‘Inside Out 2' reviews: Disney sequel ‘clears the head and warms the heart,' living up to Oscar-winning original

14/06/2024

On June 14, 2024, Walt Disney Studios and Pixar released “Inside Out 2” nationwide. The animated movie dives into the mind of newly minted teenager Riley, where her Emotions Anger (voice of Lewis Black), Fear (voice of Tony Hale), Joy (voice of Amy Poehler), Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith) and Disgust (voice of Liza Lapira) must make room for new Emotions, including Envy (voice of Ayo Edebiri), Anxiety (voice of Maya Hawke) and Embarrassment (voice of Paul Walter Hauser). “Inside Out 2” is directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen.

Just like the movie’s Oscar-winning predecessor from 2015, critics are loving this sequel — it’s holding fresh at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus reads, “Spicing things up with the wrinkle of teenage angst, ‘Inside Out 2’ clears the head and warms the heart by living up to its predecessor’s emotional intelligence.” Read our full review round-up below.

SEE ‘Inside Out 2' trailer reveals Maya Hawke as Anxiety, plus voice cast replacements for Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader [Watch]

David Fear of Rolling Stone praises the film, stating, "When ‘Inside Out’ went the extra step of giving us a literalized emotional terrain and rendering everything with such a heart-rending wallop, it lifted the bar that much higher. ‘Inside Out 2’ makes good on that film's promise by making good on it's next-step premise. That first one viewed sadness as necessary for a child's well-rounded mindset. The teen years, however, require the integration of a vast variety of negative emotions working with positive ones and attempting the most precarious of balances. This sequel knows that when you leave childish things behind, you risk leaving key parts of the child's personality and personal growth as well. It also recognizes that young adulthood is a different game altogether. Anxiety will soon be a fact of life. But, as ‘IO2’ reminds you, it can also be tamed."

Barry Hertz of Globe and Mail was less impressed, stating, "This is not the innovative, cutting-edge filmmaking that Pixar built its name on. What was once the product of pure imagination feels reduced to brand obligation."

SEE Box office preview: ‘Inside Out 2’ hopes to replicate success of Oscar-winning original

Jordan Hoffman of Entertainment Weekly says, "Despite the xeroxed nature of the movie’s central themes, it’s still some weighty stuff for a kid’s film, which has its positives and negatives." Concluding, "When our heroes ride a literal Stream of Consciousness, I have to be honest - I was reminded of seeing the same gag in one of the worst and most cravenly cash-grabbing kiddie flicks of recent years, ‘The Emoji Movie.’ Other obstacles feel a little cheap, too, like dodging lightbulb-shaped ideas in a ‘brainstorm.’ A better pun comes when Ennui psychologically alters Riley’s mind, creating a "sar-chasm" (visualized as canyons) in her personality - high five to screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein for that one."

Cody Dericks of Next Best Picture writes, "The film's greatest strengths are almost entirely overshadowed by similar positive attributes found in ‘Inside Out,’ namely its humorous creativity and recognition of the importance of complex emotions to form a fully rounded human." Adding, "The returning voice cast delivers reliably decent performances, with the film again centering around Poehler's plucky character whose positivity, remarkably, never grates. Hale and Lapira replace two actors from the first film – Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling, respectively – and the change isn't intrusive at all. Of the new emotions, Edebiri is the best, adding one more job well done to her current superstar run."

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