Joy. Sadness. Anger. Disgust. Fear. These were the characters we have known for the past nine years. In those years, Riley has grown and so has the representation of mental health.
Inside Out 2 premiered in theatres in June of 2024. The sequel features five new characters: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, Ennui and Nostalgia.
The movie takes the audience on another emotional journey as the new emotions try taking over Riley’s life and it dives deeper into the complexities of the teenage mind.
Introducing new characters that represent more complex feelings that come up as we grow up adds a layer that makes the movies relatable to an even broader audience.
Not only is Riley dealing with these new emotions, but the emotions themselves do not get along with each other.
Particularly between Joy and Anxiety, there is some rivalry between who knows what is best for Riley.
The film is entertaining and educational at the same time. It shows how the human mind fights itself sometimes. When all we want is to be happy, our anxious thoughts cannot help but creep in.
Inside Out 2 shows what goes on inside the mind and the effect it has on Riley. Her friendships, athletics and self-esteem all suffer when dealing with these new emotions.
Riley has “core memories” which are featured in the first movie. However, a development in the new movie is her “sense of self” which is formed by different memories and how she perceives them.
An example is when she helped someone who dropped their things and that led to her belief of “I am a good friend.” These beliefs formed her sense of self.
Oftentimes, we as humans do not recognize that we are what we believe. So, when Anxiety attempts to completely reinvent Riley, the beliefs that were previously there had to be replaced by new, anxious thoughts.
These new thoughts created a more negative sense of self for Riley. However, this was an accurate way to represent the power that anxiety can have on an individual and their mind.
Anxiety, too, at one point is seen so worked up that she is zooming in circles around the control panel. Joy steps in to try to calm her, but Anxiety is paralyzed with emotion.
Personifying the emotions is an interesting way to articulate how each one functions, the triggers and what can be done to work through those feelings.
Teenage years, as one experiences many hormonal changes and the brain continues to develop, are a time of growth and understanding. Having mental health representation is important, especially when the target audience is the younger generation.
Inside Out 2, while I expected more from the storyline, did a commendable job of accurately depicting mental health. It encourages viewers to acknowledge and work through their emotions, and this representation helps to dismantle the stigma around mental health.