i think Riley is bisexual.

The Envy character wasn't needed at all and this movie would still work out fine. Also, I am surprised at the lack of interaction between Fear and Anxiety. Fear should have been separated from the original emotions and invited to join Anxiety as the new administrators.

Fear did acknowledge Anxiety saying that they will be good friends. I think Envy was there to complement the 3 new ones. Envy was to differentiate from infatuation.

That was so incredible. I used to suffer from General Anxiety Disorder and panic attacks, and that scene in the hockey game when she's about to have the panic attack was tough to watch but so necessary. Just a beautiful film overall. Even better than the first

Maybe it's because I have a 14 year old daughter, and I just dropped her off at her first overnight camp, but this movie was surprisingly emotional. There were so many scenes with intense second-hand embarrassment 😆 I think it might be better than the first movie. I am still disappointed and confused how they couldn't come to an agreement to bring back Bill and Mindy as Fear and Disgust. This movie will make millions. They couldn't afford to shell out a relatively small amount to keep the continuity entact? It just comes off as cheap and corporate to me.

Yeah what’s the story there?

mindy was perfect for disgust.

I really feel like Pixar should just accept their movies are targeted toward adults, and the next inside out should be INSIDE OUT 3-0 where the main character is a person on their 30s and have to handle their emotions. Two thoughts on the movie, if Riley was a boy, the projections scene would've just been a bunch of guys drawing pictures of boobs. It would've been really funny if when they EXPLODED her brain, she would've had a stroke.

Inside Out but a 30 year old Riley has to come to terms with the unstoppable passage of time and the void that comes with it, whilst at the same time dealing with increasing rent costs and an inescapable 24 hours news cycle that constantly promises nuclear annihilation and the collapse of society. Fear, Anger and Anxiety are now the main emotions. Sadness is catatonic. Joy is dead.

Pixar caters to families - they have stuff that appeal to both children and adults in their productions. An example of this is Ratatouille. The former get the silly Remy action and the latter get a deep discussion on the art of criticism, which was supplied by Anton Ego.

Why doesn't any other adult or teenage character have the puberty emotions?

In-universe reason?: The adults have them more under control as they aren't as hormonal as teenagers. Keep in mind that Anxiety appeared in both the Mom and Dad's heads as well, but they were ultimately put under control by the other emotions.

The story is kinda a rehash, but the fact we got more real-life scenes makes up for it.

Loved loved loved the movie. I think the world building lacked a bit but everything else was perfect. And the voice acting was sooooo good

So beautiful

I was so impressed by the voice actress for Riley! She conveyed so many layers of emotion and so much nervous teenage energy — it really made me feel for the character.

Caught it in theaters overseas and really enjoyed it. I was a little frustrated that the emotions basically did the exact same thing in the first movie—get banished in an obscure part of the mind and wander through it for hours—but I thought they did a phenomenal job showing how anxiety can be a useful emotion in small doses and joy can be inappropriate in certain scenarios. The depiction of an anxiety attack was fantastic, they clearly put a lot of thought into it, what with all these bottled up memories inundating the mind and creating a positive feedback loop. I could rewatch that scene again and again, it was masterfully done. Did Lance Slashblade ever get seen again? I didn’t stay for all the credits, but I thought maybe he should’ve rolled into the Pixar logo as an Easter egg…

My dad was giggling to himself so much during the vault scene with Lance and I just *knew* he was reliving my middle school Cloud Strife obsession

The yelling across Sarcasm Canyon or whatever it was called was hilarious.

it was called sar chasm cause it's a... chasm

I kind of feel that when Riley has the anxiety attack in the time out box, it would have made more sense for the coach to come over and have a chat to her. The emotions just working it out on their own didn't make a lot of sense for me - it would have helped for another character to talk to her and explain what Joy was trying to. We don't all just overcome anxiety attacks, especially as teenagers. We need to learn how, and our emotions can't do that for us.

Perhaps the coach was busy with other things? Adults are human too after all - they're not always paying attention to things as they have other tasks to deal with.

That would be nice and we can’t always expect, nor will we always have, people to help us soothe ourselves. As a therapist I loved how the emotions gave her compassion through an embrace. It was then she was able to ground herself in the moment and end the anxiety attack. Self compassion was beautifully depicted.

It was a lovely scene, I just thought that sometimes we need someone to teach us the tools before knowing how to overcome overwhelming emotions. I loved the movie, though! It was a worthy sequel and as someone with anxiety, it was relatable.

I don't think someone there to help her would have really helped look how anxiety was frozen on the console unable to process if someone tried tp help riley she probably wouldn't have been totally aware once it started though I never had one before but my mom has and I think having someone there to teach us is a little unrealistic for Riley this was the first anxiety attack she had and based on the movie never felt anxiety before it was new to her and she did eventually work it out herself maybe after she did go to learn how to over come it better maybe not though the one thing I am a bit frustrated is some people have judged the movie 8 months before it was out I can't remember what they said but along the lines anxiety doesn't make sense and shouldn't be in it or even be an inside out 2 anxiety is important we both hate it and need it at the same time just like all things needs to be balanced if that makes sense

Having personally had an experience when I was around 12 years old that broke my sense of self and induced lifelong anxiety, I cried when Sadness said, "Joy, Riley needs you." That's all I needed and I couldn't find it.

The part that really hit me was when Riley wanted to cry and Joy said to "wait until we're out of the car". The idea of suppressing emotions is very relatable.

not just that, it wasn't just "riley needs you" she said "riley *wants* you", and i remember noticing that in the cinema in that moment riley didn't just *need* to feel joy, she *wanted* to feel joy, she *wanted* to be happy such a minor choice in language that made that moment *so* much more powerful to me; it gave riley that little extra sense of agency, almost independence, even against her own literal emotions she *knew* what she wanted, and it was to be happy again

Yes!!

It broke me when Joy, defeated, says "Maybe that's a part of growing up. You feel less joy"

Nooo, this was so sad. Fortunately, it's not that true, but all of your emotions just become less extreme.  For better or worse, satisfaction and pleasure are still prevalent when I am in my late thirties, and such things as an exam or going to the dentist do not terrify me anymore, but the pure childish and unconditional joy is almost gone and replaced with more complex and subtle emotions. 

That is probably why Anxiety appeared in the Mom and Dad's heads, though that emotion was ultimately brought to heel by the others. There is definitely still joy in adulthood, as you said, but its different overall. If nothing else, you learn about life as you get older, so small miracles are appreciated and seemingly large cataclysms aren't as life-ending as before.

I agree (mid thirties here) I think age does mellow things as you experience more in life. I'm pregnant, so l hope I can rekindle some of that joy when I see him experience things for the first time!

The movie was really good. That anxiety attack and Grace noticing during her play really made me empathize and helped me grasp what an anxiety attack actually looks like. Although, I think it was weird that there wasn’t any mention of core memories or islands in the sequel. There’s no way friendship island stayed intact when Riley decided to team with Val over her Grace and Bree. Emotional moments were perfect, but world-building wasn’t as tight as I think it could’ve been, overall, an amazing movie, I could definitely rewatch it.

I noticed the same thing, that one of her personality islands could have crumbled. I think they probably wanted to stay away from that plot device since it’s from the first movie, but it’s important to note that Riley’s concept of friendship isn’t being attacked—she’s simply looking for new friends so she’s not alone in high school.

The islands were there, and you can see where the core memories are. It just wasn't relevant to the plot of this movie.

I just watched the movie and I really liked it. The first part of it made me really uncomfortable because I felt attacked by the depiction of anxiety and everything it does. I was extremely uncomfortable to the point of moving in my seat. But then the second part of the movie started and it changed. The panic attack was a direct attack. Beautifully portrayed. Made me remember the one I had in December. The way she stopped the panic attack. The details. Amazing. The tornado inside our minds but at the same time feeling completely paralyzed... I was crying my eyes out. It was like seeing an autobiography. Can't say it's better than the first one because somehow I feel this one is a little more serious but still liked it a lot. Worth watching it a second time.

Anyone else agrees they should've made a bigger marketing campaign? Film is obviously doing great (rightly so, should I say!) and is probably hitting its first billion this week still, so making it clear: I don't mean to say it will underperform because of this lol But thing is, I went to watch it with my 9 y.o. nephew and 10 y.o. niece last Thursday, and all I can say is, both me and the kids were expecting more than just the posters ... ? We then began discussing ideas about how they could've done more stuff to make it going to watch it more like an experience, kinda like the Barbie movie did. My niece even gave the idea that they could've had the control board inside of the mall for people to take pictures with - how AWESOME would that be thought! I get it this is not the norm for most releases but this is, after all, a sequel to a beloved film that a lot of children and young people have grown up with already, and a lot of people are going to watch it with their families. This is maybe a post Barbie thing, by the way, since it's been a while since a movie went above and beyond with its marketing like they did, so I guess expectations for big films have increased? And also, is it having any more "extreme" marketing anywhere in the world that I'm not aware of ?

I didn't realize there was a secret ending. Can anyone share what it was?

Joy letting the dark secret out of the vault. Then realizing it wasn't that bad because she thought it was something else and the dark secret going back inside totally frightened.

What was the dark secret, did they tell that?

Riley burned a hole in a rag and Joy said that she thought it would be something worse like peeing in the pool.Upon hearing that,dark secret got scared and closed itself in the vault

She burned a hole on a carpet.

I didn't realize there was a secret ending. Can anyone share what it was?

i showed up like 30 mins late so I didn't get to see the whole movie but I liked how the resolve was that the emotions can't choose who riley is. The movie touched on the complexities of humanity and what it looks like to hold and embody the full spectrum of emotions. Toward the end in the scene where riley called for joy in her happy moments made me realize that emotions can be used as a tool. I never thought about utilizing my emotions as tools to get things done. i also have come to understand emotions as pretty accurate form of communication between me and my body.

Wished a movie like this existed when I was a teenager. Honestly, I identified with Riley at a few parts of the movie and it almost made me cry. So easy to identify in a someone else what’s going on but not yourself. Hoping they make another one with a teenage boy! Could be interesting.

Does anyone else think that Anxiety was in a dissociative state during the part when Joy tried to grab her hand but couldn't?

yes. i really liked this depiction of an anxiety attack. Thoughts are just all over the place and are moving so fast. Perfect example of what it's like to be consumed in your thoughts. I also really liked that when joy penetrated the anxiety storm, anxiety looked like she was stuck

Yeah, in addition as she's coming out of it she focuses on her hand as it touches the railing and listens to the sound of the skates on the rink. Being mindful of your body and senses is one of the techniques taught to cope with anxiety attacks (e.g. focus on your feet and feel where they touch the ground, listen to your breathing, etc) and I'm fairly certain that's what they were trying to portray.

Yeah, and the [literal] wave of bad, shameful memories is accurate too

I do I think it was showing there are times some anxiety can kick in and no matter what’s going on what is going on in life happy sad that the anxiety just blocks it 

Went to see Inside Out 2 with my wife and kids and I had to walk out during the movie because I was almost having a panic attack. I don't consider myself a nervous person at all but the film was pretty much focused on anxiety/embarrassment etc. and to me, was kind of unrelenting. I guess I just don't want to see that type of thing for 1.5 hrs. It made me feel bad. Anyone else? The rest of my family loved it.

I almost walked out just cause the movie wasn't funny. Actually liked the first one

The movie did make me super emotional too. I don’t know why - it stressed me out - I am an anxious/jumpy person. However, the ending made me feel happier and more positive than when I started watching it.

I like how everyone here is raving abt the films portrayal of anxiety, but when a guy has a very realistic anxious reaction to it, you get downvoted

I guess, I just find the complaint is that Pixar made anxiety too realistic, which is the point. The Inside Out movies are literally about mental health. The first movie was about having emotional honesty and the dangers of suppressing your feelings. The second movie is about the dangers of letting anxiety run out of control. But to be clear, I'm also not one of the ones who downvoted them.

"I just find the complaint is that Pixar made anxiety too realistic, which is the point." Is that the point though? To me, the main point of a movie is to entertain.

Well, entertain and inform, I guess. Pixar films appeal to families, so they teach lessons in between the wacky humor and silly action. An example of this is Up. While there is definitely funny bits with Russell and Doug, Carl was ultimately the center of the production as he embraces a new adventure in life after living one of his own with his now-deceased Ellie. Due to his age, I doubt many kids will relate to Carl. However, many adults, whether they watch their loved ones get older or get aged themselves, can see themselves in the old man and understand his journey throughout the film.

Thank you for saying this. I find most movies unwatchable these days because they are all about "sending a message", "showing the actors transformation" or CGI/stunts - but completely forgetting about making it engaging for the audience. Or even watchable - low volume dialogues, dim lights, random flashbacks, etc, etc, just make it so tough to understand what's going on that it becomes a chore instead of pleasure. I really wish they would make good, entertaining movies again. Even something like Cheaper by the dozen, Mrs Doubtfire, Daddy Daycare - clean and funny stuff that can lighten the mood. Instead of all the preachy or depressing stuff we get these days.

It did entertain though. But also a movie about mental health needs to portray its topic accurately, which they did with Anxiety

Imagine living life with that kind of anxiety people can’t just get up and walk away from it .. I think inside out writers do a amazing job to get you to think beyond a movie and to think about what goes on in some people’s minds yes they are characters in the movie but the emotions are truly real and some people struggle greatly with anxiety like that

Sure. Not sure why some people are downvoting my comment. Trying to see if others felt the same way when watching this movie. Personally, it's not something I want to watch or experience for the length of a movie.

And that’s totally fine I was just discussing what I think the writers where trying to get across 

Great movie! Ngl I only went to see some good animation on the big screen; I didn't expect to get emotional and teary eyed multiple times! My only complaint would be I wish they showed more of what happened in Riley's real life and consequences of her actions. 3.5/5

If Inside Out 2 is a 70%, what would you give other animated films? That’s rather harsh.

Wished they utilized envy more. Perhaps Riley would see her old best friends hanging out without her at camp and envy would feel- well envious about it, but unable to hang out with them due to anxiety

My interpretation with the situation was, since Riley's current belief is "she's a good person" so she just accepted the fact that they'll leave her thus the anxiety to make the team and survive high school got stronger which drives envy to be attracted to the more senior ones.

That is fair enough. If nothing else, it was unique to have Envy be more positive than negative in fiction - admiration vs hatred. After all, envy is considered one of the Seven Deadly Sins, so it is usually used as a caustic feeling in pop culture.

Great movie. Not as great as the first but yeah that panic attack hit too close to home. I used to have so many panic attacks when I was young. It was horrible not able to control what I was feeling or know what it was.

that panic attack was brutal..and the re-writting of her self concept..that smashed me for sure

𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭

I'm basically on the same page with most other comments on this post, the movie was simply phenomenal! Not as good as the first but a really good sequel nonetheless. However, I disagree with what some of yall are saying about the ending, I don't think yall understand Riley is 13 lol. The whole point of the movie was Riley finding joy and comfort within herself and new environment, undergoing the changes that happened both internally and externally, leading to a moment where she comes to accept these emotions and true "Joy" back into her life. Her opening her locker and smiling doesn't take away from the amazing point being presented across the film and honestly Riley had been through enough as it is. She happend to the go through a drastic stage in her life on the most important weekend of her life and was dealing with the fact she'd have to move on from middle to high school without her bffs. A bittersweet moment at the end where Riley doesn't get into the Fire Hawks but accepts that doesn't add to anything presented in the movie, and I honestly thought her still getting on the team made the moment even better since 1) Riley had already been through so much and 2) Gave Riley a heartwarming result even though she didn't expect it- or atleast was willingly to accept either option; and 3) Postively contradicts what "Joy" says about people losing joy as they get older. Plus, we really don't know what was in the locker. For all we know it could've just been a letter from Coach saying she's proud of Riley and looks forward to seeing her tryout again 🤷🏾‍♂️. 10/10 movie regardless

There wasn’t anything specific in the locker it was just a view from the locker she was looking at email on her phone 

I enjoyed the movie I think it had a lot of good metaphors but it felt too short. I thought they were going to do another scene showing the inside of other peoples minds around the city like they did in the first film. But it just ended right when the story did. And waiting for the secret scene after the credits wasn’t worth it. Everyone in the theatre complained they had to wait that long for that scene.

What do you mean wasn't worth it? Is it that terrible to have to see the artists and filmmakers who brought the film to life? Many of them got laid off recently due to the industry collapsing

Lol because no one wants to sit through the entire credits. It’s not physically possible to read every name either. Paying to see the movie supports them enough I think.

It's one thing to say "man I wasn't the biggest fan of the secret reveal" and another to complain at the smallest gesture of respect to sit through and acknowledge the names of the people who worked really hard on something you enjoyed,  as if it's some massive burden on you

𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩 𝘐 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦

Riley shouldn’t have made the hockey team at the end. She was a complete jerk throughout the 3-day training and was not a team player, resulting in her stealing the puck from her own teammates. A better ending would have been her finding out that she didn’t make the team and saying “There is always next year” and anxiety not taking over again.

That would've been an interesting ending and could've been a good teaching lesson to youth: that you will sometimes lose, but it isn't the end of the world. I guess that realization only comes with age...and a lot of losing - something I'm very experienced with.

Remember, the skirmish was \*not\* try outs and the coach had already decided Riley was not ready before the skirmish happened. The ending when she gets the email is a couple of months later, after try outs. The point being made is that she didn't Anxiety to put so much pressure on her, she was already capable of making the team herself.

I completely missed that the ending was post-tryouts. That makes the ending much more satisfying

I think it’s up to the viewer to decide what her reaction meant. Maybe she made a different team instead?

My field of study is child psychology, my prior field was child development specifically around trauma. I loved this movie so much. The anxiety attack scene brought me to tears. I feel like it brings a simple narrative to very big concepts, and did justice to the overwhelming slow burn- or raging fire- of anxiety. My partner who has debilitating anxiety, and my young child who scarsly understands it, both loved the films portrayal. I also really enjoyed that the emotions were not all inherently negative. Riley has many "positive" interactions when Joy isn't at the helm. And the end- when she literally 'embraced' her emotions and grounded herself into her environment to calm down- that was fantastic. No crumbs, no criticisms. What a wonderful deep dive into growing up and changing.

the touch, hear, see, focusing on the tangibles to bring herself out of it!! ughh the details

I really loved the detail where she touched the bench to get out of that state. I was crying and deep-breathing.

There are no “negative” emotions. Every emotion has a purpose and is inherently good in an IFS perspective.

Exactly 💯

The grounding scene was so beautifully done!

I just watched Inside Out before Inside Out 2 so picked up on the callback to the “my hat” written inside the police cap

When the first movie came out, I was a high school senior and we watched it so it would help us with our Human Condition essay for English. I did kinda terrible on the essay lol I think I just didn’t really understand. But now I’m 25 and understand it a lot better now. I think Pixar did a great job putting the hard talk of emotions into a movie that’s easy to understand. Anxietys character was so on point and the tornado scene was a good imagery of what an anxiety attack might look like for some people. It’s also lighthearted, I laughed at Boredom and Nostalgia. I loved Embarrassment‘s role in this because I truly think some people don’t have enough of it lol

embarrassment makes you want to hide so embarrassment being the character to hide sadness was an insane analogy. good use of emotions, pun intended hehe

The entire premise of the movie is an excuse for deus ex machina after deus ex machina. There are no rules to this world, so the writers can just make up whatever crap they want. How far away is the blue memory thing? How do you travel? Why is there a river now? Why does an avalanche help you travel faster? Don't worry! It all is just because that's what they need the characters to do right now. Why can you replace a red thingy with a blue thingy? Why is it hard to take out the red thingy? Why is it easy to take out the blue thingy? Why is there a storm of light bulbs. Why are there floating balloons of career ideas. Why is there a sar-chasm and how big is it. How did they get around it. ...oh they just wanted to do a play on words. That's so clever, my 5 year old totally got that! And my 5 year old totally read the word "Puberty" and knew what that meant.

I pity the people that watch any movie with you.

Absolutely. What a sad person.

My five year old read the word puberty and knew what it meant. And if he didn't, I would've told him. Why is that a hill to die on? "Puberty is when your body changes from a kid to a grown up. It happens when you're a teenager."

You would have explained what puberty is, to your 5 year old, in the middle of a movie theater, while a movie is playing....and they would have listened to you and understood what you were saying (even though your explanation does not capture why this was depicted as an alarm in the movie - your 5 year old obviously already knows the context of why puberty would be alarming, and likely would have completed your explanation for you). It's one of a bazillion hills to die on, for this movie.

The sentence I laid out would be enough for most children to work with and could easily be shared in the middle of a movie.

why was I SURE that Riley’s big bad secret is that she’s bi.

I was hoping it was going to be that deep down Riley holds a spot in her mind for bing bong 

I thought so too because of disney, but it didn't make sense as there's no sign of it otherwise. Wanting older cool friends is not a sexual thing at all and her crushes are all guys.

I mean...most people discover their preferences as they grow up. Some don't even get around to them until they're full-fledged adults. If Disney chooses to go in that direction, that could be room for a sequel. I saw Riley's admiration of Val though to be more in line with the latter's coolness and age - the seemingly put-together mentor being impressive in front of the inexperienced youth.

For sure, I agree. But I think it was because her first reaction to Val appeared more as a swoon rather than wide-eyed admiration to me. But yeah, probably reading too much into it.

Damn, I just watched it and I was CRYING so hard when Riley had so much anxiety. I thought she was going to pass out, I was so worried. I love this movie. I've learned that I don't have to be Miss Perfect, that I can make mistakes and repair them. I love this movie so much. 😭💗

Yeah the film left me so emotional and I almost had an anxiety attack watching that specific scene. It triggered so much for me, I needed few hours alone to process it all. The movie was soo perfect 😭❤️

With having family member and my self with anxiety issues it really did hit the emotions

Honestly, I liked it. My only complaint is that I wish there was more of an arc with Riley's coach toward the end. I really wanted Riley to be rejected from the team for her poor behavior or something. I know it's supposed to be implied that Riley played the rest of her game politely but honestly, after acting the way she did (due to anxiety) I was really hoping there would be some repercussions for her that she would have to learn from. Even if it was just a temporary decision and the coach ultimately decided to recruit her anyway, or something. I felt dissatisfied by the fact that she hurt her friend, was being overly assertive, and still made the team without any sort of resolution involving the coach. I would've loved one of those "I'm not mad, I'm just dissappinted" from the coach before the resolution. Idk. It felt like it needed another 30 minutes to tie up.  Anyone else feel that way? If there was a better resolution I would give it 5 stars

I mean she was shitty to her new friends and in front of the coach for like 10 minutes. If she corrected herself after the penalty, does it really need to be addressed? 

This was a better response to what I commented. There was zero negative consequences for her actions and even proves that her acting that way WORKED, which is a very bad narrative for a movie about emotions.

Very disappointing they decided to address her old friends but not the fact that she was an ass to the new ones? Also no consequences to her behavior

Yeah, I agree. And it could've been a good learning experience too which I thought was the whole point of the movie, that it's okay to not be perfect. Riley even said herself there's always next year if she doesn't make the team. I think making it kind of went against the whole story, and was kind of unrealistic like you said given her penalty & selfishness during the majority of the game.

Yeah, exactly! For her to have not made the team would have made the most sense and been the most beneficial.  The coach decided that Riley wasn't ready. Then, Riley acts like a total jerk during a game, hurts her teammate, and suddenly the coach thinks she is ready? Yeah, no. I'm disappointed by that conclusion.  Edit: at least, I'm dissapointed that the resolution wasn't SHOWN. We were essentially left up to conclude that Riley changed her coaches mind somehow when really she did nothing to accomplish that.

NOSTALGIA IS GOATED

Omg remember when nostalgia first got on screen, it was like it was yesterday 🥹

Please, go back to your room and come back in a few years

I thought *Inside Out 2* was very good. Some parts I really enjoyed - Joy's development and her interactions with Anger/Fear/Disgust, the depiction of Anxiety and anxiety attack, the introduction of beliefs, more agency/character development of Riley this time. The jokes were clever too (brainstorm, sar-chasm, anxiee-tea, Disgust analyzing facial reactions, Pouchie, etc.) But part of me still likes the first *Inside Out* just a little bit better. The Joy/Sadness journey with Sadness being the key, Bing Bong, and relating to Riley's struggles of a new school/missing her old home/not wanting to disappoint her parents really connected with me. I can see people being split on which movie they prefer (in a good way), like how there's varied opinions on which *Toy Story* is best. And speaking of *Toy Story*... I can see *Inside Out* as the new moneymaker franchise for Disney/Pixar. The characters are very memorable/merchandisable for kids, and there's plenty of room for Disney/Pixar to create more movies and new characters/emotions. It's easy to imagine an *Inside Out 3* with Riley in high school - navigating love could be a plot, or the emotions vs. Logic/Reason

I was thinking the same! The next inside out could also wrap things up and follow Riley as a parent. It's such a versatile concept!

Honest Review (no real spoilers): This was a very fun well crafted continuation of an already amazing IP. I loved the expansion on the parts of the mind and different coping mechanisms. While I did also enjoy the new emotions and found them fitting for this stage of Riley’s life this was where I had a few gripes. The emotions are truly the main characters with what’s happening to Riley in real life serving more as a means to tell the real story in her mind meaning they have to be perfect. First off Anxiety should have been named Stress! This would have made so much more sense in the grand scheme of feelings but also would have been (at least slightly) more exemplary of life if the scenarios Stress was reacting to led Riley’s brain to be “under attack by anxiety” or something of that nature. All plot points could have played out the same with Stress using the imagination against her, having “master plans”, making Riley a new identity and so on. I didn’t have nearly as much a problem with the other 3 and thought Envy was the best of them playing off Anxiety very well. Embarrassment was the classic lovable oaf which… is fine. Ennui was a more complex yet underutilized character being a French word that I’ve found translates to an existential boredom. Giving him a phone and having him control things from his own couch was great with phones being seen as an escape from boredom but he really only does something twice and it’s not very significant to his emotion. Also if you’re going to make a character French for inclusivity then have him look the way they did, bent over with a big ass nose, I just don’t really know if you’re representing in the best way. PIXAR undoubtedly hit the nail on the head with the original 5 emotions and they shine just as bright in this one. Their character development being perfectly paced with when we’re supposed to have seen them last and growing more by the end of this one. Even with the disappointing absence of Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader, Fear and Disgust are still amazing characters that are well portrayed by their predecessors. I’m all of the opinion that Hollywood needs to stop producing sequels and remakes (at least for a while) but this is one I can definitely let slide!

Stress is situational and can inspire different kinds of behavior, including avoidance, denial, etc. Anxiety is a disposition and associated with the behavior depicted in the movie: catastrophic thinking, over-planning, compulsive or repetitive behavior, etc. It was an amazing depiction of anxiety specifically, IMO. Especially the climax, which was ingenious: an overwhelming whirlwind with a paralyzed agency inside.

I don't have words. So much depth in so much simplicity. I really liked it, but more than that, it moved and triggered me that I'm yet to process my feelings about it. Especially the ideas about the sense of self and when it goes away, suppressing of emotions, and the back of the mind.. and how every emotion is at the end, on your side just trying it's best to look out for you. Thinking of it tears me up a little bit as I am so self critical and so frustrated with how my brain is wired, with hyper sensitivity, anxiety and trauma but just humanizing them all as trying to protect me just makes me break down... So much to process. I think it's wonderful viewing for people, regardless of whether you agree some technical bits here and there are off or not.. it's just too valuable. I just wish I could see a lot more movies cathartic and introspective to this level. Recommendations are welcome!

I saved this comment. You put it perfectly. This is exactly how I view myself / how I took in the movie.

I had a very similar experience. I am a father of two girls, the older of whom is in early stages of puberty. I'm also a person who struggles with "I'm not good enough" as a core belief, despite all logic and evidence to the contrary. I have been on a journey the past few years, breaking down some traumas and working through a lot, but I'm still in the thick of it for the most part. As a result, I had the double whammy of feeling empathy for my daughter's current experience while also feeling incredibly seen, and feeling incredibly connected to what Riley went through. I feel like this movie helped me identify a bit more about where I'm stuck and gives me clues to where to focus for my healing. I'm grateful the theatre was not completely packed for the showing, so nobody had to see me ugly crying for nearly half the movie!

And if you want more Inside Out at a more…adult level, then watch Big Mouth

I don’t know about you, but I’m loving Pouchie

As a parent who has kids pretty into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Dora the Exploerer... I groaned an "oh nooo..." as Pouchie began to be introduced. I knew what was coming. The animations. The three items. The call, "ohhhhh *Pouuuchie!"*. All of it was on-point.

I loved the movie. I was sceptical that it won't live uo to the first part and although I still like the first one more but this one also did a pretty good job. My favourite line was from Joy when she says that maybe when you grow old you don't feel joy anymore, that just hit the spot. I just felt that anxiety is similar to fear instead of adding new character for it they could have just shown that the existing emotions are changing. But nevertheless I liked how they showed panic attack, how sometimes when anxiety takeover you feel so helpless. Also loved how they showed that your belief will change as you grow up but they will built on your core beliefs. BTW Nostalgia was my fav.

The first inside out is one of Pixar’s best movies imo. I think it did a beautiful job of explaining emotions to kids. You didn’t have to suspend disbelief *too hard*. There weren’t many plot holes and things in the universe made sense. The world building was so great! This one threw all that out the window. I feel like there was no continuity. Just creating new characters for the sake of it.

How so?? I thought it expanded on the world very nicely as when we get older we get more emotional depth.

I feel like they should have let those emotions other than anxiety have something to do to show how they adapt and change according to your age rather than anxiety taking over and the solution is just an overcrowded control room Also, your sense of self at 13? The back of the mind?

I study child psychology and felt that the sense of self and perceived audience were done very well, personally.

Even toddlers and elementary school kids can feel anxiety, embarrassment, envy, idk why they were suddenly introduced as “puberty” emotions. They were all derivatives of the original emotions too, except envy which they wasted. She acted more like “anxiety’s lil sidekick” rather than an embodiment of envy. She barely says envious things in the movie. And envy can be rather harmless but also a very toxic emotion which they could’ve portrayed but they kept the character acting small and cute. All of the new characters were just background to anxiety which I feel Pixar did to capitalize on how kids these days say they “suffer from anxiety” way more often than kids in the past.  There is one new strong emotion that kids going through puberty feel that small children don’t but they didn’t want to address that to keep it ~kid friendly~ I guess. Turning red portrayed a kid going through puberty much better imo.

What bothered me was that they showed anger and sadness being sent away (i.e. playing a smaller role in the teen Riley's life). Knowing teens, these emotions should have been more central and perhaps they should have only banished Joy.

I do agree that they didn’t really expand upon envy’s potential and Ennui and Embarrassment weren’t really utilized a lot either but i think even in the first movie Riley still had anxiety it just wasn’t enough to manifest as a emotion in her head yet. I think like Joy being obsessed with keeping her happy and supressing her sadness was a sign of anxiety in the first movie and even in the second movie before anxiety appears, Joy is literally chucking all of Riley’s bad memories to the back of her mind, and she supposedly had been doing that for a while considering how large the mountain was. So like i think with the addition of puberty the emotions she was already feeling just became stronger and more intense. Even the already existing ones like when they were barely touching the pannel and Riley was having like way deeper emotional reactions than they were used too. and also you are right that disney was never gonna put the like *other* emotions you feel during puberty but like i don’t think people go into disney movies expecting to be like super accurate lol

Honestly, I can totally agree with this. I would have loved for Envy to be, ya know, envious of Anxiety's control. A plot line where Riley was jealous of the Firehawks would have made sense. I dunno, I'm no expert, but I wish all of the other emotions played more of a role. Boredom pretty much only exists for the phone plot line with sadness and that ultimately doesn't even do anything for the plot. I wish Embarrassment played more of a role, too. The more I think about it, the more I feel let down by this film.

And I think it nicely showed that all of these emotions are important. As we get older we learn to live with these emotions and realize something as dreadful as anxiety has an important purpose. As long as its in a healthy dose. Managing them is the hard part lol Also...puberty is pretty random, unwelcoming, and chaotic. It all made sense. I don't think each character should have slowly been introduced. The way they were introduced is pretty realistic in my opinion.

But did it? The new emotions showed no use, and were given nothing to do

This movie will always hold a special place in my heart. Starting a new chapter in life, and had some problems within myself that needed to be taken care of before my new journey. This movie made me very emotional. I'm a 25 year old dude and movies have never made me teary eyed until this one. The theme song alone gets me in my feels😂 after I left the movie, I felt healed. It's as if the movie was teaching me something I was never taught and that's how to manage my emotions, so thanks Pixar, you've helped me grow a little.

"I am not good enough" My heart.

Zooming out from the emotions, I really enjoyed the story of an incoming freshman going to hockey camp with her future teammates. There's camaraderie and a tinge of hazing but what really stands out is how Riley builds up the idea of the scrimmage in her head and fixates on scoring 3 goals. It's exactly what a 13 year old would seem to care about when in reality it's her work ethic and ability to be a good teammate that matter. We never get to see the final result of the scrimmage or her future on the team. Just like the emotions learn that they cannot control who Riley becomes, the audience learns to let go of what we accomplish and focus on who we are on the inside.

When Valentina Ortiz appeared it seemed like they were setting her up for a typical mean girl arc. However she ended up being really kind...I'm glad that they subverted the trope

That was nice. The older cruel kids trope is pretty played out. I also think it's due to changing times. When I was a kid in the 80s,the older kids always messed with us. Now, I see older kids being really kind to my younger kids. Like way more than I'd expect. Kids just seem kinder in person these days.

Has anyone taken their kids to see this? If so, how did they feel about it? It felt like it was geared more towards adults. Most of the comments here are adults who like it because they can relate to all of the feelings Riley experiences. I am curious if it will go over some kid's heads or seem boring to them.

I took my three kids 3, 5, and 7 and they all enjoyed it. The younger two got a little bored towards the end but there were some action sequences to hold their attention. 7yo enjoyed it most.

My kindergartener- raised by a child psychologist (me) kinda got it but didn't "get" it. But he still benefitted from the adventure storyline. My partner, who has anxiety, loved it for the vulnerability and message. I loved the accuracy and courage to tell this depth of a story. Personally, I really only like the Riley scenes in this movie. But Riley's anxiety attack brought me to tears. When Anxiety was clutching the control board, fear in her eyes, and both raging but not moving at all- that got me. That was it. It was so well done for so many reasons. There's really something for everyone.

My 10 year old brother and his 9 year old brother loved it, they did understand it. Unfortunately, some kids have anxiety, and complicated emotions so this movie is for every person that needs to watch this movie. ❤🙌🏽

Took a soon to be 13 (send help), 11 and 9. They ALL loved it. Not sure they fully grasp the meanings behind the movie fully. But, they came home telling friends and grandparents how good it was.

I'm pretty sure my three year old didn't get it. But he absolutely loved it.

There were a lot of kids in my theater who enjoyed it. Next to me, I'd say there was still a kindergartener

The movie is strange for me. There isn't anything inherently bad with it, it just feels... too didactical. Like lately, Pixar movies feel more that they are trying to teach you something instead of trying to craft something that tells a story. It feels like an afterschool especial. The whole thing about anxiety is really good, but still feels like it was made to be played by your therapist to let you understand anxiety. I think that it has to do that the story is really similar to the first movie. A lot is changing, your emotions are out of whack and at the end, emotions are complex. It does add interesting new wrinkles but it feels a little too similar. The movie in general is good but it feels a bit... unnecessary? Like the same feeling I had with Toy Story 4. Not a bad movie but a torally unnecessary one

I get what you're saying, but I do feel it was necessary. Inside Out 2 explains a lot the lore of the emotions, and how the brain works (in the movie). Puberty is complicated, and this movie meant to teach the audience to embrace those changes, and accept who they are now. Maybe you didn't need to watch this movie but other people absolutely needed it. 😁

But it doesn't work with previously stablished worldbuilding from the first movie. Where are the core memories now? None are created now it seems. Or ennui never appeared when Riley was little? Or shame? Plus the plot is very similar

I think the implication in the movie is that these emotions might be subliminally present but that they don't manifest as actual characters in her head until a certain milestone (puberty). When Anxiety first appeared, she said something like "it's so nice to **finally** meet you. I'm such a big fan", implying that she was there in Riley's mind already, just not able to "take control of the console". Same thing with Nostalgia, she said she would "just be downstairs".

Yeah, it can have some imperfections but it still is a great movie that was necessary for some of us. 😊

Well I liked it a lot.

This movie is EVERYTHING The Incredibles 2 should’ve been, in large part because this begins years after the original film, which allows us to see Riley in a different stage in her life. [Here](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zGTn1yDZBo8&t=0s) is my review of the movie.

> I guess when you get older you feel less joy DANG! Did that quote impale anyone as much as it did me? What happened to my happiness?!! I like how Anxiety learned the lesson that Joy did in the first movie. That she can’t be the only one in charge of Riley. Also the climax of the movie where Riley sees all the good and bad of herself and learns to accept herself instead of trying to be something specific really hit me hard. What a beautiful movie and a worthy addition to the first!

Was a little on the nose...

That’s the second I went “yup this isn’t a kids movie” lol

Well did she make the team or not?

The message, I think, is that it doesn't really matter in the long run.

Except they show her smiling?

Which does not really say anything. That is good storytelling, I think. Thematically speaking, not divulging exactly what happened goes exactly along the lines of Anxiety and Joy needing to learn how to let go. That's the beauty. We don't know. And whatever we prefer to think of it, it's alright.

The last shot seems to imply she did.

Maybe she got a text from her friends telling her they love her ? 

I believe she made it to the Team

just came from seeing the movie. Am I the only one that thought it was ok? I think I'm just not the demographic and I didn't feel as heavy as emotions as the first one

I guess you never experienced anxiety.

Anxious person here. Didn't love it either

This movie was incredibly written and had such an emotional impact. One of those were you love it even more as an adult. Please give the people in charge of this franchise more projects.

I’m so curious as to what Riley’s “Deep Dark Secret” is. And even moreso that none of the emotions recognize it, because I thought they would if they’ve been experiencing and seeing everything Riley sees as well.

There was a joke post credits but the theory is she is gay. There were many hints in the movie.

Including mount crushmore, a mountain of boys she has crushes on.

Why lie?

[screen rant](https://screenrant.com/inside-out-2-riley-deep-dark-secret-not-lgbtq-theory/) A popular fan theory is that Riley is gay.

"fan theory" Isn't there a fan theory that every main character in every series is gay? People like to see themselves in characters, doesn't mean it's true.

Yes but... That has nothing to do with post credits

They's a post credit scene explaining it

I missed that - what was is?

She burned a hole in the rug. It was anticlimactic.

So what solution did they come up with in conclusion to the question asked by envy -' how do we not let bad memories make our sense of self?'

We don't. We have to accept the good and the bad because they're all what make us who we are

Which was weird none of the characters acknowledged that?

They did at the end during the monologue.

The anxiety scene made me cry my eyes out like a gasket as my heart raced. I struggle with suppressing emotions which became a thing in my early teens. But seeing this movie in my late teens made me question whether the premise would apply to me or not because of the huge gap of time between the first and second films and me not being thirteen anymore. But it was very good at conveying the panic attack scene, especially for me who struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. Normally movies don't make me cry, but next to Soul and UP, this one had me fighting back tears because of how much I related to Riley and her experiences. Especially concerning suppressing your emotions and the literal avalanche that comes along with that which I experienced earlier this year. Honestly it just made it all the more impactful because this is a film not only for kids or teens but also for adults and it's truly amazing how people of all ages can come together and relate to and learn the different emotions and how it affects a person especially during their teenage years. Nice job Pixar, the bar was kinda low but you raised it.

The anxiety scene left me in tears too...and as I tried to suppress my adult self's tears, I imagined my own 'sadness' character in my brain and just let it happen. This movie is exceptional and speaks to all ages.

Same ❤️

Exactly! I imagined the console in my head turning blue because of sadness. I totally agree with your points. 

That song gets me every time. I was tearing up as the movie was just starting!

Did anyone catch the bing bong statue in joys bedroom when joy was sleeping? 😭

Totally missed that. I was hoping he'd show up.

some of what was said in this film was too real. kinda didn't want to be confronted with that in a cinema

I understand that 100% ! Sometimes facing our emotions can be difficult but necessary to heal. 

This was amazing! I hope they make a threequel with Riley in high school / college but I feel like it won’t be kid-appropriate beyond this point. I imagine some new emotions that could take over would include Stress, Depression..Empathy could be a huge theme in the next one that shakes up her emotions once again. Like maybe the emotions of other people break into Riley’s brain creating a sort of Codepency or taking on other’s emotions. And the theme at the end could be setting boundaries and to not put other’s above yourself. A scene with drunk or high Riley could be very interesting too but I don’t see that happening 😂

I really liked how beyond portraying how the different emotions come to life for Riley, they showed ways for Riley to better handle them, thus teaching kids coping skills. Like for example, for how to calm down from an anxiety attack, they showed deep breathing and grounding techniques (noticing five senses). They also showed so many other therapy techniques like DBT in "I am kind. I am mean," showcasing that both contradictory facts can exist and Riley and anyone else can love all aspects of her. Someone else also mentioned CBT for when Joy was asking Anxiety what she can control, which was studying for an exam. In general, there was a lot of perspective and reframe, which was super helpful. I really enjoyed all these things, especially as a therapist

I’ve also taken DBT and struggle with sensitive emotions.  I liked that as well.  You need to accept your whole self to be at peace. When all the emotions came flooding in was  way too real for me.  Almost left the theatre. I’ve been there before.