#MovieReview Inside Out 2: Navigating puberty’s emotional maze with heart

Inside Out 2 goes through some of the same growing pains as its subject, but keeps its central message intact.

The film is a sequel to the excellent Inside Out (2015), which drew huge critical acclaim and has proved popular with children and adults alike.

Following up such a hit was always going to be difficult, particularly with the potential for diminishing returns in the novelty of the idea.

The premise of the Inside Out world is that the films follow anthropomorphised emotions inside the head of main character Riley Andersen.

It is not Riley who controls her actions, but instead a group of five emotions that constantly vie to create the best reaction to a given circumstance.

In the first film, the emotions were Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust – all that was needed for a young child in a stable home.

But as Riley hits puberty in Inside Out 2, a flood of new emotions including Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui enter the fray and cause all kinds of trouble.

The central idea of following the emotions remains an ingenious way to teach children about what’s going on in their heads in a digestible way.

Inside Out 2 does occasionally feel overcrowded, however, and some of the decisions Riley makes, as with all those entering puberty, are frustrating to watch at times.

That is intentional, of course, but it means the film loses the veneer of sweetness that Inside Out could coast on while sneaking in some complex ideas.

And returning to the world, even with some neat new inventions, was always going to draw comparisons to the first film.

That is the risk and reward that sequels give you and Inside Out 2 works more often than it fails.

But with extra characters and new ideas on top of the original, I think this may be hard to follow for younger children.

They are given plenty of inventive animation and exciting colours however, so it is worth recommending even if they watch it for the visuals alone.

Rated PG for Language and Violence.

3.5/5.

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