For his feature film debut, director Kelsey Mann takes us back inside Riley (Kensington Tallman) with “Inside Out 2” from Pixar and Walt Disney Studios. Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein pen the film’s screenplay from a story conceived by Mann and LeFauve. Two years after Riley’s move to San Francisco, the film picks up and finds her aged 13.
As Riley (Kensington Tallman) prepares to enter high school, her personified emotions — Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith ), Fear (Tony Hale ), Anger (Lewis Black ), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) — continue to oversee her ‘Sense of Self ‘. This newly formed element of Riley’s mind houses memories and feelings that shape her beliefs. However, a new emotion, Anxiety (Maya Hawke), disrupts the familiar dynamics, trying to assert dominance inside Riley’s mind.
Along with “Up,” the original “Inside Out” is arguably one of the strongest films in the Pixar catalog. Thus, a sequel was going to have high expectations. Thankfully, the creatives behind “Inside Out 2″know what made the first film work and, in hindsight, carry those themes over to the sequel with an organic writing style. Given that our heroine is going through puberty, it makes sense that moviegoers get new emotions in the sequel.
In addition to Anxiety, characters representing ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and envy (Ayo Edebiri) manifest in Riley’s mind, destabilizing her emotions and obliterating remnants of her former identity, paving the way for her transition into adolescence. I particularly appreciated a vital aspect of the screenplay: the pivotal moment when Anxiety suppresses the original emotions, coinciding with the protagonist’s attendance at a hockey camp, prompting a transformative process within the protagonist’s psyche.”
One of the most impactful scenes in the film is when Riley is separated from her old friends, leading to the expulsion of the emotions from the initial movie from her psyche. This angle creates tension and drama and fosters significant character development for all the new characters. The voice work in the film is stellar, with each character having their moment to shine.
Kensington Tallman’s portrayal of Riley in the movie is incredibly captivating and relatable to young and older audiences. Her determination to succeed in hockey, the struggle for acceptance from older peers, and the authentic display of teenage angst and defiance toward her mother create a powerful and realistic depiction of adolescent behavior.
“Inside Out 2” is a film with emotional depth and humor. It explores the multifaceted nature of identity and its evolution over time. A third installment should delve into Riley’s experiences as an adult, further addressing the complexities of human development.
Final Grade: A
“Inside Out 2” is in theaters now
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