IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched in the cinema (94th visit in 2024)
"Mom and Dad are proud of me. I'm strong, I'm a really good friend. I'm a winner. I'm a good person." These are Riley's beliefs before puberty, but during puberty the alarm bells literally ring and all the wonderful emotions and beliefs that Riley had are torn down and flattened, because a whole new emotion takes over and this time it's doubt. This new dominant emotion also brings with it other emotions, namely Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui aka "Boredom". Part 1 was already characterized by an original screenplay and imaginative design, but part 2 can easily keep up because it picks up exactly where part 1 leaves off and stylistically sticks to the pattern already established in part 1, with the difference that in the previous film the trigger for the emotional chaos was the move to a new city and in "Inside Out 2" it is the impending loss of friends coupled with sporting ambition.
What is it about the "Inside Out" universe that fascinates people so much? It's probably the fact that the emotions that no one else sees are given a face and then they are also packaged in such a cuddly look. Joy alone fulfills all the characteristics of the little child scheme with her big saucer eyes and round face, so that as a viewer you really have no choice but to shout in chorus: "How cute is that?" The other characters are also captivating, sometimes with their coolness like Ennui, sometimes with their clumsiness like the character Embarassment, and they are all there to fulfill a mission, because "Inside Out 2" is not just about pure cuteness, but about building up a profound level that probably not all children will understand immediately, but which makes all the more sense for all adults. "Inside Out 2" is definitely valuable from a psychological point of view because it reveals how difficult puberty can be and how many different emotions teenagers have to deal with. In this respect, this movie is even more important for adults than for children, because it pleads for more understanding for kids and teenagers. That's why both "Inside Out" films are at least as valuable as a parenting guide.
There are so many different facets of emotion that come to light in "Inside Out 2" that even the most hardened of viewers will be moved, even though the problems Riley has in both parts are so trivial that they could just as easily have left you unmoved. Riley leads such a perfect storybook life with her mum and dad, who are always there for her, that you can only wonder about her completely inappropriate feelings of Sadness or Anger, but both films still manage to trigger empathy for this little girl in the audience, because they deal with situations that many teenagers lose sleep over. In this respect, both children and adults can identify well with all these thoughts that one has as a child. "Am I good enough? Am I cool enough? Will I be accepted by others? Will I have friends, or will I be with my friends forever and ever?" These are all universal questions that everyone has asked or will ask themselves at some stage of their lives.
That's the good thing about "Inside Out 2", that the movie takes you with it and you don't necessarily have to know the previous movie to follow along, because the summary of part 1 is very elegantly woven into part 2. The biggest difference between the two parts is probably that "Inside Out 2" is far funnier and less sentimental than part 1, in which Riley has to say goodbye to her imaginary friend Bing Bong. The farewell to childhood is portrayed more painfully than the transition to adulthood. Instead of Bing Bong, Part 2 features the funny fanny pack Pouchy and Riley's secret Crush. Especially in connection with these characters, "Inside Out 2" drifts into a very childish corner and seems to focus less on profundity than on fun and visual entertainment in these phases. But that's a good thing, because in a children's movie nobody expects one lesson to follow the next and to be honest, a little break from thinking is really good and in this break you can concentrate fully on the great visuals of the movie, which make you feel like you've landed in a ball pool. In moments like these, you simply have fun in the colorful and cheerful "Inside Out" world.
But despite all the fun, don't forget the double bottom, because there is of course another extremely important message hidden underneath: embrace all your emotions, because every single one of them is part of your life and makes you the person you are. No one is ever free from doubt, anger and sorrow, but it is very important not to suppress such feelings, but to accept them, because these feelings also make us human. Nobody is perfect and nobody has to be perfect to be accepted by their family and friends. Be emotional, be happy, be sad or just have fun, because that's what "Inside Out 2" is all about. That's life and you should enjoy it as long as the people who mean so much to you are a part of your life.