By Seth Lukas Hynes
Inside Out 2
Starring Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke
Rated PG
4.5/5
As with the first Inside Out from 2015, Inside Out 2 is a vibrant, charming and deeply affecting adventure about being a well-rounded human being.
Inside the head of young teenager Riley (Kensington Tallman), her original team of five emotions, led by Joy (Amy Poehler), is thrown into turmoil by a new gaggle of emotions led by Anxiety (Maya Hawke).
Riley’s personified emotions are still incredibly likeable, and Anxiety, played to neurotic perfection by Hawke, is a prime illustration of the difference between an antagonist and a villain. Anxiety is a disruptive, usurping presence in Riley’s head, but driven by intense care and protectiveness toward Riley; even very young children will understand that Anxiety needs to be stopped but won’t hate her.
The brisk, funny plot draws strong tension from Joy’s quest to restore order to Riley’s mind, interwoven with Riley’s efforts to succeed and gain new friends at a hockey camp. I normally don’t like Macguffins as a dramatic motivator, but Riley’s Sense of Self is a crystal-clear goal with a tangible effect on her as a person.
Both Inside Out and this sequel stress the importance of emotional nuance and accepting the good and bad as formative, but Inside Out 2 has more of a focus on memory than feeling. As with the cast of emotions, Riley’s mind has been expanded with new features and locations (including Riley’s imagination ingeniously portrayed as a kind of cartoon sweatshop), but some of these new visual metaphors feel slightly forced. I also find it a little contrived that Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui (aka Boredom) only appear once Riley begins puberty.
An outstanding sequel that innovates but stays true to its predecessor, Inside Out 2 is playing in most Victorian cinemas.
