Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the movie ‘Inside Out 2’
In 2015, Pixar’s "Inside Out" captured the hearts of both young and old by creatively depicting the inner workings of 11-year-old Riley’s mind. Now, "Inside Out 2," set two years later, continues Riley’s story as she enters puberty, taking steps to add more emotional complexity. This film has been praised for its innovative portrayal of emotions and mental health, and it is the highest-grossing film of 2024. In this article, I will explore how "Inside Out 2" tackles complex themes in an accessible manner, helping viewers navigate and understand complicated emotions in a fun and digestible way.
The sense of Self and the inner emotional conflict
In the first film, we got to know Riley’s core emotions—Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger—who work together from 'Headquarters' to guide her actions. In the sequel, set during a weekend hockey camp just before she starts high school, Riley's emotional world expands as she enters puberty. Alongside her familiar emotions, new ones make their debut: Anxiety, Ennui (boredom), Envy, Nostalgia, and Embarrassment.
Anxiety takes centre stage in Inside Out 2. From the moment her erratic and hyper character arrives in Headquarters, she disrupts the balance by imagining worst-case "what-if" scenarios and trying to take control of Riley’s actions. When Joy dismisses her pessimistic approach, Anxiety forces Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust to the "Back of the Mind," insisting that “Riley’s life needs more sophisticated emotions than all of you.” I’m sure many would agree with me when I say that this portrayal of Anxiety as a dominant force really hits home. I can relate to the idea of anxiety taking over and pushing aside all other emotions, especially when I was a teenager and didn’t yet know how to manage it.
One of the film’s standout features is the “Sense of Self,” an object built from memories stored in the Belief System. Initially, Joy has a purely positive Sense of Self (one which repeats the phrase “I’m a good person”) by retaining only positive memories, but once Anxiety takes over, she reshapes it into something dominated by anxious emotions (causing it to state also “I’m not good enough”). This shift leads Riley to make questionable choices, such as abandoning her friends and recklessly trying to impress the hockey coach.
As a teenager, I remember putting immense pressure on myself, thinking that any mistake—whether in exams or social situations—would define my future. In the film, Anxiety views the hockey game as a make-or-break moment for Riley’s future, leading to a pivotal panic attack when things don’t go as planned.
The panic attack
Like many who’ve seen the film, I found the panic attack scene both incredibly emotional and completely relatable. After Riley is sent to the penalty box during the hockey game, Anxiety spirals out of control, creating a whirlwind of panic at the control panel. Joy enters the chaos and finds Anxiety frozen in the middle, flickering and overwhelmed. It’s hard to put the power of this scene into words, so I’d urge anyone to watch the film in order to truly understand its impact.
Finally, Joy manages to pull Anxiety away from the controls, and in a heartbreaking moment, Anxiety says:
“I was just trying to protect her.”
Accepting all emotions and seeing all aspects of yourself honestly
The emotions realise that the only way to help Riley through her panic attack is to create a new Sense of Self—one that embraces both positive and negative emotions. This message is key: anxiety isn’t something to eliminate, but to manage. It reminds us that anxiety can be helpful in high-pressure situations and that most of the time, our Anxiety is only trying to help us.
In the first Inside Out film, the key message is the important role that sadness plays in our lives. The sequel sticks to this theme and continues to highlight the value of negative emotions. For example, in one of the final scenes, Anxiety begins to panic and spiral, but the emotions ask her to take a seat and calm down. Once calm, Anxiety then does her ‘job’ by reminding them about Riley’s Spanish test. Reflecting on my own teenage years, especially around exam time, I’ve realised that my anxiety often pushed me to succeed, driving me to take my achievements seriously and stay focused.
One of my favourite parts of the movie is how Riley’s new Sense of Self reflects her growth. Instead of only believing “I am a good person,” she accepts a broader range of beliefs: “I make mistakes,” “I need help,” “I’m strong.” This shift is a powerful message about adulthood and self-acceptance. We can be good friends and still make mistakes, be confident but still feel nervous. By accepting all parts of ourselves, we can face life’s ups and downs without panicking when things don’t go perfectly. This message is particularly important for someone going through puberty, where teenagers tend to be incredibly hard on themselves and their newly arising emotions and characteristics.
The film consulted psychologist Dacher Keltner from the University of California, Berkeley, who explained that the ending—where all emotions are accepted—is rooted in research showing that happiness isn’t just about joy. Stress, anger, fear, and even envy play important roles in our well-being. While society has made great strides in accepting mental health disorders, there’s still a misconception that we should only embrace positive emotions. This mindset can be counterproductive, as thinking that something is wrong with us the moment we feel sad or anxious gives those feelings more power.
My only critique to the movie is how easily the other emotions manage to calm Anxiety, which feels more like the typical "happy ending" of a children’s movie than a nuanced portrayal of teenage anxiety. Many who deal with anxiety may wish it were that simple, but in reality, it’s more complex. Still, it’s important to remember that Inside Out 2 is a Disney film, where a happy ending is a prerequisite.
Of course, "Inside Out 2" does not capture the full complexity of the human brain and all its emotions. It is believed that we may have upwards of 25 different emotions, but creating a character for each one would have made the film too chaotic and confusing, not to mention a bit of a storytelling nightmare. Despite these omissions, the movie makes significant strides in helping both children and adults understand emotions and mental health, and importantly gives mental health awareness even more mainstream media representation.
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