Inside Out 2 Creatively Portrays Our Emotions And The Changes We Face Growing Up [Review]
Inside Out 2 takes viewers on Riley’s journey of growth and can help us understand more of our emotions.
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The first Inside Out film came out in 2015 and quickly became a favourite among the audience. It was a hit among many viewers because it explored the joys and pains of growing up and the bundle of emotions we have to deal with.
This earned the film an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2015 and several other accolades.
The movie was largely praised for accurately and creatively representing the different emotions in the mind by consulting psychologists and neuroscientists while making the movie.
Nine years later, Disney Pixar released Inside Out 2 and how does it compare?
What to expect?
In Inside Out 1, we follow the inner workings of a young girl named Riley and the basic emotions that influenced her behaviour: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.
In this second instalment, Riley goes through puberty and this (unsurprisingly) brings tons of changes to the Headquarters in her mind.
After a whole “office” remodelling in Headquarters, the core Five emotions and the audience are introduced to new emotions such as Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy, and Ennui.
Since Riley is going through a change into teenhood, Joy, who has been leading the pack so far, is also facing changes to her leadership role and sense of self.
What I liked
Inside Out 2 once again did a good job portraying growing pains, which in this case is the shift into teenagehood and the changes in puberty.
There are moments of laughter and also room for touching moments and tears. I loved the creativity in portraying different emotions and behaviours such as sarcasm.
Another point of praise was highlighting the importance of a person’s core belief being central to someone’s sense of self, self-assurance, confidence, and resilience.
Should you watch or skip it?
Although Inside Out 2 is marketed as a children’s movie, it’s still an entertaining and relatable film for all ages, even adults.
No matter what age we are, everyone deals with different emotions daily and experiences highs and lows throughout their lifespan.
Inside Out 2 has its nostalgic moments, especially for the adults when they reflect on their transition to their teenage years.
Inside Out 2 is out in cinemas nationwide from 13 June 2024 onwards.
What I find beautiful about this film is how it acknowledges that as kids grow into teens, more complex emotions enter the picture. And there is real science behind these changes, so we knew we had a story that’s relatable to kids and parents and everyone.
Associate producer Kim Collins
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