Inside Out’s 2’s cartoonish appeal to children did not prevent it from delivering a heartwarming coming of age narrative. By focusing on the brought to life emotions of the main character Riley, Disney and Kelsey Mann delivered an animated feature focused on raising awareness to the mental health of teenagers and depicting it in a relatable matter for all. 

The first Inside Out movie introduced Riley’s emotions as five different characters who represented the most basic stages of our feelings — Joy, Anger, Disgust, Sadness and Fear. As Inside Out 2 begins, Riley is now older and soon gets her first period. With this brings forth a new cast of emotions that are far more complex and aligned with adolescence. The most notable character being Anxiety, who is the main cause of Riley’s difficult time with being a teenager. Anxiety begins to consume Riley’s mind and suppresses all of her other emotions. This is a very real and common occurrence in people undergoing significant amounts of stress and opens the door to conversation on the overlooked consequences of anxiety. Inside Out 2 is a reminder to not take anxiety lightly and that it can be what ruins someone’s life without proper assistance. Riley being consumed by her anxiety didn’t occur spontaneously. As she enters a very competitive process of entering a new school and making a top hockey team, Riley faces constant struggles with feeling worthy enough for the team and fitting in with the other girls. All of her stress only invigorates Anxiety to work more and more until she is eventually in control of Riley entirely and her mental state is in disarray. Riley is unable to manage her more mature emotions, Anxiety especially. She completely loses touch with her “basic” emotions and is almost unrecognizable as Anxiety spirals more and more. Riley’s academic and sports performances are disrupted by her state. But the thing most impacted is her social life, which drives her into a depression. Riley tried so hard to fit in that she lost herself in the process and destroyed her friendships. 

Losing things due to anxiety is a very relatable subject for teenagers and adults. Everyone of a certain age knows the difficulties of mood swings and overwhelming schedules and struggling to find success somewhere. Inside Out 2, while being a children’s movie, does not shy away from the ugliness of these topics. Riley is outright wrong in many scenes and too caught up with her own emotions to understand why. The phenomenon of self sabotage is something handled very well in this film. As Riley’s destructive behavior boils up into a huge display of rage in the midst of a hockey match — she finds herself placed in the penalty box where she is finally consumed by Anxiety. Riley has a panic attack, and the scene plays out with a huge climax of utter distress before Riley is calmed down and can come to terms with her burn out. Despite the embarrassing and painful personal memories that audiences may have faced while watching this movie, its resolution is profoundly realistic and reassuring. After her panic attack, Riley reconnects with her old emotions and finally achieves a sense of self where she can pursue her goals with a healthy state of mind. Inside Out 2 navigated a difficult journey with multiple forms of anxiety but ultimately proved to younger audiences that there is a light at the end of the tunnel when they are struggling. However, it also gives a chance for older watchers to reflect on their own adolescence and reminds them to be understanding of the harsh and sudden swarm of emotions and stress piled on those who are younger and haven’t learned how to handle mental wellness yet.