It took a while for the sequel to the animated comedy-adventure “Inside Out” to come out. Nine years, in fact. But when I heard about “Inside Out 2,” I was all in. The moviemaking team at Pixar/Disney knows what they’re doing every step of the way.
In the sequel, Riley, voiced by Kensington Tallman (“Summer Camp”), is grown up and on her way to college. An athlete, she’s also trying to get a hockey scholarship. Of course Riley is dealing with a bevy of mixed emotions. Hence the reason for this follow-up.
Riley’s familiar inner voices from the original, Joy, Anger and Sadness, make way for some new emotions such as disgust (Liza Lapira) and anxiety (Maya Hawke, the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman).
“Inside Out 2” is one of the better sequels to come out lately because of the strong character development and dynamic vocal acting. The filmmakers went out of their way to find great voice talent. Returning actors Amy Poehler (Joy), Lewis Black (Anger) and Phyllis Smith (Sadness) are great to listen to because of their personality. Equally as strong are newcomers Hawke, Lapira and Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment.
There are a lot of shenanigans involved about where Riley’s character is going. It’s an emotional journey the audience takes with her.
I’m surprised as a consumer how audiences around the world are taking to this animated adventure.
Director and co-screenwriter Kelsey Mann, who makes his feature-film debut, knows how to get strong personalities from his voice actors. He knows what he’s doing with the storyline and everybody involved.
With the unbridled success of this sequel, look for Riley to have more comic adventures in the future. I wouldn’t mind that because it’s bound to be further developments of the characters and personalities. Kinda like life itself.
Grade: A
