Being a teenager makes you feel like your emotions are in a war in your brain. Inside Out 2, by Pixar, portrays the average teen’s mind better than any other recently released film. While the first Inside Out showed us the emotions of a child, the sequel dived into the confusing and painful reality of growing up.
The film starts with Riley, who is now thirteen, gaining new emotions that move into her mind like Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. These new emotions shake up the control room, completely remodeling it. This shows how adolescence brings up more complicated feeling than just Joy or Sadness. Any teen who has felt embarrassed for no reason can relate.
What makes Inside Out 2 so accurate is how honest it is about peer pressure and identity. Anxiety tried to help Riley by planning every possible outcome, but ends up overwhelming her, something every student facing tests or peer pressure may understand. According to a Pew Research study, over 70% of adolescents reported feeling anxious and worried about getting good grades, and 41% reported pressure over fitting in, which is almost exactly what Riley experienced on screen.
In his interview on Entertainment Weekly the director of Inside out 2, Kelsey Mann, said the film was “inspired by real teenage stories about uncertainty and fear of change.” Which shows the authenticity of the film. Unlike many movies that exaggerate the life of a teenager for drama like Euphoria, Inside Out 2 makes small moments like losing old friends and trying too hard to impress others feel huge, because to the average teenager, these are huge.
Other than the accuracy, this movie also delivers messages worth learning. Every emotion has value. For example, Joy, throughout the movie, thought she was the only emotion that should be expressed by Riley even though Anxiety, Sadness, and the other emotions had value and protected Riley in different ways. It is a powerful reminder that it’s ok to feel overwhelmed. For a high schooler balancing friendships, academic expectations, and self doubt, it’s a comforting reminder.
Pixar didn’t just make another simple movie, they made a guide for teens suffering with the pressures and hardship of growing up. It reminds them that growing up isn’t about choosing specific emotions to show 24/7 like Joy, it’s about learning how to listen to all of them at the same time and handle them easier. So next time you feel like all your emotions are fighting each other for control, know you’re not the only one whose mind feels crowded.
