Common Sense Media Review
By Betsy Bozdech , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 6+
Growing up is emotional in thoughtful sequel; some peril.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
some
Scenes of suspense and peril when Joy and the other emotions are caught up in storms/avalanches and chased by authorities and fall from heights. They're also captured and briefly locked up in a dark, scary room and almost tumble into a deep "Sar Chasm." Headquarters is smashed up by a demolition crew, and characters use dynamite to blast their way out of a couple of tricky situations (Anger takes some dynamite from another character roughly, without asking for permission). The forbidding vault in Riley's memory includes a scary-looking Dark Secret. Arguing and yelling, with emotions coming into verbal and physical conflict with each other. Riley has what appears to be an anxiety or panic attack; she also has moments of sadness and conflict with her parents and friends and breaks the rules at camp, sneaking around at night. Brief image of a skeleton.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
very little
Riley's imagination includes a monument called "Mount Crushmore." Disgust seems infatuated with a dashing video game character the emotions encounter in Riley's memory vault.
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Language
very little
Infrequent use of words including "jerk," "moron," "gosh," "freaked out," and "oh my goodness." When frustrated, Joy exclaims "Jiminy mother loving toaster strudel" as a swearing substitute.
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Products & Purchases
very little
No real products within the film, but lots of marketing/licensing tie-ins, from books and apps to a wide variety of toys, clothes, home decor, and more. A couple of fake brands are shown, including TripleDent Gum.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
Anxiety downs a lot of energy drinks in a way that suggests that she's drinking something harder.
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Positive Messages
a lot
We all have many emotions, and they're all essential to establishing our sense of self. Growing up is often messy and complicated, but it's also beautiful and rewarding. Loving someone unconditionally means loving all of them, including their imperfections and mistakes. You can't always protect yourself or those you love from hard times, embarrassing moments, or pain, and that's OK. Working with others is more likely to lead to success than going it alone. True friends help make us who we are. Open, honest communication between friends is important, even when it's hard. Don't try to be something you're not; love and accept who you are. Teamwork and imagination can solve difficult problems. Additional themes include empathy, self-control, compassion, and perseverance.
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Positive Role Models
a lot
Joy is still determined, positive, and focused on Riley's happiness (and she's better now at appreciating the role/value of the other emotions), and she also shows vulnerability by admitting to being frustrated and not having all the answers. She makes mistakes in the name of trying to help and protect Riley—as does Anxiety, who means well but gets out of hand after arriving at headquarters. Sadness still sometimes puts herself down, but she also shows courage and empathy. Riley is a good kid caught up in the chaos of puberty and growing up. She definitely makes mistakes, but she ultimately learns from them. Characters learn and demonstrate self-control, perseverance, empathy, and teamwork.
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Diverse Representations
some
Main characters Riley and Joy are girls; Anxiety is also voiced by a woman. Riley and her parents are White; most of the other girls at Riley's hockey camp, including her best friends, are animated to represent a mix of races, ethnicities, and religions, including Black, Asian American, Latino, Muslim, and more. Their coach is a Black woman. Riley's emotions are largely voiced by White actors, with the exception of Liza Lapira's Disgust and Ayo Edebiri's Envy. The way the film represents how it feels when a person's anxiety takes control is empathetic and relatively nuanced.
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Educational Value
a little
Not biologically accurate in terms of how memory and emotions work, but kids will learn a bit about different parts of the mind (stream of consciousness, long-term memory, imagination), as well as important lessons about empathy, teamwork, and self-control.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Inside Out 2, the follow-up to Pixar's beloved 2015 film about the emotions of a girl named Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman), deals with the complicated life changes that come with being a teenager. With the onset of puberty, Riley's five original emotions—Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger—are joined by newcomers Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. Things get messy fast, and Joy (Amy Poehler) and company find themselves embarking on another adventure through Riley's mind that has several scenes of suspense and peril (storms, falls from heights, dynamite blasts, chases, etc.). But there are no rampaging clowns this time around, since—with Anxiety (Maya Hawke) in control—Riley's fears as a teen are more about saying or doing the wrong thing. Which she does, often. But learning from your mistakes is one of the movie's key messages, as are the ideas that loving someone unconditionally means loving all of them, including their imperfections, and that you can't always protect yourself or those you love from hard times. Language is limited to just a couple of uses of words like "jerk" and "moron" (plus Joy's frustrated exclamation of "Jiminy mother loving toaster strudel"). Overall, most of the content is appropriate for elementary schoolers and up, but younger kids may need a bit more explanation about what's going on. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
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1:10
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Inside Out 2
Parent and Kid Reviews
See all
- Parents say (90)
- Kids say (116)
age 7+
Based on 90 parent reviews
Written by Anonymous
June 14, 2024
age 10+
some younger kids wouldn’t know what emotions until at least 10 years old
Jestine R. Parent of 10 and 11-year-old
June 14, 2024
age 8+
Wasn't sure about it going in, but turned out to be good
Overall good and entertaining movie. Worth noting it does talk about puberty, but thankfully more in a general sense verses a detailed account. Conceptually more for older kids. There is a brief scene in the locker room where one of the girls seems to be wearing either a sports bra or belly shirt. But thankfully overall a funny, clean movie about navigating new emotions, good and bad decisions, learning from them, and developing an honest sense of self.
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See all 89 parent reviews
What's the Story?
Set about two years after the events of 2015's Inside Out, INSIDE OUT 2 finds Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman) at the top of her game: She's getting great grades in school, she's leading her hockey team to victory, and she has two amazing best friends. Everything is running like clockwork among her emotions at Headquarters, too, with Joy (Amy Poehler) confidently in control but remembering to make room for Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale, taking over for Bill Hader), and Disgust (Liza Lapira, stepping in for Mindy Kaling). Then Riley turns 13, and puberty arrives with a literal bang when a wrecking crew shows up to demo HQ and make room for several new emotions: Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos). As all of the emotions try to figure one another out and get along, Riley heads to a competitive hockey camp and receives some unexpected—and unwelcome—news. With Anxiety trying to wrest control, Riley starts spiraling into self-doubt, which threatens her core sense of who she is. Can Joy and the others restore equilibrium and save their girl? If they can navigate her stream of consciousness and avoid a few massive Sar Chasms, it just might work.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (90):
Kids say (116):
This thoughtful, emotional (literally!) return to the world of Riley and her colorful, expressive emotions is a worthy follow-up to the original. While nothing could quite recapture the full wow factor of seeing Inside Out for the first time, Inside Out 2 comes awfully close. The voice cast is great (though Hader and Kaling are missed), the story about teen friendship drama is relatable, the observations about puberty and teenage behavior are hilarious, and the messages about what it means to be your true self—and to love yourself and others unconditionally—are exceptionally relevant for teens but important for kids of all ages.
Plus, the emotions' journey through Riley's mind means that viewers get another round of imaginative takes on how memory and feelings function. A sequence set in the Deep Vault where Riley buries things she'd rather forget about is especially funny, and a tour of Riley's current Personality Island landscape feels spot on in the way it represents teenage priorities. Inside Out 2 is also nuanced and empathetic in how it depicts dealing with anxiety—both the emotion and the character. Like Joy in the first film, Anxiety is doing what she thinks is best for Riley. But also like Joy in the first film, her best intentions go awry, and she needs to learn to work with the other emotions to truly help Riley succeed. All of this again feels poised to help parents and kids have meaningful conversations about how they're feeling, and that's ultimately what makes the Inside Out films so special.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Riley's emotions are different in Inside Out 2 than they were in Inside Out. Why does she have more of them now? What happens when they conflict with each other? Do you ever feel like that happens to you?
The characters in Inside Out 2 learn and demonstrate many important character strengths. How do Riley and her emotions show teamwork, communication, self-control, perseverance, and empathy?
What is someone's "sense of self"? How does Riley's change over the course of the movie? What do you think makes up your own sense of self? Can you truly be yourself without acknowledging and understanding all of yourself?
If you've dealt with anxiety (or know someone who has), how does the way it's portrayed here feel? What's the danger of having anxiety take over? Are there ways to help avoid that?
What role does puberty/growing up play in the story? Do you think that makes it more relevant to tweens and teens than to younger kids?
Movie Details
- In theaters: June 14, 2024
- On DVD or streaming: August 20, 2024
- Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Phyllis Smith
- Director: Kelsey Mann
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Female writers
- Studios: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Adventures, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, Middle School
- Character Strengths: Communication, Empathy, Perseverance, Self-control, Teamwork
- Run time: 100 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: some thematic elements
- Awards: Common Sense Media Award, Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: October 4, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Inside Out 2
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