Inside Out 2, directed by Kelsey Mann, came out in theaters this summer on June 14, 2024. This is a sequel to the Oscar-winning film Inside Out. It just became available to stream on Disney+ on September 25, 2024. Inside out 2 is a family comedy movie and is set inside the mind of Riley Andersen. Riley is going through her first stages of puberty and was introduced to four new emotions, boredom, envy, embarrassment, and most importantly, anxiety. The other emotions, joy, sadness, disgust, fear, and anger, play an important role in the first Inside out, but anxiety and joy take the lead in Inside Out 2.
There are 8 total emotions in this movie, but Anxiety is the main character. As Riley is growing up, anxiety starts to become a huge part of her life because she is trying out for the high school hockey team and is making friends with the older girls on the team. Joy always tries to keep a good attitude even when the headquarters is falling apart just to keep Riley happy. Anxiety on the other hand, comes into headquarters eager to start controlling Riley’s emotions. Emotions can control a lot of our actions, which is why mental health is very important.
Riley and her two best friends, Bree and Grace, are invited to a weekend ice hockey camp, where Riley hopes to qualify for her schools’ team. The morning before the camp, her “puberty alarm” goes off and she wakes up with her first zit and is very moody. At the end of the first Inside Out, the console changes to reveal a puberty button that confuses the emotions. This is now the new console for Inside Out 2 with new emotions being added: boredom, envy, anxiety, and embarrassment. Riley is so worried about making a good impression on the older high school girls, that she almost lost her two best friends.
These same best friends are also moving schools, so Riley feels as if she needs to make friends with the older girls so she won’t be alone and will make the hockey team. Riley starts to have really bad anxiety about how she plays in front of the schools coach and has a panic attack. Joy tells anxiety to “let go,” which is what gets Riley out of her panic attack. Riley finally calms down as her two best friends come and check on her. Riley apologizes for cutting them out, and they forgive each other. At the end of the movie, Riley finds a letter in her locker. She opens it and has s surprised face, but we don’t know what the letter said. Most people assume that the letter in her locker was about if she made the school hockey team or not.
Based on reviews, Inside Out 2 was a hit. People think that this one is funnier, more tender, sweet, and a little bit tear-jerking. This is a very family friendly movie that teaches us to not let our emotions control our life and finds new ways to explore emotions and puberty. Reviews also claim that the performances from its voice cast are what truly make it special. This is an enjoyable, funny, and sometimes emotional film that is worth the watch. Inside out 2 is a great sequel, that hopefully continues with a third one! If you like comedies and adventure movies, then you will like this one! I give it 5 out of 5 shields.
