The Mosley Review: Inside Out 2

I don't really say this too often and especially nowadays. We are witnessing something truly special. I was born in 1987 and as a true 90's child, I had the privilege of growing up with family films that both in animation and live action, were fearless in their depiction of the trials we go through growing up. The discovery of how ones body is changing and all the emotional turmoil that comes with. Finding the confidence in your decisions or having pure fear of not fitting in and trying to be cool enough to be noticed and respected. Honestly, that's all just middle school and the first year of high school. Films and shows like The Neverending Story and Freaks and Geeks are just an example of the vast amount of growth one can go through. Those type of films went away after while and now they are slowly starting to come back and Pixar has been the spearhead for those stories in animation. The first film in this now franchise was a burst of brilliance and cut deep into the core of us all that went through the search for balance between joy and sadness and all that came with it. This film continues that with the next stage in growth and the film nails how the new emotions that come with puberty can control you if unchecked. There are so many layers in this film that I don't want to spoil, but I related to every bit of the expertly placed teen and adult humor. Every bit of this film was wonderful and a welcomed natural step forward.

Kensington Tallman was excellent as Riley and she nailed the pure joy and emotional weight that comes when entering your teens. She was funny, smart and vulnerable in the best way as her story progressed. Amy Poehler returns as Joy and she was just as wonderful and even more complex than before. Joy actually has an even harder challenge to her constantly positive nature and its wonderfully addressed. I've always loved her creativity and problem solving skills, but here she almost becomes part of the conflict in a excellent way. Phyllis Smith was awesome and fun once again as Sadness. The bond between her and Joy is stronger and I loved that she was more game to try and help. Liza Lapira was fantastic as Disgust and liked that she wasn't as dismissive of everything this time. Tony Hale was really fun as Fear and he was shockingly more creative and pragmatic this time around. He was almost the saving grace in many situations. Lewis Black returns as Anger and he was as intense and the major scene stealer you'd expect. He gets to have another iconic moment mid way through the film and I couldn't stop laughing. All the core emotions are fantastic and I loved how they had to navigate dealing with the new emotions that Riley has developed.

Maya Hawke takes the lead as Anxiety and the level of stress she delivers to each decision she makes for Riley was expertly delivered and relatable. The message behind her character was loud, clear and a great lesson on letting yourself relax and not let anxiety control you. The rivalry between her and Joy was so heartbreaking and exciting to witness as they both have a similar goal and yet you see the destructive nature of both if not regulated. Ayo Edebiri was great as Envy and she had an equal amount of standout moments when dealing with Riley wanting to be excepted by her new friends. Adèle Exarchopoulos was fun as the bored French Gen Z inspired Ennui. She cracked me up once she was on screen and how connected to her phone she was. Paul Walter Hauser was excellent as Embarrassment and I liked that he became the MVP of the new group. The moments of shyness and awkward interactions were worth it for the equal moments of heartfelt defiance of expectation. There were other characters that weren't emotions, but they still represented the likes of Riley and fill the gap that a certain character left from the previous film. Ron Funches as Bloofy was a great addition as a cross between Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer. He had the perfect amount of hilarious 4th wall breaking. James Austin Johnson was hilarious as his companion, Pouchy. He was a great help to the original core emotions and I loved his scene the most with Anger. Now the one that nearly stole the film was Yong Yea as Lance Slashblade. He was perfect as the Final Fantasy / Soul Caliber inspired character that was so heroic and yet tragic. The animation on him was spot on and I loved every second he was on screen.

The score by composer Andrea Datzman was excellent and I loved how she made the film feel more epic this time around with more emphasis on edgier tones with guitar riffs and big bombastic percussion. She nails the quieter moments and the most intense anxiety driven moment of the film that we can all relate to. The use of Michael Giacchino's original theme was beautifully woven in at the right moments and didn't overtake Andrea's work. Visually, this film is up there with Pixar's best looking films like Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc. I have truly been missing the magic of Pixar's storytelling for quite some time and this film brought it all back. Toy Story was my generations perfect coming of age story and now, Inside Out will be that same experience for this generation and I can't wait to see where Riley goes next. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!