Riley’s finally hit her teenage years, and whoa, it’s a rollercoaster! Think braces, endless sleep troubles, and snapping at her parents like it’s some sort of teen ritual. Things get tougher when she finds out her BFFs Grace and Bree won’t be around next school year because they’re all splitting to different high schools. Ouch, right?

But before diving headfirst into that drama, the trio is off to this awesome summer hockey camp for three days. Riley’s hoping to gel with these new folks there ‘cause she’s not about being left in the dust later on. Most of the older girls see Riley as kind of awkward—except Viv, the team captain, who sort of becomes her big sis.

Now inside her noggin’, things are heating up. There’s Joy and Anger still hanging around, alongside Sadness, Fear, and Disgust. But say hello to some new players: Ennui (a fancy term for boredom), Envy, Embarrassment—oh, and watch out for Anxiety! This Anxiety fella is really shaking things up with Riley’s emotional crew.

Pulling off a sequel to Inside Out is no small feat since it got so much right about our minds when we were kids. But Inside Out 2 dives back into those genius ideas as it watches Teen Riley face all this chaos—a character sketch inspired by the daughter of Pete Docter, who made the original movie.

Inside Out 2 sorta grows along with its audience kind of like Harry Potter did way back when. Aiming at kids who loved movie number one and are now wrestling with their own teenage stuff. This go-round? It’s all about those wild teen emotions instead!
that sounds so relatable. Remember those crazy teenage years when everything felt like such a big deal?This movie totally understands that and jumps right into it. It’s a sequel to the first, but with a bit of a different vibe.

In the original, the focus was on how every emotion has its own value, showing that it’s okay to feel them all in their own unique way. This time around, though, they’re giving anxiety a bit of side-eye ’cause it’s not always helpful when life gets tough.

What’s neat about this flick is how it looks at America’s obsession with staying super positive all the time—Joy’s all about that—and starts giving room for some less sunny emotions too. But don’t stress; they’re not saying you can’t aim high in life. It’s more like just keeping things real and steering your ship without pretending you’re some unbeatable force.

Riley’s learning to handle her feelings on her own terms. She realizes emotions are important but doesn’t let them run wild and take over everything she does. Basically, she’s figuring out who she really wants to be all by herself.

The director might not switch things up as much as in the first one, but he still nails capturing what teens go through emotionally. By the end, things get pretty serious and hit home for parents who see bits of their kids’ actions there—it might bring out some tears. But bummer alert: Characters like Ennui and Embarrassment don’t get as much of the spotlight as they probably should have!
This movie could’ve been a lot funnier if the characters had better chemistry. It’s like the whole vibe was missing something. Take Invidia, for example—she’s supposed to be all about jealousy, but she just doesn’t bring it. It felt like they didn’t quite get her right, you know?