(Warning: Spoilers for Inside Out 2 ahead.) Inside Out 2 introduces a new emotion to the mix: Anxiety. This addition brings a fresh dynamic to the emotional landscape of Riley, the 13-year-old protagonist. The film’s climax, featuring a full-blown anxiety attack, resonated deeply with me, as I watched it unfold in a packed theater on a Friday night.
I have a complex mix of neurodiversity, including anxiety. At one point, I was diagnosed with a panic disorder, which I managed with coping skills and medication. However, generalized anxiety remains a regular part of my life. As a parent of two children, the first Inside Out movie, released in 2015, struck a chord with me. I saw it in theaters during one of my first outings without my infant. The Michael Giacchino theme, the birth of baby Riley, and the appearance of Joy brought me to tears.
Pixar is known for its emotional impact, and Inside Out has always been particularly poignant for me. My child, much like Riley, is now approaching puberty. When the Giacchino theme played at the beginning of the sequel, I felt a wave of emotion but quickly composed myself.
The movie’s climactic anxiety attack, however, was a different story. Up until that point, I had been enjoying the film, laughing at jokes aimed at parents. But during a crucial hockey game, Riley is put in the penalty box and begins to hyperventilate. Inside her head, Anxiety takes over the command center, creating chaos. Earlier in the movie, Anxiety had torn apart Riley’s “true self” and thrown it into the back of her mind. Joy tries to retrieve it, but the turmoil inside the command center, including a new version of Riley’s “true self” built on the idea that she’s “not good enough,” makes it difficult.
I found myself crying uncontrollably. The stranger next to me, who I deduced was his child companion’s uncle, seemed concerned. My children, noticing my distress, stared at me. My son climbed into my lap and kissed my tear-streaked face, asking if I was okay. I felt guilty for worrying them. Like Joy, I tried to push the bad feelings away, but it only made things worse. I was experiencing an anxiety attack alongside Riley.
The new emotions in the movie, including Embarrassment, Anxiety, Envy, and Ennui, add depth to the story. Joy’s line, “Maybe that’s what happens as you grow up. You feel less joy,” broke me. Other reviews mentioned hearing grownups weeping at that line, but I was too consumed by my own emotional storm to notice.
Joy and her friends eventually make it to the command center, where Joy confronts Anxiety. Anxiety, holding onto the board with a vice grip, admits, “I was just trying to protect Riley!” This resonated with me. Overcoming my panic disorder involved accepting that my anxiety was trying to help me, even if there was nothing to fear. I used to get panic attacks while walking uphill, misinterpreting my raised heart rate as a sign of danger. I overcame it by taking deep breaths, accepting love from others, and focusing on the present.
Riley does the same. She feels her hands on her legs, sees the sun through the windows, and takes a deep breath. She steps out of the penalty box and looks into the sun. “Joy,” Sadness says, “Riley wants you.”
Riley’s journey through anxiety and finding joy again, even during puberty, eased the tightness in my heart. As the movie wound down, the theme played once more, and my son loudly remarked, “There’s that music again!” I laughed, letting the last tears fall before the lights came up.
Pixar’s recent announcement about producing more universal stories, with Inside Out being a prime example, highlights the emotional core that resonates with audiences. While I don’t share the cultural background of characters in movies like Turning Red, I relate to their universal themes. Inside Out 2, from my perspective, was specifically “for me” as a parent of an anxious child. Its themes of being true to oneself, growing up, and navigating complex emotions apply to everyone.
While the movie brought me to tears, I’m grateful for the emotional catharsis and the opportunity for my kids to see me process my emotions. The possibility of Trauma being a character in Inside Out 3 is both intriguing and daunting.
