Inside Out 2 Movie Review: Pixar Adds New Teen Emotions to Coming-of-Age Sequel

3.5/5 stars

Now it's time for round two. Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman) is 13 years old and about to be gripped by a whole new set of emotions as adolescence hits her like the proverbial avalanche of bricks.

Inside, trying to steer her personality, is the eternally optimistic Joy (Amy Poehler), with help from Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira). ).

Joy is packing up some of Riley's less pleasant memories when a group of workers burst into their HQ, fiddling with orders and erecting a sign: Puberty is Mess. This is of course the natural step for Inside Out 2 – taking Riley through this most awkward stage of coming-of-age.

Within seconds, orange-colored Anxiety (Maya Hawke) appears, flanked by Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and, amusingly, Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a Gallic figure who simply expresses the boredom and disdain.

Together, they want to change Riley's self-esteem – which soon means she abandons her old friends and tries to join the cool kids at the ice hockey camp she's attending.

Being Pixar, the joy – excuse the pun – is in the details. As emotions course through Riley's insides, a huge and volatile throat – “Sar-Chasm” – opens as Riley begins to act sarcastic to impress her new friends.

They also arrive at “Mount Crushmore”, a rock monument dedicated to all of Riley's secret crushes. Not to be outdone with the puns, Hawke's anguished character calms down with a nice cup of “Anxi-Tea.”

Debutant director Kelsey Mann does a solid job replicating the intelligence of the first film, even if the innovation and originality aren't quite there the second time around.

Riley's attempts to ingratiate himself with his new hockey buddies aren't very exciting either – a better story could have been found. The only spectacular rash might be the permanently placed spot on Riley's chin.

That said, the new emotions, notably Anxiety, bring a real flavor to the film, while there are some nice nods to old-school animation – including one Final Fantasy-like a game character that Riley had a crush on.

Without a doubt Inside Out 2 plays well for adults and children. It just doesn't touch the genius of its predecessor.