Inside Out 2

Directed by: Kelsey Mann

Written by: Meg LeFauve & Dave Holstein

Riley (Kensington Tallman) is now 2 years older and Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) have their balance just right. Riley’s life couldn’t be better as she and her friends Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green) are invited to hockey camp. But what nobody expects is the triggering of the “Puberty Alarm” and with it the arrival of new emotions Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). With the new emotions taking over, they look to suppress the ones that have served Riley well and change her. Joy and the gang realise they need to fight for Riley and who she really is and this sends them on an adventure to the back of her mind to rescue her beliefs and restore their Riley.

Making a sequel to Inside Out was a risk. But Pixar has delivered, with a sequel full of heart and charm, that covers the complexity of growing and changing, as Riley moves from child to adolescent.

The new characters, especially Maya Hawke’s Anxiety, bring to life the complexity that new emotions introduce to seemingly once simple lives. The battle for “supremacy” between her “stable” emotions and the new ones that are running wild is cleverly observed. This is mirrored in Riley’s life of trying to navigate change and new relationship, but running the risk of breaking what is already there.

It delivers this in a thoroughly engaging story. A beautifully animated, adventure through Riley’s inner world. The voice cast is pitch perfect, the story zips along, in a colourful fun world. There’s lots of lovely attention to detail and humour in its smart heartfelt storytelling.

Making a sequel to Inside Out was always a risk but Pixar has delivered. A touching and heartfelt story that takes us through the complexity of emotions in a wonderfully engaging way. It’s a colourful fast moving adventure full of heart and humour and a perfect follow up to the much loved original.