Inside Out 2: Movie Review

Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Phyllis Smith, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Ayo Edebiri
Director: Kelsey Mann

Inside Out 2's central message will be no surprise to anyone.

Chiefly that you need a whole range of emotions to be who you are and function on a daily basis - it's not rocket science at all. 

And yet, the execution of this animated sequel to Pixar's phenomenally successful 2015 outing proves to be sweetly surprising and innately funny as it churns its story out.

Riley is now 13 and despite Joy's best attempts to keep her on an even keel, puberty is just around the corner, spinning Riley's world - and subsequently Joy and her emotional friends - into utter chaos.

As Riley hits those difficult years, she finds herself experiencing a whole new range of emotions - chiefly among those Anxiety, whose arrival causes internal upheaval for Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust.

With a few throwaway laugh-out-loud lines, some smart gags and basically an updating of the Inside Out journey from 2015, Inside Out 2 manages to be both a clever exploration of the internal turmoil of teenagers and the insecurities of life in general.

It's fair to say it doesn't hit the emotional heights of the first, but in among the caper elements, there's a large degree of sentimentality that hits targets here, rather than overwhelming proceedings. And it's also fair to say that of the original emotions, most - except Joy - are largely confined to the sidelines in favour of Maya Hawke's newcomer Anxiety.

But Pixar knows how to keep the magic going.

With bright, tight animation to hurry the script along and a universally relatable story, Inside Out 2 offers thoughtful and engaging family entertainment that may provoke a few discussions afterwards. A deeply enjoyable experience led by a shining Poehler and Hawke, this is in some ways, a do-over of their first success, but no-less a fun movie to revel in.