Cinema for Brunch INSIDE OUT 2 Review

“Inside Out 2” is the perfect pivot plan for Pixar, delivering a winning sequel with heart, great character development and terrific emotional stakes.

Synopsis

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.

Review
Can lightening really be caught in a bottle twice? With Pixar, the answer to that question is more times “yes” than it is “no” (see “Toy Story” 2-4 and “Finding Dory” for strong examples). In the aftermath of 2023’s underwhelming but gorgeous “Elemental”, it’s no secret that Pixar needed a pivot plan to put themselves back as the head honcho of “family-friendly animation with depth”. So what do you do when your back is against the wall and you need to come back out on top? Replicate what worked before. In other words, a sequel. “Inside Out 2” is the newest pivot plan for the beloved animation studio to put themselves back at the top of the food chain. In this second installment, we jump back into the mind of Riley (Kensington Tallman, replacing Kaitlyn Dias from the first film), now a young teenager, as the emotions Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale, replacing Bill Hader) and Disgust (Liza Lapira, replacing Mindy Kaling) deal with company in the form of brand-new emotions. Returning to the world of “Inside Out” is a shrewd move on Pixar’s part. Not just because it capitalizes on the success of its 2015 predecessor but because the machinations of the “Inside Out” universe is peak Pixar magic. For a studio that has thrived on turning the unlikeliest of subjects (a toy, a bug, a car, a fish, a soul) into characters with real emotions and depth, having characters that are emotions themselves is pure brilliance. Emotion, not just as a feeling but as a character itself is just the tip of what makes this film a great bounce-back plan for Pixar.

Building on what makes a Pixar film great, “Inside Out 2” focuses on a great secret ingredient: small-scale action paired with huge emotional stakes. Amongst these stakes, the chemistry among the emotion(al) characters has not skipped a beat, even with new additions. As Riley matures into a young woman, new emotions Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri) Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos, a great inspired casting choice) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) jump aboard ship to take over Riley’s mind, coming into conflict with the original crew led by Joy. As Team Anxiety and Team Joy clash for control and Riley’s sense-of-self hangs in the balance, the film knows how to scale back in reality and remind us that all of this is happening in the course of a few days or a week in human time. This terrific juxtaposition proves why the “small scale/emotional stakes” dynamic works for a great Pixar plot. The magic is in the character development and, of course, in the emotion. As to the former, Amy Poehler is terrific as Joy, guiding the audience through every high and low she experiences on her Hero Journey, trying her best to keep Riley the best Riley she can be. Maya Hawke plays the perfect foil, her neurotic, overthinking inflections contrasts well with Poehler’s suffocating optimism. Along with the great character dynamics, there are emotional puns galore in this film paired with hilarious visual gags, echoing pieces of pop culture like “Dora the Explorer” or “Final Fantasy”. Directed by Kelsey Mann (taking over from Pete Doctor) and co-written by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, there is no doubt in the sharp comedic writing that forms this sure-to-be hit.

In light of Pixar’s recent decision to have a major focus on sequels and reboots, “Inside Out 2” may initially seem like a cash grab that nobody asked for. That, in some ways, is true. “Inside Out 2” is a film that is frankly unnecessary. The first film did what needed to be done and said what it needed to say. If the sequel was never made, the original would still be a classic and the world would continue spinning. But, because it exists and because it’s a fine sequel, (and trust me, I cringe as I write this), maybe it’s not the worst idea for Pixar to mainly focus on existing IP and not fix what isn’t broken. Now, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t still like to see original films like “Luca”, “Soul” and (even though it wasn’t my favorite) “Elemental”, but I understand that this is still Show BUSINESS and the business needs to make sense (cents). That being said, “Inside Out 2” is a good step in the right direction for Pixar and stands as a representation of promising things to come.

Closing Thoughts
“Inside Out 2” is a crowd-pleasing sequel that builds off the success and character of the original. New characters, new stakes and trademark Pixar character development give this sequel the winning formula it needs to bring Pixar back to the conversation of great animation. Whether this will snag all the accolades for “Best Animation Feature” is still up in the air but for a studio that has been looking for a pivot plan for the past few years or so, sticking to existing IP and what they know best may prove to be a solid strategy for the upcoming years.

Trailer