‘Inside Out 2’ – Review
Every time a new Disney-Pixar release arrives, our hearts tend to flutter a bit. Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is a joyous, beautiful, and warm watch about the journey that comes with growing up, and it’s sure to make you smile.
Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety shows up, they aren’t sure how to feel.
2015’s Inside Out was a heartwarming watch that warmed the hearts of both children and adults alike and also proved to be a smashing success. Not only did it give audiences that beloved sense of Pixar magic, but it also allowed us to get closer to our own emotions, and there was a loving sense of affection that you couldn’t help but feel. Almost a decade on, audiences now get the chance to return to Reilly’s mind, and filmmaker Kelsey Mann takes up the directing reigns this time around for a tale that all of us can identify with. You see, Reilly is about to undergo puberty, and well, things get messy, as we all know about. Mann has long been a senior member of Pixar’s creative team, and she brings a wealth of creative knowledge to the picture as she and the creative wizards of Pixar unleash their talents and create a picture that is incredibly funny but also full of heart and the lessons that come with growing up.
The gangs all back for Inside Out 2, with Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear, all growing with Reilly and seeking to make her life the best it can possibly be. But then suddenly, puberty hits, and everything goes haywire, and we’re introduced to a whole host of new emotions that are ready to turn Reilly’s mind upside down. Suddenly, it says hello to Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Maya Hawke is totally manic as Anxiety, and her desperate desire for control leads to all kinds of havoc. Ayo Edebiri’s Envy is a troublemaker of the purest degree, and her performance only adds to the hilarity; Adèle Exarchopoulos’ Ennui is a pure expression of teenage mood swings, and her ‘bored’ performance leads to some very funny moments, while Paul Walter Hauser’s Embarrassment will give you all the feels with that sense of teenage angst that we’ve all felt at one time or another.
Director Kelsey Mann takes audiences on a real journey this time, and she places a lot of emphasis on how Riley’s own actions fuel her emotions and how these choices she makes affect her emotions in the process. There are plenty of funny, humourous moments, but more importantly, we see how the journey into teenage life can be a difficult, awkward and uncertain time in our lives (something all the adults in the audience can relate to), and this is exactly what makes Inside Out 2 so special. There’s a heavy sense of emotion, and the journey could almost be a parallel to understanding and making peace with your own mental health. There are moments in this picture that make you feel better about yourself and your relationship with your own emotions.
Inside Out 2 is a film filled with genuine heart and love, and this permeates every part of the production. From the cast’s zany performance to its beautiful animation and creative expression to its message of compassion and acceptance of the emotional growth that comes with life, Inside Out 2 is a heartfelt film in the truest sense of the word, and audiences will be moved by this very special picture.
Image: Walt Disney Pictures
