'Inside Out 2' Review: Puberty Blues

Pixar's animated adolescent comedy-drama is now streaming on Disney Plus. Plus, whatever happened to 'Turning Red'?

Imagine a movie in which a young girl turns 13 years of age and begins experiencing puberty. As her body changes, her emotions go haywire. Her friends try to help, but she's flailing. Finally, she sets things right, reconciles with loved ones, and enjoys a happy conclusion. The movie is released to critical acclaim. With an estimated budget of $175 million. the movie earns $21.8 million. 

Wait a minute. $21.8 million? Aren't we talking about Inside Out 2, the box office sensation that drew huge audiences all summer long, and has earned more than one billion dollars so far?

In reality, the plot synopsis above applies to Inside Out 2, yes, but also applies to Turning Red, a wonderful movie that had the misfortune to be produced and released during the worldwide Covid pandemic in March 2022. Its theatrical release was cancelled, and it was released directly to Disney Plus. Earlier this year, Disney released it in theaters, prompting me to repost my review, but my powers are limited, the film was already two years old, people had already seen it on Disney Plus, and it was not a smash. 

While Turning Red felt like an indie movie with a blockbuster's budget, Inside Out 2 feels like a major studio production with a blockbuster's budget (reportedly $200 million). It has grossed $1.68 billion so far at the box office worldwide since its release in June. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get out and see it in a movie theater this summer, but it looks quite spectacular on my home theater setup, with a decent-sized screen, good sound, and 4K resolution. 

Indeed, since I got a 4K setup last year, I often find myself easily distracted by the details and sheer beauty of animated movies in 4K, even via streaming services. (On a physical disc, it's even better!) The opening sequences look incredible, immaculate in the splendor of the details, the texture of the fabrics, and the accuracy of the amazing range of carefully-chosen colors. 

Story-wise, Inside Out starts two years after the events in Inside Out, when 11-year-old Riley and her family moved from Minnesota to San Francisco.Having made two good friends, and now adjusted to life in the big city, Riley is thrilled with the opportunity to attend a weekend hockey camp with her friends, hoping that they will all quality to join the high school hockey team. 

Riley has marshaled the forces of her five primary emotions, but when she hits puberty, she is suddenly confronted with four more key emotions, and she is wrecked. The movie personifies all nine emotions as battling for control of her mind; each emotion is voiced expertly by a bevy of talented voice actors who vividly bring the emotions to life. 

The early scenes display a marvelous, inventive, and smartly clever sense of humor that often made me laugh out loud. To be frank, I couldn't help but compare it to Turning Red, and I'm quite amazed that two movies with a similar premise from the same studio could both be so good. 

Inside Out 2 very much feels like a big studio picture, and subsequently less personal and individualistic than Turning Red, which mined the life experiences of director Domee Shi as a Chinese woman growing up in Toronto, Canada. Inside Out 2 is clearly informed by the personal experiences of writer Meg LeFauve and director Kelsey Mann -- LeVauve and Mann are credited for the story, while LeFauve and Dave Holstein are credited for the screenplay -- yet broadens out, aiming for the universality of adolescence. 

Both are very, very good, and I enjoyed them both very much. Highly recommended. [Disney Plus]