‘Inside Out 2’ brings plenty of emotional entertainment for audiences
Category: Movies
When we last saw Riley (Inside Out, 2015) she was settling in nicely to her new environment, thanks to not only her parents, but also five little guys (aka emotions) that help her navigate her life: Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear. Now, in 2024, Riley just turned 13 making her an official teenager, and we all know what that means – puberty!
As Riley’s puberty button is activated, the emotions that have guided her thus far are now joined by four new emotions: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. These new emotions, led by Anxiety, take over controlling Riley’s life and thoughts.
They banish Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear from the control room and start doing their best to remake Riley into a new girl. The film focuses on the initial five emotions doing everything they can to get back to the control room before Anxiety changes the sweet and caring girl into a devious girl only interested in impressing others and making new friends in High School. They succeed, in part, by alienating Riley’s besties Grace and Bree, while she tries to get into the cool group when they are all at summer hockey camp.
Hockey is Riley’s passion and she hopes to get onto the high school team. The team’s captain Valentina befriends her on her first day at camp. Riley, eager to be well-liked in high school, ditches her old friends in favor of some new ones. But this isn’t the Riley we all know and love. Puberty is changing her. Actually, the new emotions led by Anxiety are changing her. Can Joy and the gang get back to the control room before Riley is a completely new girl and can they save the nice person she has always been?
What comes through in this film, for kids as well as adults, is that emotions all work together to make us who we are and we cannot let one emotion rule our lives. The nine emotions finally see that Riley is made up of both good and bad memories and thoughts and keeping her on the straight and narrow is up to her, with a little help from the nine.
Amy Poehler returns to voice Joy, Tony Hale is Fear, Lewis Black is Anger, Liza Lapira is Disgust, Phyllis Smith is Sadness, Maya Hawke is Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri is Envy, Adèle Exarchopoulos is Ennui, and Paul Walter Hauser is Embarrassment. Kensington Tallman is the voice of Riley, the girl trying to manage her conflicting pubescent emotions.
Inside Out 2 is just as enjoyable and entertaining as the original film, and even though the new emotions come into play, adult viewers will realize that they all stick with us throughout our lives and we do with them what we will. Kids will see how inner conflict and effect their lives. But in the end, this is a fun film about one little girl and nine emotions growing and learning from each other.
Inside Out 2 is rated PG for some thematic elements. It opens in theaters June 14, 2024.
And check out the Inside Out 2 merchandise from Disney, mainly the adorable new plush emotions. 
And for an inside look at how the film was created, there’s an “Art Of” book that is filled with images and information.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.