This ‘Inside Out 2’ Moment Hits Deeper Than You Think (2024)

No need to suppress your emotions: Inside Out 2 is out and is hitting audiences with all the feelings. Not only is Inside Out 2 making box office records worthy of the prestige of Pixar, but the sequel matches the quality of its Oscar-winning predecessor as it explores puberty and the influence of new emotions on our lives.

As Riley (Kensington Tallman) continues to grow up and new emotions enter the mix of this teenager’s mind, Joy (Amy Poehler) struggles to find her place. While she has demonstrated growth from Inside Out when it comes to accepting Sadness (Phyllis Smith) as a part of Riley, this new journey back to headquarters takes a new toll on Joy. Joy breaks down in front of Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) when their complaining starts to get the best of her. She begins to realize that maybe as a person grows up, they feel less Joy. As impactful as a realization this is to the film overall, there’s an equally powerful, yet beautiful visualization that happens after the climax of Inside Out 2 that packs an emotional punch.

Inside Out 2

Adventure

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

See Also

How ‘Inside Out 2’ Presented Riley’s Anxiety AttackInside Out (Film, 2015) - MovieMeter.nlGot your own Riley at home? Here's how Inside Out 2 can help you support your child through tricky new emotions“Inside Out 2”: Once More, with Feelings

Family

810

Follow Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions.

Release Date

June 14, 2024

Director

Kelsey Mann

Cast

Amy Poehler , Maya Hawke , Phyllis Smith , Lewis Black , Tony Hale , Liza Lapira

Riley’s Joy-Filled Skating is a Callback to Previous 'Inside Out' Moments

After Joy helps Anxiety (Maya Hawke) let go of Riley, Joy is hit with the realization that she, too, has been acting no better than Anxiety. Earlier in the movie, Joy creates a spring system that could launch Riley’s less flattering memories into the back of her mind. (You know the saying: out of sight, out of mind) While it was an innocent attempt to keep Riley from focusing on her mistakes, it also stripped her away parts of her belief system that made Riley messy and more complex, which is what maturity does. Once Riley realizes her hypocrisy in trying to keep Riley a certain way, Joy replaces Riley’s anxious sense of self with a new one – a belief system born out of every emotion she’s experienced thus far. With this acceptance, in conjunction with Riley’s friends forgiving Riley’s behavior toward them at hockey camp, Riley’s new sense of self begins to blossom, and the first emotion that she wants to feel is Joy. The control board in Headquarters summons Joy, and it leads Joy to flood Riley as Riley skates alongside her friends, playing a sport that she enjoys.

As Joy leads Riley around the hockey rink while the main Inside Out theme by Michael Giacchino plays, it strikes a cord as it calls back to a scene between Joy and Riley in Inside Out. When Joy is on sleep duty, Riley begins to have nightmares about her new house in San Francisco. Instead of letting the nightmares continue, Joy uses a happy memory of Riley skating with her parents to calm her mind as she sleeps before the first day at her new school. Joy skates around Headquarters alone, mirroring Riley’s movements in the memory. It visually reflects how Joy is in tune with the activities that Riley loves. It’s also one of the last times we see just Riley and Joy together before Riley’s emotions become more complex.

Not only does Riley’s skate around the rink at the end of Inside Out 2 mirror the dream scene in Inside Out, but it also harkens back to Sadness’ climatic scene at the end of Inside Out. After Sadness helps Riley come to her senses and returns home after attempting to run away, Joy fully embraces Sadness by giving her Riley’s core memories. In doing this, Sadness transforms these memories as Riley tearfully admits to her parents that she misses their old life in Minnesota. By giving Riley the space to be sad, it allows her parents to comfort and care for her, which creates a new core memory where Joy and Sadness are in tandem. As Joy tells Sadness in the sequel, where Joy goes, Sadness goes, too.

This 'Inside Out 2' Scene Is a Visual Reminder of the Power of Joy in Riley’s Life

From Joy’s perspective in the first Inside Out, Sadness was an emotion that needed to be contained. In the sequel, Joy gets treated similarly with the arrival of Anxiety. From Anxiety’s point of view, Riley needs more complex emotions, like herself, Envy (Ayo Edebiri), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), to take the driver’s seat, not Joy. Even before Joy and the rest of Riley’s original emotions are kicked out of Headquarters, Joy begins to question her role in Riley’s life after Anxiety helps Riley make a good impression with Riley’s hockey idol, Val Ortiz (Lilimar Hernandez). Even Fear and Disgust compare Anxiety’s planning abilities to Joy’s when they find themselves lost on their way to the back of Riley’s mind. Joy gets a taste of her former attitude towards Sadness, and it shakes her belief that Riley even needs her.

Just as Joy needed to realize how Sadness is necessary in Riley’s life in Inside Out, Anxiety, the other emotions, even Joy herself, come to realize how Joy is still needed in Riley’s life. For instance, hockey is something Riley loves, and from that love, there’s Joy. Riley lost sight of that when Anxiety kept a grip on her, as seen when she overworks herself practicing to make a good impression on Coach Roberts (Yvette Nicole Brown). Anxiety took the fun out of the activity Riley loves. It’s when Joy is in harmony with Riley’s other emotions that Riley thrives at hockey.

Just as before, the harder emotions lead to Riley feeling genuinely happy. With Riley’s new belief system that embraces her entire self to create her new sense of self, there is a place for Joy. Riley summons Joy to take the wheel as she finishes up the hockey game, which visually reflects what’s at the center of what she loves. It also represents the peace that comes with self-acceptance. Joy has learned to be a team player with Sadness and the other emotions, but here in this scene, Joy gets to be Riley's hero. Yes, as we mature, our emotions and experiences become more complex and nuanced; let’s face it, life gets messy. However, Inside Out 2 really drives home the point that, despite the changes in life, there is room for every emotion, including our Joy.

Inside Out 2 is now playing in theaters.

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