Kelsey Mann’s Inside Out 2: Pixar Plays It Safe in the Highly Anticipated Sequel
The sequels to a hit are always tricky, especially when following one of the most important films of the last decade for the studio. I understand the urge to play it safe, to avoid taking risks so that the audience doesn’t turn away (hello, Joker: Folie à Deux), but there should be an effort to broaden the horizons. Criticizing the audience can be controversial, but they should be more open-minded to trying new things, to venturing into the unknown. What comes to the screen depends on us… If overly formulaic sequels like Inside Out 2 are supported, it sends a message of complacency. But then it’s not fair to complain about getting more of the same until you’re overwhelmed.
Inside Out was a project that worked largely thanks to Pete Docter and his collaboration with Ronnie del Carmen. Docter is one of the names that has made Pixar one of the most important animation studios in history. Del Carmen is an artist and animator with a unique sensitivity for storytelling. The movie worked wonders because it delivered what the studio should always aim for: emotional stories that function on multiple levels and can be enjoyed by all audiences, regardless of age. Adults find nuances that kids don’t, and vice versa.
After a few missteps that questioned Pixar’s dominance, Inside Out reaffirmed what this team is capable of. However, unlike other more open-ended films, this felt like a unique movie that didn’t necessarily need a sequel. It’s no surprise it took almost a decade to come up with a concept and development interesting enough…
While the first film is about a step toward maturity and acceptance of emotions when a young girl experiences a major life change, the second one is about… exactly the same thing! And that is the biggest issue with Kelsey Mann’s film: the lack of personality and risk-taking.
In many ways, Inside Out 2 feels like a remake, as it seems to want to replicate the same structure, development, and climax but on a bigger scale. With the transition to adolescence, things get more complicated, and emotions become more complex. New ones emerge: Anxiety, Envy, Shame, and Ennui. These take control of the central system, and the protagonists of the first film must go on an odyssey to reclaim their space in Riley’s mind.
Sounds familiar, right? That’s because you’ve already seen it in the first movie. This sequel should have brought something more. In Pixar’s best examples, they always manage to do so. It compensates by delivering an emotional mechanism that is deeply effective and resonates with the audience. In its most powerful moments, it’s not surprising that anyone can connect with the movie. And if we understand that this is cinema’s goal, then mission accomplished. It’s an emotional artifact that blocks a more intellectual approach for much of the audience. But I find that a bit tricky because it should work on all levels. The issue isn’t with the achieved effects or the formal elements, but with an overly constrained script. Although perhaps we expect more from Pixar than from other studios. That’s what happens when you’re accustomed to the excellence of works like Soul, Coco, Turning Red, or their more iconic films.
The animation, as always, is sublime. This is an elite studio, and this project allows them to try new things and play with different aesthetic elements. It has iconic and impressive character design, as well as impeccable world-building and atmosphere creation. In that sense, there’s a clear attention to detail in the form and final product that you wish was comparable in other major productions.
There’s also nothing negative to say about the cast. It’s a shame that Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling didn’t return, but it’s compensated by excellent additions like Maya Hawke, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Ayo Edibiri, and Paul Walter Houser. They all manage to bring a lot of charisma and personality to their characters, and the casting choices are perfect.
Inside Out 2 is a highly anticipated sequel that has performed brilliantly at the box office, exceeding all expectations. This proves that the strategy behind the film was the right one. So maybe the audience does want more of the same, but bigger. Or perhaps they’re content with a movie that hits emotional notes and features characters they’ve grown attached to. I hope I’m wrong, though I find fewer and fewer arguments in reality to support that.
