By Vanessa Hewitt
Going into the theater to see “Inside Out 2,” I was expecting a humorous film similar to the first one. I was not expecting to exit the theater feeling seen and having a newfound respect for Pixar Animation Studios.
“Inside Out 2” introduces newer, more mature emotions as Riley enters her teenage years. The emotion “Anxiety” is the most prominent new character as she ends up creating mayhem for the preexisting emotions.
The film allows viewers to embark on a journey following Riley through her time at hockey camp with Anxiety taking the reins. Upon doing this, she forces the original emotions, including Joy, to the back of the mind. I think this is an extremely important metaphor and it gives more depth to a film aimed predominantly toward children.
Along with that, there is a scene in the movie I believe is especially important. Riley experiences an anxiety attack. The character Anxiety creates havoc at the control center and they depict it through a tornado-like wind in Riley’s mind. Simultaneously, we see Riley physically displaying signs of distress. The feeling this scene radiates is quite chaotic, it almost makes viewers uncomfortable.
Speaking from personal experience, this scene is one of the most accurate depictions I have seen in film of an anxiety attack. That being said, I think it is crucial for scenes like this to be present in more films. Even though it can be uncomfortable to watch, it shows people how uncomfortable it is to be living with it. Living with anxiety is often misunderstood, it can be hard to step into someone’s shoes if you can’t see how they are feeling. Films like this give people with anxiety a voice and shows what it really feels like.
Furthermore, not only do they touch on how anxiety feels, they show what anxiety can do to your sense of self. The character Anxiety decides it would be best for Riley if she created a “new self,” which ultimately ends up hurting her. She explains in the movie how she is only trying to think of Riley’s future and makes decisions with that in mind, however, those decisions result in negative outcomes. We see how over time Riley begins to change and act in ways that are foreign to her old self.
The thoughts she used to have like “I am a good person” and “I am a good friend” turned into negative thoughts like “I’m not good enough.” This shows what can happen if you let anxiety take hold of your life, your sense of self becomes altered by negative thoughts.
I particularly also enjoyed the message at the end of the movie. Once the original emotions make their way back to headquarters, all of the emotions come to an agreement. They allow every emotion to take part in creating a new sense of self and create a new way of functioning. This is also important because even with all the damage Anxiety caused, they still include her in this new sense of self. This shows it is okay to have anxiety but there are ways to live with it without it being extremely harmful.
Although this movie portrayed pretty heavy stuff, it kept humor and fun themes in the mix as well, appealing to a diverse audience. This only allows more people to see how they depicted anxiety on the big screen. With the story being informative but also very interesting, I think it can create some real change in some people’s lives.
If you are looking for a film that will both make you laugh and maybe even cry, this is the perfect movie to see. It is also kid friendly but interesting enough to be seen by teens and adults as well. I give this movie 8/10 stars, definitely worth watching.
