Inside Out 2 is Delightfully Joyous Amidst the Angst of Teen Emotionality

Being 11 years old is a literal minefield of emotions.  Being on the verge of puberty with mood swings, pimples, struggling to find or keep your tribe, embracing feelings about boys, being independent yet still needing a hug or reassurance from Mom and Dad from time to time is tricky at best. Yet, navigating and transitioning into a responsible human can be more challenging than imagined.

To make sure this was all done with the utmost accuracy, Filmmakers Mark Nielson and Kelsey Mann turned to the ultimate resource known as Riley’s Crew. A diverse group of nine girls with varying backgrounds and interests were assembled via referrals from organizations and studio team members. In addition, they spoke with psychologists about what happens to the teenage brain making it clear  there would be a lot of potential  with a new group of emotions coming in and disrupting the core five that have just hit their stride in figuring out how to work together. Will  Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos)  and Envy  (Ayo Edebiri) take over or balance Riley’s teen hormones for the better or worse?

With comically nuanced voice performances from the entire cast, Inside Out 2 is a delightfully joyous and emotionally nostalgic animated journey into puberty that lifted my spirits from the inside out (pun intended).  However, Maya Hawke’s performance as Anxiety was fantabulous making this particular emotion all too realistic for viewers of all ages. Tackling real teen experiences such as making new friends while staying connected with old ones, fitting in, adolescence, insecurity, doubt and overall teenage mental health is pretty revolutionary for an animated feature – but who better than Pixar to serve it up on a cinematic platter. Living in a world so riddled with angst, this film is a welcomed lesson whilst bringing smiles to the surface of anyone lucky enough to experience all the feels – good, bad and ugly.

My favorite sequence, The Vault, showcases compartmentalizing and bottling up emotions as a means to self protect.  Laughing out loud as Bloofy (Ron Funches) and Lance Slashblade (giving animated video game Fabio vibes) pop up as Riley’s favorite childhood figures from television and video games ready to break out and assist her by any means necessary was pure comedy and kudos to the over 400 crew who worked on giving Riley’s subconscious emotions vibrancy and personality.

Going into this screening, my mood was particularly foul, yet I emerged lighter and more fluffy from the magical, buoyant message given and received with Inside Out 2. In a summer of sequels, this one will definitely stand out in a league of its own.