First Take: Inside Out 2 - bring all the feels

SYNOPSIS: A sequel that features Riley entering puberty and experiencing brand new, more complex emotions as a result. As Riley tries to adapt to her teenage years, her old emotions try to adapt to the possibility of being replaced.

In 2015 Pete Docter and his team at Pixar made what can only be described as the most emotional (in every sense of the word) animated film the studio has made to that point. a lot has happened since then - a reshuffle, Disney focusing on streaming, and the controversial call to use lesser voice talents - but Inside Out 2 definitely feels like it was worth the wait, and a very apt film to open a marathon day of cinema considering the last 48 hours in England and, well, changes which happened on Friday morning (if you know you know).

Kelsey Mann takes over directorial duty for the sequel, and working to a script from Meg LeFauvre and Dave Holstein, this 1 hour 36 minute work has enough pace to make even the England players think again, enough heart (like the original) to justify Pixar’s stature, but even with all the positives, the usual Disney (post covid) issues present themselves with it feeling a smidge too corporate. It is animated incredibly well as you would expect, and taking over from Michael Giacchino on scoring duties is Andrea Datzman, who somehow (with giacchino himself producing the score) takes the beloved music of IO1 and develops it to suit the Riley we see in this followup, with a more grown up sound.

Onto the cast - notable absences aside (Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling did not return, citing pay issues), Amy Poehler leads the cast admirably, with Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Diane Lane and Kyle McLachlan all returning from IO1. Big name additions include Maya Hawke, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Ayo Edibiri, Adele Exarchopaulos, Paul Walter Hauser and (Community legend) Yvette Nicole Brown, and obviously they’ve done some good casting in light of the well publicised disputes - while Pixar have been a little hit/miss of late, this one definitely has hints of the golden age of the studio - which is a major relief. The hope is now whether the studio has enough creative prowess to rediscover what made these films so universally beloved, even if, sadly, they eliminate some positions.

THE VERDICT

Inside Out 2 takes what we have already seen with Riley’s story and adds to it in very well thought out ways - yes, it doesn’t quite land in the same way as the first one did (as some creatives aren’t involved as heavily), but with its exclusive cinema run, Pixar are finally on to a winner.

RATING: 4/5