Inside Out 2 (2024)

When Pixar released the original Inside Out in 2015, it arrived to near-universal praise and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. For a studio that had already produced films like Toy Story, Up and Finding Nemo, that was saying something. The premise, that a young girl's emotions are literal characters running a control room inside her head, struck a chord with children and adults in equal measure. Nine years later, Pixar and Disney returned to that world with Inside Out 2, picking up with Riley now aged thirteen and entering the turbulence of adolescence. The timing feels pointed: where the first film concerned itself with childhood loss and change, the sequel widens the emotional vocabulary to take in the particular pressures of being a teenager, identity, belonging, the question of who you are becoming.

Inside Out 2 marks the feature directorial debut of Kelsey Mann, who had previously worked as a story supervisor on several Pixar productions. It is a notable step up, and the film is polished and confident in most of its visual storytelling. Amy Poehler returns as Joy, the optimistic, high-energy emotion who anchored the first film, and she brings the same warmth and comic timing she has always had in the role. Alongside her, Kensington Tallman takes over as the voice of Riley herself, with Liza Lapira and Tony Hale among the returning and new ensemble. The headline addition, though, is Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke. It is a smart piece of casting: Hawke brings a tightly wound, almost sympathetic quality to the character that keeps her from becoming a straightforward villain. The premise of a mind thrown into chaos by a wave of unfamiliar new emotions is, in the context of writing a story about a thirteen-year-old, a fairly natural extension of what the original set up, and the production leans into that with reasonable confidence.

Pixar animation at this point in its history is a known quantity: technically refined, expressive, built on a house style that is recognisable across the studio's output. Compared to some of the more formally adventurous work you find in films like Josep, a European animated feature with a very different visual sensibility, or even the lo-fi charm of The OceanMaker, Inside Out 2 sits comfortably within a polished but unremarkable studio framework. Whether that is enough for audiences expecting another landmark from Pixar is, of course, the question.

The original was a masterpiece, a near-perfect blend of heart, humor, and emotional intelligence. This sequel is not quite that. It’s still smart, still beautifully animated, and definitely worth watching… but something about the magic feels diluted this time around. The new emotions are fun and well-designed, and the film dives into some really relatable teen anxieties such as identity, social pressure, growing up. But the charm and purity of the first film is noticeably missing in places. The jokes feel a bit more forced, the tone a little broader, and the emotional beats, while still effective, don’t land quite as hard. Still a strong Pixar effort, just not a classic. If you loved Inside Out, this is a worthy follow-up… but not a replacement.

I keep coming back to that word "diluted", because I think it's exactly right. There's nothing wrong with Inside Out 2 as a piece of mainstream family entertainment, and I'd happily recommend it to anyone with kids or, frankly, anyone who remembers being thirteen and finding the whole business of it completely overwhelming. But the original had a kind of precision to it, a confidence in its own emotional logic, that this one reaches for and doesn't quite hold. Anxiety is a genuinely well-drawn character, and the film earns a few of its bigger moments, but you can feel the machinery working harder this time. If you haven't seen Trolls, I wouldn't say Inside Out 2 reminded me of it in any particularly generous way. It's better than that. It just isn't the film the first one was. Worth a watch, but maybe keep your expectations at a gentle simmer.

Rating: ★★★½  | Year: 2024  | Watched: 2025-07-16

View on Letterboxd →

Trailer

▶ Watch the official trailer for Inside Out 2 (2024) on YouTube

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More with Amy Poehler: Inside Out (2015)
More from the 2020s: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · The Long Walk (2025) · Americana (2023)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)