“Inside Out 2” is, like a teenager, visibly awkward and definitely worth loving

In 1986, Halley's Comet – the only known short-period comet that the naked eye can detect from Earth – made its final appearance in our inner solar system and will not be seen again until 2061. Bad Pixar movies have a similar frequency. .

The studio that brought us four consecutive Woody and Buzz circuits knows a thing or two about creating a smart, colorful, sweet little film that appeals to both older viewers and its younger target audience; it is proven by Inside Out 2.

Its biggest offense is that the much tighter original version came out in 2015. But nonetheless, a unique message and tried-and-true Pixar polish ensure that this is a sequel with a very strong case for being here.

The film follows the daunting fate of Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger from the first film, who receive a rude awakening one evening when their human, Riley, begins puberty, inadvertently waking up a quartet of new emotions in the control room. . They are Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke, the standout voice among them), Ennui (aka boredom, just to save you a Google), Envy, and Embarrassment. As Riley heads to preschool hockey camp (a weekend event that, for all she knows, will define the rest of her life), Anxiety takes the lead after showing the five OG emotions the door; spot the sweet, bitter, salty and sour taste of becoming a teenager.

Those who fell in love with the magical workings of Riley's mind in the first film will likely find something similar here, but Inside Out 2 in no way does it surpass its predecessor in form or fashion. Both have charming, cartoonish stand-ins for the human psyche, but they feel much less lived-in here in the sequel. We have the feeling, digestible but disappointing, that in his determination to advance from set piece to set piece — in order to show as much imagination as possible — Inside Out 2 diminishes the value of everyone; shortly after Joy and company are bottled up, for example, they are freed by a huge, dark, growling figure who represents Riley's deepest, darkest secret. His presence makes us wonder what that secret could be, but we never find out.

Maybe Riley's deepest secret isn't an important plot point, but by introducing and discarding that detail, Inside Out 2 seems less coherent than it could have been; Attention to detail may be the key to Pixar films, but it becomes counterproductive when ideas don't fit neatly into the whole. Take Ennui and Envy, which do not contribute significantly to emotion dynamics; Ennui is nothing more than blink-and-you'll-miss-it, while Envy effectively exists as a sounding board for anxiety. The weakness of envy is twofold; she deprives herself Inside Out 2 of the opportunity to better characterize Anxiety (seriously, how do you create a character like Anxiety, but then give her someone tangible to interact with?), while preventing any opportunity to Upside down 3 bringing Envy to the forefront – because whatever Envy's problems as a character are in this film, they could be fantastic assets in an entirely different film. Maybe Envy's lack of personality Inside Out 2 it's intentional – if it is, it needs to be looked into, but it's not.

This leads us to Inside Out 2the most resounding success of; its emotionally intelligent messages about anxiety, as perfectly depicted as joy and sadness were in the first film. Hopefully Pixar gives the same treatment to other emotions in future stories.

Anxiety is presented as a false villain, the driving force behind Joy and company's predicament. But the film paces its revelations expertly, and it soon becomes clear that Anxiety is simply trying to protect Riley. Read it again; This delightful children's film clearly shows, in the most direct way possible, that anxiety – that unpleasant emotion that has such a bad reputation – is simply trying to protect you. It's only when it's not considered in moderation with your other emotions that it causes you so much trouble. The gang's collective solution to Riley's runaway wit is about as subtle – and a very good solution to dry eyes in itself.

However Inside Out 2 It’s not okay, know this; the conversations it's able to initiate – in children, adults, and those in that pesky age range in between – are incredibly important. It was true to Upside down, it's still true here, and it's very easy to imagine how it could continue to be true, if Pixar played its cards right; if a studio could make an entertaining movie about boredomit's Pixar, and it would undoubtedly teach an equally valuable lesson about boredom and anxiety here in this film.

Everyone jokes that Pixar starts every premise with “What if Upside down being “What if feelings had feelings?” » It's funny, of course, if only because Pixar productions consistently stick their landing, but it's seriously worth thinking about what the studio has exploited with the Upside down movies here. Stories are rooted in human emotion, the lifeblood of what makes us all so fascinating and beautiful as individuals. Becoming intimate with these literal, personified emotions, in their own story, will do wonders for our personal health. And because Pixar presents emotions in a way that even young children can grasp, that value is literally evergreen.

Like any human being, Inside Out 2 there are many things ; anxious about finishing his plot, fearful about messing with his formula, and perhaps envious of his 9-year-old brother who makes far fewer mistakes. All that, and it’s still just as beautiful; one could even say that he is capable of great joy.