Disclaimer: The content in this article has spoilers for the movie Inside Out 2.
RECAP OF INSIDE OUT (2015)
Pixar’s “Inside Out” became an instant hit when it was released in theatres in 2015. It followed 11-year-old Riley struggling to cope with her new life after moving to San Francisco, leaving behind her home and friends in Minnesota. Her emotions living in headquarters—Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger—attempt to guide her through this life-changing event. Joy and Sadness were the main focus: throughout the movie, Joy was seen constantly pushing Sadness aside, believing she only brings pain to Riley. But by the end of the movie, Joy learns that Riley needs all of her emotions, including Sadness, in order to be a well-balanced individual. Ultimately, it is Sadness who pushes Riley to mend the divide between her parents and heal emotionally.
INSIDE OUT 2: A SUMMARY
Now, Riley is 13 years old and at hockey camp, where she encounters new challenges: qualifying for the team, impressing her idol and her Coach, while also dealing with the information that her two best friends are moving to a different school. Oh yeah, she’s also just hit the rollercoaster that is puberty. Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Liza Lapira), and Fear (Tony Hale) are joined by Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Envy (Ayo Edebiri) and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) in headquarters, where chaos ensues.
LESSONS WE CAN LEARN:
- WE NEED BOTH THE GOOD AND THE BAD
In the beginning of the movie, Joy presents a contraption which allows memories to be pushed to the back of the mind and forgotten, with the tagline “Keep the best and toss the rest!“. She does this in the belief that positive memories that she carefully selects will allow Riley to develop a strong “sense of self”, resulting in the affirmations it echoes: “I’m a really good friend“, “I’m brave”, “I’m a good person”.
However, when all of Riley’s memories from the back of the mind flood into the belief system, it results in a new, more complex sense of self with a variety of statements: “I’m selfish”, “I’m kind”, “I’m not good enough!”. Joy realises at this point that “we don’t get to choose who Riley is”. She needs both positive and negative experiences in order to fully develop as a person; her memories and the emotions connected to them are too complex to be simply categorised as “good” or “bad”.
Joy releasing a good memory into the belief system.
Research indicates that those who embrace their “emodiversity”—the ability to experience both positive and negative emotions—are more likely to have better mental health. We see this when Riley is subsequently able to patch up her relationship with her two best friends, genuinely enjoy hockey and allow herself to want happiness! So instead of repressing or ignoring your feelings, work on becoming more self-aware and allowing yourself to go through the emotions.
- TAKE CARE OF ANXIETY
Anxiety arrives in a flurry of frizzy, orange hair and manic energy, along with her companions Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui. One of the first things she asks Joy is: “Where can I put my stuff?”, holding up multiple bags. This can symbolise how anxiety comes with baggage and takes up space, imposing a psychological burden on us which weighs us down.
When Anxiety takes over headquarters, the effect she has on Riley is obvious—she is prevented from living in the moment, instead, she worries about the future, therefore eliminating her “Joy”, both figuratively and literally (when Joy & the others are removed from headquarters). She is pushed to do things that her ‘sense of self’ would not have previously allowed her to do, such as breaking into the Coach’s office to read her notebook. Anxiety also uses Imaginary Land, previously a source of happiness and playtime, to conjure scenarios negatively depicting the future, ultimately leading to Riley’s panic attack.
At the climax, Anxiety apologises, saying she “was just trying to protect Riley”, and did not realise how much it would hurt her. A normal amount of anxiety keeps us safe and protects us, but it becomes a problem when it starts taking over and consuming us. In the closing scenes, Anxiety has a ‘special chair’ for when she feels, well, anxious. This allows her to relax and think clearly about what the best course of action is. We too, especially as students, tend to get sucked into the push and pull of everyday stresses. However, as Joy says, we should not focus on things we can’t control, but on things we can.
- THE REALISATIONS OF GROWING OLDER
At the point where it feels like all hope is lost, Joy delivers a tearful realisation: “Maybe this is what happens when you grow up, you feel less joy”.
As we grow up, life inevitably gets harder. As Anxiety said in her introduction, “Fear protects her from the scary stuff she can see, and my job is to protect her from the scary stuff she can’t see”. Fear of the dark becomes a fear of the future. We move away from the carefree innocence of childhood and are forced to deal with the responsibilities and expectations of adulthood and the real world. Pressure and stress increase day by day, and we may often feel like we are simply “not good enough”.
Furthermore, Anxiety physically bottling up the other emotions shows how anxiety not only overshadows the other emotions but how we tend to bottle up our emotions as we get older and carefully control the parts of ourselves that we reveal to others and how we are perceived.
Another thing many viewers noted was Family Island getting smaller. Previously Family Land was a large aspect of Riley’s mind, but Riley can now be seen standing separately from her parents, and the Island is overall smaller, especially when compared to Friendship Island, which takes up more space. This represents how, as we grow older, we tend to become less reliant on our biological family and instead find our own ‘found family’.
- CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS, DON’T LET THEM CONTROL YOU!
As thoughtfully depicted in Inside Out 2, letting our emotions control us can have disastrous results. It can be hard to manage stress, especially in complicated situations and circumstances. We worry about fitting in, what the future holds for us and so much more, but letting anxiety control our actions takes us out of the present moment, so we act out of fear instead of what we actually want. To solve this, the best course of action is to find a balance to help you navigate life’s difficulties, maintain positive relationships, and find outlets for your stress, developing your own strong sense of self. Have a balanced diet. Take a break. Learn and grow from your experiences. You can never be defined by just a single emotion. Most times, just being yourself is enough.
- PROTECT JOY
We also found that there were interesting points to note regarding the other emotions. When Anxiety suddenly makes an appearance, Joy is quick to push the others behind her. This serves as a reminder that Joy always tried to shield us from unpleasant feelings, particularly anxiety.
Joy protects the old emotions from the new ones
But who will protect Joy? At one point in the film, Joy loses it and lashes out at the other emotions for their arguments and whining. Note that it is anger that offers consolation to Joy. This incident serves as a helpful reminder that, despite the common misconception that anger is a bad feeling, it actually serves to shield us. We get angry because we realise we do not deserve to be treated in such a way, in turn protecting our joy. So sometimes, it’s good to let yourself be angry. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself, and speak up when people wrong you. But remember that with any emotion in excess, it becomes a problem.
CRITICISMS OF INSIDE OUT 2
As the sequel of a successful movie, the criticisms may be harsher while comparing the old and the new. The movie’s plot line involves a good storytelling formula, as well as important stakes that allow the audience to sympathise and root for Riley.
However, the introduction of new emotions is comparatively weaker than the first movie. The existing emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear) have all been established in the first movie. Viewers are thrilled to see the return of the characters, paired with the nostalgia of watching the first film nine years ago. The introduction of new characters is always a debated issue in media. For example, the Percy Jackson books have been adapted into a TV series format. Casting calls have revealed that they are incorporating a new character into the show that was not from the original books, inciting fan discussions over the quality of the adaptation.
Riley’s new emotions are Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment. Initial reactions were to question the prescience of Ennui, as most individuals had not heard of said emotion. Seeing the characters on screen adds to the question of the necessity of several of the emotions.
Anxiety runs most of the movie, acting as the boss of Riley’s mind after she (literally) bottles up the old emotions. The others are pushed to the side and are only utilised to push the plot forward. It makes sense that Anxiety dominated the control of Riley’s head, but in favour of allowing Anxiety to take over, the characterisation of Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment were unable to establish themselves. They had good designs and would have been useful throughout the movie, but in this movie, they only existed to support Anxiety’s master plan.
Out of the three Es, Embarrassment receives the most screen time but only to help Sadness. There is a mutual understanding between Embarrassment and Sadness over their outlook on Riley, which is a motivation for him to help save Riley’s sense of self. The main issue with the three emotions is that they could be replaced by another character and still fulfil the same plot points, as none of their actions are integral to the emotions they encompass.
Eventually, the emotions band together and realise that Riley needs all of her memories. Joy recalls how keeping only the good memories will not allow Riley to be a well-rounded individual (similar to the first movie, where she realises that she needs to let Riley experience sadness).
Anxiety controlling the console while Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui observe.
IN CONCLUSION, despite appearing to be a children’s film, Inside Out 2 imparts valuable life lessons that are applicable to all audiences. All of our emotions contribute to our mental well-being and help us become well-balanced individuals. So instead of ignoring or suppressing your emotions, let them shine when they need to. At the same time, don’t let them get too out of hand that they become unmanageable. Remember that sometimes, you just need to take a step back and breathe, as you learn how to love yourself, “every messy, beautiful piece of you“.
Written by: Reeya & Zhi Lin
Edited by: Tisyha
WOW!