Pixar delivers an unforgettable film – albeit in safe sequel mode – with Everything is upside down 2, a brisk, silly, sometimes ingenious and consistently entertaining examination of puberty and the new emotions it brings with it.
Riley (the voice of Kensington Tallman) has turned 13, and with that comes new competition for Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), and Sorrow (Phyllis Smith) on Riley’s emotion panel. Led, of course, by Fear (a hilarious Maya Hawke), who relentlessly takes command of Riley and makes her hockey tryouts extremely challenging.
The screenplay, co-written by director Kelsey Mann, is a true masterpiece of the emotions that come in waves to a teenager going through puberty. There’s a panic attack sequence near the end of the film that’s one of the best scenes Pixar has put together in more than a decade. It’s been a while since one of their films has blown audiences away the way Pixar often used to. Inside Out 2 reminds us how brilliant the animation studio can be sometimes.
Hawke, who has proven herself to be as capable as her parents Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke as an actress, gets a real stage here. Her Fear is one of the funnier characters in the Pixar universe.
Other new emotions that bring laughs include envy (Ayo Edebiri), embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and boredom (Adele Exarchopoulos). Poehler takes a back seat to Hawke’s angst, but she’s still the emotional leader and just as fun as she was in the original.
It’s nice to see Pixar reaching a high point and bringing some life into an otherwise dull summer movie season. As with some of their best films, Inside Out 2 has a lot of heart and a lot of humor, and I expect there will be more of that in the future. I have to imagine we’ll see Riley in college – and all the emotions that will come with that.
Inside Out 2 is playing in cinemas across the valley.
