Nine years after the first Inside Out, we go back inside Riley's head in it's long-anticipated sequel, Inside Out 2, only Riley is now a teenager going through the trials of puberty and dealing with brand new emotions. The thing about Inside Out is that it was a truly special film in the Pixar canon. What could have been another animated family feature with cute characters ended up becoming a lot deeper than we imagined, proving that Pixar works best when they turn ideas into clever and meaningful films. Their formula is what made most of their work successful, with Toy Story being their biggest franchise. Lately, Pixar's track record has been lacking in terms of quality. What was once an animation studio that could do no wrong in terms of animation has churned out films with bright animation, but little imagination. Inside Out 2, however, is an installment that had the potential to be an imaginative and clever film that is just as good as its predecessor, if not better. Who needs more adventures with Woody and Buzz Lightyear when we can spend time with emotions that live in Riley's head. The possibilities are endless with an Inside Out sequel.
On top of Riley Anderson (Voice of Kensington Tallman) being a teenager, the emotions, Joy (Voice of Amy Poehler), Sadness (Voice of Phyllis Smith), Fear (Voice of Tony Hale replacing Bill Hader), Disgust (Voice of Liza Lapira, replacing Mindy Kaling), and Anger (Voice of Lewis Black) are dealing with changes in Headquarters (the place in Riley's head), when their console that controls Riley's behavior gets an upgrade, and a slew of emotions; Anxiety (Voice of Maya Hawke), Envy (Voice of Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Voice of Adele Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Voice of Paul Walter Hauser), move in and try to take over while helping Riley navigate hockey camp, where she tries to fit in with the cool kids there.
If you're wondering whether Inside Out 2 is just as good as its predecessor, I can guarantee that it unsurprisingly has the same amount of clever ideas that not only kids can enjoy, but also proves relatable to adults who went through those teenage years, leading to a lot of funny jokes. The one thing I felt Inside Out 2 was missing was more emotional heft, ironically enough. Sure, Inside Out 2 deals with resonantly serious themes relating to the teenage experience, and can make you feel something by the end of it, but what made Inside Out great was not just the ideas it had, but with how heavy its themes on growing up were, which packed that emotional punch, and made many an audience member cry. Upon re-watching Inside Out this past week to show my oldest son this film, I felt more of that emotional pull as it went through those dark and serious moments. Inside Out 2 tries to do more of the same, but the stakes don't feel quite as high, nor is the devastation truly there.
What Inside Out 2 succeeds at is being a clever film that puts more ideas to work in a way for families to take something out of it. I even found it to be quite a good film. The characters are likable enough and the adventure is still fun. As expected, Inside Out 2 is a start for Pixar's return at quality, even if it doesn't feel as great as its predecessor.
GRADE: A-
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