By: Melissa Zhao

In Inside Out 2, Disney Pixar’s animation released last week, new emotions take over Riley’s mind as she starts to grow up and go through puberty. This thrilling, hilarious, but emotional movie is full of decisions to help Riley learn that the right choices in life are not always the easiest ones to make.

Riley prepares herself to start high school and continues to get better at her favorite sport, hockey. On the way to hockey camp with her best friends Bree and Grace, she gets some shocking news that throws her high school plans into turmoil.

Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust are joined by the new emotions Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Boredom. When Anxiety, an orange leader with thick eyebrows and messy hair, manages to pull Riley out of a situation that Joy only made worse, Anxiety deems Joy and her group as emotions that ‘just aren’t mature enough for Riley,’ and they are bottled up.

As Anxiety destroys Riley’s sense of self and only pressures her more to become someone who she isn’t, Riley slowly loses confidence in herself. Meanwhile, Joy and her posse must get back to headquarters and restore Riley’s sense of self before Anxiety destroys everything that Joy and her group worked towards for 13 years.

Both Joy and Anxiety believe that they know how to protect Riley best, as Anxiety wants to prepare Riley for anything that could happen, while joy prioritizes Riley’s current happiness by sending all of Riley’s bad memories to the back of the mind. However, both approaches get Riley into trouble. To truly help Riley, the emotions must find a fair balance and accept Riley as she is.

Following a beautiful and touching first movie, Inside Out 2 is full of emotional and comical moments. It captures the core of drowning in anxiety and pressure, and learning how to get a firm handle on your emotions. Inside Out 2 is a realistic impression of the human emotional center and what, as people grow up, often go through.

It also reveals how, as a person, diversity within emotions is important, and though joy seems to always be the preferred emotion, each feeling has its own special purpose.

This movie is not only relatable to anyone watching it, but it helps people learn new lessons in a long and dangerous journey. Through wavering friendships, a sprinkle of attitude, and difficult choices, audiences loved the second Inside Out. Full of laughs, tears, and eventually, peace, Inside Out 2’s compelling storyline and tear filling moments are enough for any person to walk away with a new understanding of the world around them.

Article Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/movies/inside-out-2-clip.html