Inside Out 2

"Inside Out 2" is a heartwarming and imaginative sequel that successfully builds on the emotional depth of its predecessor. Directed by Kelsey Mann, the film revisits Riley as she navigates the complexities of teenage life, with her emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust—returning to guide her. The movie introduces new emotions, adding fresh dynamics and challenges. The animation is vibrant and expressive, capturing the nuanced portrayal of inner emotional worlds. With its clever storytelling, humor, and poignant moments, "Inside Out 2" resonates deeply with audiences, offering a thoughtful exploration of growing up and emotional resilience.

The wizards at Pixar have crafted a new gem with “Inside Out 2” which is a rare achievement in that it is a sequel that outdoes the original film. The movie opens with Riley (Kensington Tallman), just after her 13th Birthday as Joy (Amy Poehler) recaps her accomplishments and sets the stage for her big Hockey Game with her friends Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green). Their success on the ice attracts the attention of the coach of the local Firebirds who invites the trio to a three-day camp which will set the stage for them to be included on the team as freshmen. Things take a turn when a Puberty alarm goes off followed by a construction crew to upgrade the console. Fear (Tony Hale), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Liza Lapira), and Sadness (Phyllis Smith), do not react well to this and the arrival of the new emotions Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter-Hauser), sets the stage for new conflicts. Riley arrives at camp and becomes enchanted with the popular girls who are fronted by Valentina (Lilimar), and Riley excludes her friends as a chance to be part of the in-crowd. The new emotions set a course to keep Riley safe from her potential future issues and banish the old emotions that they view as hindering Riley and setting a path for future failure. Forced to travel to the furthest reaches of Riley’s mind to recover something of necessity; the old emotions hope to undo the damage being done and restore Riley who is in the turmoil of being a teen and hampered by the flood of new and often conflicting emotions and circumstances that she encounters. The movie is filled with charm and humor as well as presenting an honest look at the changes and pressures that children face during their teen years and does so without being heavy-handed. The emotions new and old are great and there are many moments throughout the film that will bring laughter as well as nostalgia for adults; especially those with children who are about to enter their Teen years. The film is moving and there were more than a few eyes welling up near the end of the film during our screening as Pixar has once again crafted an enjoyable and relatable tale that can be enjoyed by the entire family. 4.5 stars out of 5.

I really quite enjoyed the first of these (2015) but I struggled a bit to stay engaged with the one. "Riley" is still happily coasting through family life until one day, she embarks on the yellow brick road that is puberty. Towit, her control gallery is no longer the purview of just her lifelong guides like "Fear", "Joy" and "Anger" - now she has also to deal with the likes of disgust, envy, boredom and worst of all - anxiety. It's maybe the latter that the film should be called as we now embark on quite a humourless swipe at the culture of validation that young people must navigate. It's all about being popular. Being liked. Being the best - in the ice hockey team. Old loyalties go under the bus in favour of new aspirations and yes, much of it does ring quite true as an evaluation of the fickleness in all of us. Thing is, though, there's just too much inevitability about what comes next and there's way too much incessant dialogue. "Anger" has some fun along the way, and there is the odd comedy one-liner from the laconic "Ennui" but it just didn't resonate with me at all. The animation is standard Pixar fayre that does the job colourfully but unremarkably, and by the conclusion I was hoping there was an off button on that great big console. Yep - I'm probably too old to really appreciate this the way the kids can, but the trick for these studios has to be to engage the adults at the same time as the weans, else out come the mobile phones as our own version of ennui sets in. It's fine, but forgettable, sorry.