Inside Out 2 Movie Review

  

Inside Out 2

No 9 on my Most Anticipated

Synopsis: Follow Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions.

Director: Kelsey Mann

Stars: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black and Maya Hawke

Runtime: 1 hour 36 mins

Genre: Family Comedy Adventure

Coming nine years after the original, and a lifetime after what many would consider a bone-fide hit for Pixar, Inside Out 2 hits cinemas today. This sequel has a lot to live up to, the first instalment earned over $850M worldwide, bagging Best Animated Feature at the Oscars and is largely regarded as Pixar's best single entry movie to date.

Going in to this movie I was excited to see more from this world and it's characters but also nervous as to whether this movie would live up to its predecessor. With Pixar veteran Pete Docter (director of Inside Out) returning as a producer on this movie and newcomer Kelsey Mann stepping in to the directors chair I was a little anxious.

So what feeling did this movie illicit? Let's break it down..

Story and Plot

It's been two years since the events of Inside Out. Riley however is now 13 years old, school's out for summer as she trials out at an ice hockey camp. With it Joy, Sadness, Anger and Fear (who have been living in relative harmony at Headquarters) suddenly have to make way for Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui. 

My overall thoughts...

Outside of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, Inside Out is my favourite Pixar movie. It was Pixar at it's height, seamlessly blending a heartfelt well written original idea, introducing us to new characters we really cared about with it all wrapped up in seamless and gorgeous animation.

I'm happy to report that Inside Out 2 joins it's predecessor in this rare category of Pixar's greatest movies blending heart, humour with cutting edge animation. Whilst it never reaches the height of the damn near perfect original, my overriding feeling watching this movie was definitely joy. The movie (which was essentially overhauled after negative test screenings in late 2023) is a true four-quadrant movie.

If the first film was a buddy road-trip across Riley's mind between Joy and Sadness, Inside Out 2 could be compared to a hijack movie, Joy is John McClane and Anxiety could be Hans Gruber, as Anxiety hijacks Riley's mind.

Inside Out 2 is not just a movie of what it is like to be a 13-year old teenage girl, it speaks to everyone, young and old alike as it is very much a coming-of-age tale. 

The movie will speak to very young children for the animation & slapstick nature of some it's jokes, whilst at the same time speaking to teenagers who will on some level be experiencing what Riley is going through and finally to the adults who remember what it was like at that age and will get some of the more nuanced jokes and references as well as empathise with the parents and adults in the movie.

As with it's predecessor, Inside Out 2 is genuinely really funny with some laugh out loud moments. Maya Hawke as Anxiety steals the movie with a strong voice cast of returning and new talent alike. The movie also looks stunning and has a great script, you really care about Riley's journey which of course is central to the movie. 

Cast

Amy Poehler anchors the returning cast as Joy with Phyllis Smith as Sadness and Lewis Black as Anger also returning. Tony Hale and Liza Lapira replace Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling as Fear and Disgust. 

The stand-out in this movie though is Maya Hawke as Anxiety, she is fantastic in this role and is a great new addition. She is joined by Paul Walter-Hauser as Embarrassment, Ayo Edebiri as Envy and finally Adele Exarchopoulos as Ennui (boredom). Each character get their time to shine to a greater or lesser extent.

Aside from the emotions I loved Pouchy (think Dora’s backpack) voiced by James Austin Johnson and Lance Flashblade (an heroic videogame character Riley had a crush on when she was younger), who is voiced by Yong Yea.

On screen Action

As Joy's gang travel to the deep dark depths of the back of Riley's mind to regain her sense of self, the movie is full of great action set pieces. My favourite was the tidal wave of memories and how the team have an hilarious conversation with construction workers across the sar-chasm. 

Sound and Effects

Inside Out 2 is uniformly beautiful. The animation giant yet again stamps it's mark on why it is the best in the business by setting a new bar for the level of animation and detail that goes into it's movies. It also cleverly utilises different styles of animation such as 2D and video game. 

The movie also features great sound design that helps to support the flawless animation.

Music and Score

Andrea Datzman provides the score for the movie, and it is her first feature length movie, having been composer on TV shows and shorts. It's a great score that helps the audience navigate Riley's complex emotions.

Pixar's best sequel since Toy Story 2. Emotionally intelligent whilst being funny and exciting with a well written truly heartfelt story. Featuring a fantastic cast with Maya Hawke stealing the movie. Treat yourself and your family, Pixar is back in town.

Verdict  - MATCHED EXPECTATIONS