Maturity and its many conflicting emotions  

By Wendell Gaa 

“Inside Out 2” which is currently the highest grossing film internationally this summer is one of those few films which, in my view, outshines its brilliant predecessor. 

The original “Inside Out” from 2015 was no doubt one of the most innovative movies in the history of animated cinema and it is one treasured piece which Pixar Studios deserves to be proud of.

However, the emotional and physical growth which the protagonist of this series, Riley Andersen, goes through conveys the journey of a typical pre-teen girl experiencing the process of young adulthood and the struggles of maturing which every youth can relate to. This  theme is explored more deeply in this brilliant sequel.

This film picks up two years after Riley and her parents have made their big move to San Francisco. The now-14-year-old enters high school to begin that particular life chapter which many of us may either fondly or regrettably view as a harrowing yet adventurous rite-of-passage. 

Riley’s sentient emotions — Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger — have likewise returned to continue steering her daily feelings in order to help her navigate life’s everyday encounters and challenges.  They are all now at the helm monitoring a newly formed element of Riley’s mind known as her “Sense of Self,” which hosts memories and feelings that form Riley’s views and principles.  Despite retaining their personalities from the first film, each emotion now displays its own sense of maturity, especially Joy and Sadness, who have now both grown to respect each other’s important roles and contribution to Riley’s emotional stability.

Soon, the emotions come to realize that with Riley’s physical growth comes her emotional and mental development as well, and this is manifested in the introduction of four new emotions in Riley’s head: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Boredom. They appear just as Riley and her lifelong best friends from elementary school, Bree and Grace, are invited to attend a weekend ice hockey camp where Riley aims to earn a slot in her high school’s team the Firehawks. 

Although Riley looks forward to a fun and eventful camping experience, she soon learns from her best friends that they won’t all be attending the same high school and thus won’t all end up playing on the same hockey team.  Soon she also meets the camp’s stern director Coach Roberts, who sets a high standard of expectation from her hockey players.  All of this prompts Riley to fit in with the other older veteran players of the Firehawks team, and to befriend one of the more experienced players Val so that her chances of earning a spot on the team (as well as fit into the socially popular “girl clique”) would increase.  

Simultaneously and initially, the new emotions are cordially welcomed as part of Riley’s “mind team.”  But as the emotional pressures build up for Riley in her attempt to get accepted both into the hockey team and a place amongst her new batch of social peers, Riley starts to distance herself from Bree and Grace and the new emotions led by Anxiety carry out their own “mutiny” against the original emotions.

Realizing how much Riley still needs her “original emotions” as well as her new ones despite her maturing into young adulthood, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger go on a mission to escape and regain control of Riley’s mind and conscience.

“Inside Out 2” is absolutely delightful entertainment for the entire family which imparts lessons on growth and maturity which every viewer can relate to and ultimately learn from.  It’s particularly cute to see Anger take up a more active role this time around.  The new emotions are pleasingly engaging and memorable too, especially Anxiety and Embarrassment. 

It is so great to see Pixar produce another winner with this film, especially considering how the studio has been struggling creatively the past few years.  This movie is solid proof that the Pixar and Disney magic is still very much alive!