Inside Out 2 (2024)

 

I admired the original "Inside Out" from 2015 but I was not really a big fan. Some of the bloggers I follow loved it the best of all the Pixar films, but I found it only modestly satisfying. I have never quite put my finger on why it failed to resonate with me more, until I saw the sequel, to which I had the exact same response. It is fine, with some very clever moments, but there is something not quite right. I think my ambivalence is a result of a very small story arc, that is breached only by a long series of nearly random elements. It's the exact same pattern in both movies.

The best part of the films, is the creative production design and visualization of the concepts. We are getting a simplification of a complex mental process, and if we keep it at that level it works. The problem is that every time a concept is established, a new variation comes along and changes the immediate direction of the story and the process. Of course you need to have complications, but they should grow out of the world that is being created, and not simply imposed on the characters or scenario. As a result, each solution is less of a journey accomplished than an ex-machina imposition. There are simply too many of them to stay compelling, it undermines the drama.

Another reservation that I have detected, is an inherent flaw in character development. The emotions don't really have any legitimate  range. Joy needs to stay joyful, because that is her whole reason for being. If she can have other emotions, why do all of the separate characters exist? Her best line is that :"Maybe that is what happens when you grow up—you feel less joy." She utters it mournfully. She also has a breakdown and becomes frustrated that she needs to be joyful all the time. The scenario is clever but it sets out some impossible to meet rules for a story to work.    

There is a lot to like about the film. Anxiety as a character is a good add, but needs a little bit of moderation from the other new emotions. The Brainstorm sequence made me laugh out loud, as did the parade balloons of future occupations. The stream of consciousness continues to be a clever idea integrated into the world that has been created here. Visually, the movie succeeds at every turn, with creative imaging and beautiful execution. The sequences of Riley skating and playing hockey are exquisitely presented, and as I've said before, I'm not really a hockey fan.

All of us have gone through the things that Riley is facing in this film. It is tough to balance the conceit of the emotional universe with the daily experiences of the main character. I thought it was a bit more involving in this version of the movie, because we spend so much more time with Riley as a whole character. Joy on the other hand, is basically repeating the same mistake she made in the first film, with a different set of complications that just get resolved arbitrarily. I'm happy the film is doing well, I want the movie business to continue and hits make that happen. I just wish this hit was a little more deserving.