It's getting a little crowded in here.
The original Inside Out, released in 2015 (nine years ago! Time flies. Is that dust on me?), easily stands as one of my favorite Pixar films, and it tends to rank high on lists of fan favorites. It had a story that perfectly blended the very real struggles of Riley, its main character in the "real world", and how those struggles impact her brain world and her emotions, Joy and Sadness in particular.
Anyone who works in psychiatry or with children tends to point to it as an amazing way to visualize many concepts related to the brain and how emotions impact what we do, how we think, and how we grow up. It's a metaphor so multi-layered that even now, studying the first film still brings up new points, depending on how you interpret them. Just a brilliant, brilliant movie from start to finish.
Notably, that film had gone through a lot of brainstorming during development, before the final concept was settled on the five emotions. All of them (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear) have the basic function of the emotion they represent, until you realize that they have secondary functions more closely tied to personality (Sadness creates empathy, and Anger's aggressivity channels into assertiveness and confidence, to give two examples). Needless to say, this sequel directed by Kelsey Mann needs to add to these solid bases, and its additions need to be just as strong.
The story
Two years have passed since the events of the first Inside Out; Riley is now 13. She hasn't changed much yet; she's still the nice, hockey-loving, family-loving girl. The greater changes have been in her brain, where her five emotions have been adapting to the increasing complexity of their girl's psyche, a result of puberty.
The first change has been the addition of something even stronger than Core Memories: Riley's sense of self, built from a large collection of memories highlighting every positive personality trait she has. The other change, created by Joy herself, is a contraption allowing the emotions to send unwanted, "bad" memories all the way to the back of Riley's mind.
Because everything happens at the same time, puberty hits the girl on the very morning that she's leaving for hockey camp with her two best friends. And on the trip, she learns that they'll be going to a different high school, making this possibly their last weekend together. And because that's not enough, her idol, Valentina Ortiz, the captain of the high school hockey team, the Fire Hawks, is at the camp alongside a coach Riley feels the need to impress, forcing her into a difficult decision between friends and future.
And if the emotions thought they could help, well - that's when the new ones decide to come in. First is Anxiety, who keeps planning for Riley's future, without realizing that she's messing up the girl's present as a result. The other new emotions - Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui - are quick to come in and further cause chaos, despite their best intentions. Could be fine, were it not that Anxiety, in her attempts to make Riley fit in with the cool Fire Hawks, tosses Riley's sense of self at the back of her mind, then has all five of the original emotions "bottled up" and sent away. Thus, Joy and the others must escape, retrieve their girl's sense of self, and return to the emotion headquarters before the weekend is over.
The review
Maybe it says more about the overall quality of the studio's input, and maybe this is one of those films that will get leagues better with each rewatch, but while the original is safely near the top, I don't know if this one would even break my Top 10 when it comes to Pixar's works. There is an impression, already echoed by others, that this feels just like more of the same. Which... I only partially agree with.
Yeah, it's once again the concept of some emotions having to travel across Riley's psyche to get back home (a type of story told many, many times by Pixar), all presented in this metaphorical backdrop. Sure. But as I said before, I personally consider a good sequel one that builds upon the foundation of the movie it follows up on, by adding new interesting elements of its own. By that metric alone, this sequel would be a success, as it not only brings up a swath of new details; the four additional emotions, but also elements of the "brain world", or how those elements evolve as Riley grows up. Sure enough, this will be a fantastic companion piece to its predecessor, to explain even more concepts to a wider audience. So yeah, unfortunately a large part of this movie's plot feels directly lifted from the one it follows up on, but I do hope it brings enough differences to the table to be worth watching regardless.
It bears repeating that a large portion of the movie lies on Envy, Embarrassment, Ennui, and especially Anxiety, whose roles appear antagonistic. However, you can also tell that the film was written cleverly to remind you that, just like the original five, the new four emotions also want Riley's growth and well-being. It's easy to forget, with all the chaos they end up causing. I appreciate that these new emotions are varied, and that their looks are relevant to their purpose. Focusing on anxiety might help make the film especially important in this day and age.
Though I did greatly enjoy it, something felt... I wouldn't say lesser or lacking. More like I wasn't exactly at this point in my life where this would resonate with me the most. I haven't been a teenager in a long time, though I definitely recognize a lot of the little moments and interactions Riley lives as things I could've done. And I'd lie if I said I wasn't dealing with anxiety too, though some scenes the movie presents in relation to anxiety are surprisingly intense, even for Pixar.
However, Kelsey Mann has been on record saying that he thought of this sequel's story while his own daughter was going through puberty. I feel like this movie will especially resonate with parents going through the same situation, be it with a son or daughter, and who can then use this movie as a jumping point to explain what's going on or, perhaps even, understand it themselves. That's the power of metaphors.
As a result, the film didn't impact me as much as I wish it had, when compared to other entries from Pixar. It may feel like a bit of a disappointment, but at the same time, it further speaks to the sheer level of quality in both animation and writing we've come to expect from them. Honestly? Even with that downside, it's a great movie, and a definite recommendation.
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