Inside Out 2: A worthwhile sequel!

 

    Hi everybody, it's HeJaWolf (Hector)! Hope you're all doing well, and welcome back to my shenanigans again! For today's topic, I thought I would review the new movie that has recently been released, Inside Out 2, the sequel to first Inside Out movie. The first movie was amazing and one of the best movies that Pixar has put out in recent years, so hearing that Pixar was doing a sequel to this one actually sounded like it had a lot of potential since it's ripe for a good story. And I'm more than happy to report that Inside Out 2 is a wonderful sequel that takes what made the first movie work, which is about exploring the complexity of emotions, and expanding upon it in exciting, creative ways! 

    Set one year after the events of the first movie, the sequel focuses on Riley and trying to adjust herself in a situation regarding her friends and whether or not she's making the right choices. With that struggle, as well as Riley becoming older, it brings in new emotions that throw things off a loop, and potentially could turn Riley's world upside down. Luckily, her original five emotions (Joy, Anger, Sadness, Disgust, and Fear) are there to make sure that Riley doesn't go down the wrong path. 

    From start to finish, the story is engaging as the conflict is perfectly established, it's paced well, all of the characters are given enough personality to stand out, and with any good sequel, it expands on the themes established in the first movie, as well as explore aspects that we haven't seen before in the first movie. The first movie dealt with themes of control and how to express yourself in a healthy manner, and the second movie does continue that theme, but it doesn't feel like a carbon copy of the original as it has enough of an identity of its own, and there's plenty of new, exciting, and creative ideas that flourish in it. Admittedly, I don't think the movie reaches the same emotional highs as the first movie (Remember Bing Bong anyone?), but having said that, the movie still has a lot of heart to it, as when it does reach those emotional scenes, it feels earned and justified, thanks to a well written, tight script, direction, and characters you can get invested in. 

    Speaking of characters, the cast here is incredible! Pretty much everyone from the first movie comes back (albeit with some voice actors replaced), and they all fit into their roles nicely. It was brilliant to see the original five emotions stick around together more than in the first movie as their bond and development is felt more here, and they're given more to do in regard to their roles. As for the new characters introduced, they are welcomed additions to the cast, as they fit in nicely in the world of Inside Out, as well as spice things up. The standout of the new cast is Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke), whose role in it surprised me, but in the best way possible as she plays a massive role and how her arc is handled is beautiful to say the least. The other characters (Embarrassment, Envy, and Ennui), they don't get as much screentime as Anxiety, but when given the opportunity, they shine, and all of the vocal performances are top-notch (Embarrassment being my personal favorite of the new cast due to his shy, but adorable personality). 

    This will come as no surprise, but the animation here is spectacular! The first movie has some amazing visuals, and its sequel doubles down on it as there's so many whacky, colorful imagery that is so imaginative that saying it's impressive is an understatement. The movie is animated with CGI, but there are some other different forms of animation used in it, particularly in a certain sequence that was the highlight of the movie for me, comedy wise, and it was great to see the movie use animation in creative ways to tell the story. Both Inside Out movies have a great balance of style and substance, and I argue that this is one of the best-looking movies that Pixar has ever done, which is by no means any knock on their previous work (Incredibles is a masterpiece in every way imaginable), but Inside Out really showcases their hard work and talent quite well. 

    In regard to other aspects of the movie, the score by Andrea Datzman fits the movie nicely. It's not Pixar's best score, but it's still an enjoyable score that has some strong pieces of music, especially this piece of music that plays early on that got to me emotionally. While the movie has a lot of emotional highs, the movie also delivers on the humor as there's a lot of funny moments and elements that enhance the movie, thanks to the writing being witty, charming, and relatable. 

    Overall, Inside Out 2 is phenomenal! It does everything that a good sequel should do and proves that Pixar is still more than capable of producing great movies! The story is engaging, has a great message for both the kids and adults, it's visually gorgeous, has a lot of great humor, and it does a brilliant job on building upon a solid foundation that the first Inside Out movie established! I cannot remind Inside Out 2 enough, and if you love the first movie, you will definitely love this one! When your biggest complaint is that you wanted to see more, then it's safe to say the movie is amazing! Bring on Inside Out 3 please!!! 

Inside Out 2 (2024) - IMDb