’s in the former A Bug’s Land.
A sneak peek of “Inside Out 2” is now at Disney’s Hollywood Studios inside the Walt Disney Presents attraction.
You can enter for a chance to stay in an Inside Out 2 themed Airbnb, and you can visit Joyful Sweets on the Disney Wish cruise ship.
McDonald’s also has Inside Out 2 Happy Meal toys.
Inside Out 2 Production Notes
Warning, small spoilers
Voice Cast: Amy Poehler (Joy), Maya Hawke (Anxiety), Kensington Tallman (Riley), Liza Lapira (Disgust), Tony Hale (Fear), Lewis Black (Anger), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Ayo Edebiri (Envy), Lilimar (Valentina), Grace Lu (Grace), Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green (Bree), Adèle Exarchopoulos (Ennui), Diane Lane (Mom), Kyle MacLachlan (Dad), Paul Walter Hauser (Embarrassment), Yvette Nicole Brown (Coach Roberts), Ron Funches (Bloofy), James Austin Johnson (Pouchy), Yong Yea (Lance Slashblade), Steve Purcell (Deep Dark Secret), Dave Goelz (Mind Cop Frank), Kirk Thatcher (Foreman), Frank Oz (Mind Cop Dave), Paula Pell (Mom’s Anger), June Squibb (Nostalgia), Pete Docter (Dad’s Anger), Paula Poundstone (Forgetter Paula), John Ratzenberger (Fritz), Sarayu Blue (Margie), Flea (Jake), Bobby Moynihan (Forgetter Bobby), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Hockey Announcer).
Director: Kelsey Mann
Producer: Mark Nielsen
Exec Producers: Pete Docter, Jonas Rivera, Dan Scanlon
Screenplay: Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein
Story: Kelsey Mann, Meg LeFauve
Music: Andrea Datzman
Riley’s Crew
Filmmakers wanted to ensure their story about a teenager and the new emotions that come with adolescence was as authentic as possible, so they turned to the ultimate resource: teenage girls.
A group of nine girls known as Riley’s Crew was assembled via referrals from organizations and studio team members. The girls ranged in age from 13 to 16 when the initiative kicked off in 2021; they hail from California, Washington and Louisiana.
“We wanted a diverse group of girls with varying backgrounds and interests,” said producer Mark Nielsen. “Some are into music, some into art — some are student athletes. They’ve been with us since
the very first screening.”
Riley’s Crew members were shown the film periodically over the course of three years. “We sent them all notebooks to take their notes,” says Nielsen. “Then we’d meet with them over Zoom and ask them questions: ‘What worked for you?’ ‘What bugs you?’ ‘Did you understand the Belief System?’ Did that interaction feel real to you?’”
The gig culminated with an invitation to the “Inside Out 2” premiere in Hollywood.
Emotional Colors
According to production designer Jason Deamer, the emotions were originally designed to feature specific color and shape language.
JOY is yellow and shaped like a star.
ANGER is red with a solid rectangular shape and unmovable sharp corners.
SADNESS is blue and shaped like a teardrop.
FEAR is purple and shaped like a cowering nerve.
DISGUST is green—she’s sharp and acute with angles out.
“I wanted to make sure that we honored the visual canon of the first film when we revisited the world of ‘Inside Out’ for this second film,” said Deamer, who describes the new Emotions:
“ANXIETY is orange with electric shape language — tense and shaky. You always see the whites of her eyes and her feather-like hair betrays her constant movements.”
“EMBARRASSMENT is pink like blush with a soft and round shape to evoke his reticence and timidness. He’s a gentle giant and unfortunately for him, he wants to hide but he’s hard to miss.”
“ENNUI has the posture of a limp noodle. She’s rarely interested enough to lift her own head.”
“ENVY is teal in color and a smaller, sprouting-mushroom shape to juxtapose against the rest of the cast. Naturally, she wishes she were taller and less childlike.”
