Inside Out 2 is a hilarious roller coaster ride through the mind of a teenager

On Sunday, I went to see Pixar’s Inside Out 2 at the Cinemark East Bay. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen with a brilliant screenplay written by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, it promises to be delicious! It was almost 100 degrees out and escaping into the air-conditioned theater with reclining seats was a treat. As the movie began, we dove into our bucket of popcorn with the sweet anticipation of seeing the dream team from Pixar’s 2015 hit Inside Out again. My daughter had warned me to expect new thrills!

Entering the bustling mindscape of young, now-teenage Riley, we were happy to see that she had made two friends. The trio had been selected for a hockey camp by their high school coach, and we settled into our seats for a little fun. However, “Inside Out 2” didn’t go smoothly. Riley’s weekend getaway was disrupted by the appearance of a small pimple and a not-so-insignificant tsunami of puberty. Directed by Kelsey Mann, this animated coming-of-age film is an emotional rollercoaster, creating a frantic tug-of-war between established core emotions and confusing new ones. This wave of unfamiliar feelings causes Riley to become a stranger to herself, her friends, her teachers, and her parents.

Plot

Two years after arriving in San Francisco, Riley, now 13, is about to enter high school. With a newly decorated element called “Sense of Self” to manage, her core emotions—Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust—have their work cut out for them. But just when you think things couldn’t get any crazier, a “puberty alarm” goes off, forcing the exhausted mind workers to accidentally upgrade her emotion console. This leads to the entry of new emotions: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Boredom. Chaos ensues!

The new emotions immediately shake things up. Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, is the star of the show, a frenetic, puppet-like character with big, bulging eyes, a bright smile, and a fountain of curly orange hair. She’s determined to make Riley fit in and succeed. Her intentions are good, but the results are not, with a little too much fervor fueled by endless rounds of caffeinated drinks. Sweet-faced, twinkling-eyed Joy wants Riley to have fun at ice hockey camp, but Anxiety insists on turning Riley into a hyper-competitive wannabe. Wanting to fit in with the cool kids, score all the goals, and be included in every conversation, Riley adopts a red streak in her hair and a mean attitude to boot. The ensuing battle of the senses is hilarious but also sadly tied to the turbulent teenage years, much to the dismay of those around her.

It was heartbreaking to watch anxiety push Riley's sense of identity of “being a good person” to the back of her mind while turning the console into a stress-fueled ride.

Emotional chaos

Anxiety's efforts to “help” Riley by pushing her to fit in with the popular crowd, especially hockey star Val Ortiz, lead to a series of misadventures. When Anxiety traps old emotions and starts running the show with her new friends, it's a riot. Watching Joy, Sadness, and Anger's painstaking efforts to plan their escape from the memory vault is like watching a group of trusted babysitters save their ward from a Godzilla by any means necessary.

The scene where Riley, under the influence of Anxiety, sneaks into Coach Roberts' office, only to have an epic meltdown, is well-crafted and reminds viewers of all the times in their teenage years when they nearly crossed the line between good and evil. And just when you thought it couldn't get any crazier, Anxiety, in a fit of panic, invades the console during a crucial game, sending Riley into a full-blown panic attack. The frantic whirlwind of Anxiety trying to control Riley is like watching a hyperactive puppy after drinking a thousand espressos.

I loved the millions of projections, Riley's mind spinning, the ideas that burst out of her mind in a whirlwind of thoughts, and the literal stream of consciousness where emotions rise and fall on slices of cheese pizza or a boat of broccoli. Joy's idea of ​​not giving up and choosing Sadness to save Riley's sense of self was a great ploy. No one would have thought Sadness was so over-informed and meticulous, but then again, sadness is joy turned inside out. Anger is quite hilarious with her new friend “Pouchy”, and Embarrassment, who blushes at the slightest provocation, is endearing.

Joy (Amy Poehler) and her team's struggle to regain control and restore balance is both heartwarming and hysterical. The avalanche of crystal balls filled with bad memories that they trigger to return to HQ is a brilliant moment of farce. Watching them return to the console with a flood of embarrassing and awkward memories is a delicious reminder of the charm of the first film. They are almost plunged into a deep doldrums before being saved by Fear's parachute. I smiled when I saw this. It's okay to be a little afraid to avoid failure.

A new sense of self

The emotional climax, where joy and anxiety finally make peace, is as touching as it is funny. Joy's realization that a new, more complex sense of self can only be formed by embracing both positive and negative experiences is a poignant reminder that growing up means embracing every part of ourselves, even the anxious, envious, annoying, and embarrassing parts.

Inside Out 2 is a hilarious journey through the mind of a teenage girl. With Anxiety leading the way, the film captures the hilarity and heartbreak of adolescence in a way that only Pixar can. The tension of Riley's emotions, both old and new, is sometimes difficult to watch, but the message that Inside Out 2 has to offer makes it a must-see for fans of the first film and newcomers alike. Whether you laugh at Anxiety's over-the-top attempts to “improve” Riley or applaud Joy and her team's efforts to restore her to sanity, Inside Out 2 is a delightful exploration of the emotional chaos that is growing up.

While the first “Inside Out” will remain my all-time favorite, “Inside Out 2” is a heartwarming sequel that proves that sometimes the best way to deal with life’s ups and downs is with a good laugh. By the way, there are plenty of memes of Anxiety’s character on Instagram and I’m sure there are more in the works!