Inside Out 2 is a Roller Coaster You Can Ride with Mixed Feelings

Inside Out 2 is not the heartwarming, emotional processing exercise that its predecessor was, it’s still entertaining and could be somewhat educational if you have tweens or teenagers.

In 2020, due to the world shuttering abruptly and disrupting life as we knew it, a global mental health pandemic was the next wave projected to follow COVID — increasing the interest in the concept of Inside Out even more.

Similar to the fact that the dust has mostly settled on the new normal, our heroine Riley has settled into her city life in bustling San Francisco, after being uprooted from the peace of Minnesota’s frozen lakes.

The emotions from the first movie seemingly have also settled in with each other. Joy has realized that Sadness plays a vital role in Riley’s life and they even spend quality time together: literally making memories and working on belief systems that form who Riley is as she grows up. 

“Crisis” strikes as the puberty button flashes - or so the original emotions think. The emotions try to get rid of it but similar to real life, puberty is inevitable.

They are completely caught unawares by the changes that were about to occur, as they are in their nightgowns during the demolition.
Well, most of them.

Just as puberty catches us unawares and brings its own drama, a deluge of new, “sophisticated” emotions invade headquarters and seem to be there to stay.

Anxiety introduces herself to Joy as a huge fan, her shockingly high amount of energy stunning every emotion in the room as she offers to help the crew in any way she can.

While Anxiety causes most of the ruckus in the control center of Riley’s mind, she’s actually a sympathetic character in the film, projecting every possible worst case scenarios in the well-meaning guise of “planning for the future.”
 
When you think about it, anxiety comes from a desire to be happy.

Anxiety builds up when we think our happiness will be the result of our ability to control every outcome in life. The downside is, anxiety can cause us to spiral out of control— ironically, from our own desire to be in control.

All the emotions somehow relate to each other, making you realize that having mixed feelings is normal.
Anxiety explains herself in that her difference with Fear is that Fear protects Riley from what is happening now as to Anxiety protects Riley from things that haven’t happened.

Anxiety is projecting future happiness conditional on outcomes, while Joy is enjoying happiness now.

Envy causes Anxiety by wanting what others have and making us feel that what we have now is not good enough.

Embarrassment can cause Sadness, especially when you are in as vulnerable a phase as puberty.

During their hard-fought journey to help Riley, Joy realized that as you grow up, you feel less joy. And maybe it’s natural, because the more years you spend in our flawed world, the more chances you will face disappointment and be numbed by it at some point.

Also, adult Inside Out idea alert - introduce Apathy as an adult emotion - even if it does mean a lack of feeling, it’s probably one of the most relatable.

But in the end, all the emotions want what’s best for Riley.

While feeling and processing emotions is useful, there is no more fragile way to live than by our feelings.  Everyone experiences emotions that influence our actions.
Imagine if we didn’t go to work on all the days we didn’t feel like it — what our attendance and job history would look like.  We somehow are still able to do unpleasant things when we have a purpose in mind.

You’re created for a purpose, and with free will.  While feelings are valid, they’re not an all-powerful control center in our heads puppeteering us whichever way they please.
You’re built for much more than that.