I think I can say that sometimes the movies we had no plan or interest in watching turned out to be one of the best movies. That's what happened with Inside Out 2 for me. I was not really interested in the movie, I didn't even bother with the first part. My sister is real movie plug in the house. She had it on her phone and then connected her phone to the TV in my younger siblings' room. I don't even know the right word, maybe casted or screen-mirrored, but she made it show on the TV. And then every night for one full week, I'm not even exaggerating, they watched the same movie. Same thing, back to back, like it was the only thing on earth to watch.
Me, I didn't care. I usually sat in their room because the network there is stronger, so while they were busy watching and laughing, I just focus on my phone. Sometimes I even got annoyed because hearing the same voices and sounds every night felt like noise. One day, my phone was charging and I really couldn't use it. Out of boredom, I just joined them to see what was even inside the movie that they kept repeating like broken record. That was how the movie just got me hooked from start to finish.
The Plot
The movie is about Riley, a 13-year-old girl who is now growing up and entering her teenage age. Inside her head, her emotions are controlling everything. There's Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. But then, new emotions show up: Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui (Boredom). These new emotions starts causing confusion and fighting with the old ones for control.
Riley is also dealing with hockey camp, friendships and the pressure of trying to fit in with new people. In the middle of all that, Anxiety starts to take over and Riley struggles with who she really is and what she believes about herself
Inside Out 2 surprised me, in the best way though, because I really wasn't expecting much from the movie. The movie was beautiful and cool, I'm not talking about just the characters but the way everything was done. The animation was bright and colourful. I kept smiling at how detailed everything looked, especially the emotions' expressions and the world inside Riley's head.
First of all, Anxiety. I think Anxiety was just being Anxiety, the way it acted, overthinking, panicking, seeing ten steps ahead of what could go wrong, it was too real. I laughed but at the same time, I felt it, because that's how anxiety is in real life. It doesn't wait for problems, it creates its own. There was a particular scene, the panic attack. That part actually surprised me. It felt so real. I could feel what Riley was going through, struggling to breathe and overwhelmed with her thoughts. I didn't think a children's cartoon would show something like that in such a serious way .
Embarrassment also made me laugh. That big character hiding in a hoodie, not wanting to talk, always looking like "Please don't look at me". I saw myself there too.
The movie made me laugh, think and it also had some emotional moments that caught me off guard. It's rare for a cartoon to give you all that at once, but this one did it well. Even when the new emotions were causing chaos, the movie still carried meaning. It showed that growing up isn't just all about fun but learning to live with all the voices in your head, both good and bad.
Honestly, I was very impressed after the movie ended and I also did not see it as a waste of time. I could see why my siblings watched it without getting tired. It is the kind of movie that you can rewatch and still find something new to enjoy it it
My Rating
I'll rate Inside Out2 a 4 out 5 stars. Even without seeing part one, it made sense and it stood on its own, I also enjoyed it more than I thought I would. And now, I might actually go back and watch the first part. Definitely recommendable.
Images from IMDb
